Breville BCG820BSSXL Smart Grinder Pro Coffee Grinder – Brushed Stainless Steel
Crafted for coffee aficionados, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro boasts professional-grade features packed into a compact, brushed stainless steel design. Its versatile 60 grind settings and customizable dose adjustments give users absolute control over grind size and consistency. This grinder not only grinds directly into portafilters or containers but also includes programmable presets, making it suitable for all brewing methods.
Product Highlights & Features:
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60 Precise Grind Settings – From espresso-fine to coarse French press
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Dosing iQ Technology – Precision digital time adjustment in 0.2-second increments
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LCD Display – Displays grind setting, grind time, and number of shots or cups
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Versatile Grinding Options – Grinds directly into portafilters, airtight containers, filter baskets, or paper filters
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Pre-Programmed Settings – Intelligent modes optimize grind results for various brew methods
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Large Capacity – 18oz (1.1 lbs) bean hopper with locking system for easy removal and transfer
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Stainless Steel Conical Burrs – Designed to minimize grinding heat and protect essential oils
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Accessories Included – 50-54mm and 58mm portafilter cradles, grinds container with lid and sealing cap, conical burr, and cleaning brush
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2-Year Limited Warranty – Backed by Breville’s quality assurance
Technical Specifications:
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Breville |
| Model Number | BCG820BSSXL |
| Color | Brushed Stainless Steel |
| Grinder Type | Conical Burr |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Power | 165 Watts |
| Voltage | 110-120V |
| Capacity | 18 oz / 1.1 lbs |
| Grind Settings | 60 |
| Weight | 6.4 lbs (2.9 kg) |
| Dimensions | 6.28″ L x 8.46″ W x 15.33″ H |
| Warranty | 2-Year Limited Product Warranty |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Recommended Uses | Espresso, Drip, Pour Over, French Press |
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
✔ 60 precise grind settings for full customization
✔ Consistent and uniform grinding performance
✔ User-friendly LCD display for easy programming
✔ Direct grinding into portafilter or containers
✔ Includes multiple accessories for different brewing setups
✔ Durable stainless steel build
✔ Large hopper capacity with easy removal
✔ Quiet operation compared to competitors
✔ Two-year limited warranty
Cons:
✖ Slight grind retention in the chute (solved with optional silicone bellows)
✖ Static build-up may cause minor mess
✖ Not the quietest model in the market but tolerable
✖ Power cord could be longer for better counter flexibility
✖ Premium price point compared to entry-level grinders
Final Verdict:
The Breville BCG820BSSXL Smart Grinder Pro is a standout option for coffee enthusiasts seeking precision and consistency in their coffee grinding. With 60 settings and advanced digital controls, it offers remarkable flexibility for various brewing methods, from espresso to French press. While minor issues like static buildup exist, its strong build, ease of use, and excellent grind consistency make it a reliable choice that delivers excellent value for its premium price. It is ideal for home baristas who prioritize quality and versatility in their daily coffee routine.
B. H. –
Like so many others
UPDATE AFTER 4 MONTHS OF USE: I love it! Just prior to boxing this and returning it Amazon I decided to give it one last chance. Many purchasers on here said the grounds jar/receptacle can partially block the grounds chute in many positions. For instance if you push the jar all the way back, which feels natural, it partially blocks the chute. This chute is extremely sensitive to being blocked. So people suggested a different receptacle, removing the lid, trying to position it better, etc. I simply removed the lid. This worked wonders! 4 months in and I have not had it bind once.As you will see in my review below, I thought I had already tried this. Clearly I had not. I still think this product could benefit from improvement. It seems to bind a bit readily. The jar is all too easily misaligned with the chute thus causing it to bind. But if you remove the lid from the jar, you should encounter no problems from it.ORIGINAL 1 STAR REVIEW: Like so many others, mine is making loud clicking noises and refusing to grind coffee. I am now on my fourth morning with it, and have already spent a couple hours repeatedly tearing it apart and recleaning it to get it working again. Sometimes it will work for 30 seconds, sometimes only 3 seconds until it jams. When it jams it must be thoroughly cleaned.I tried a million different things to get it to work.The coarsest grind settings, different receptacle that would remove back pressure, etc. I even tried buying brand new beans, just in case my week old ones were the cause (even though they’re not oily, nor damp, nor do the appear to contain tiny rocks). I gave this thing every chance I could think of, no luck.I don’t think it’s fair to call this poorly engineered. There are so many visible things about this grinder that are really well designed, from the hopper bottom that closes when you lift it out for cleaning, to the magnetic grounds catcher at the bottom. They put a tremendous amount of thought into a lot of details, which makes cleaning this a breeze. But, there are clearly a lot of defective units out there. Or, perhaps the all important internals weren’t done by the same engineer.I called Breville to see if they knew of any thing I could try before I returned it. The automated phone system offered to call me back instead of putting me on hold, it claimed I would not lose my place in the queue. “Cool!” I thought, “I love these.” Over 3 hours later my phone rings, and immediately hangs up. I Google the phone number, and the first result is a Better Business Burea profile for Breville. Their rating: D-I usually would never rate something 1 star, especially something with such an impressive exterior design. But, it’s an expensive coffee grinder that doesn’t grind coffee, and based on what I have seen an exchange is unlikely to help.
53 people found this helpful
Dp –
Good value for the price and features
I’ve never had a burr grinder, and have been using a simple blade grinder for years with my espresso machines. Why I didn’t change over five years ago, I’ll never know — I think cheap is one of the reasons.What a difference a burr grinder makes, simply because the grounds are so even. The espresso shot comes out much more consistently. I use a Breville Infuser machine.As this is my first grinder and I can’t compare with other brands, I’m rating this a 4/5.Poistives:1. cradle for the doser/filer, so you don’t have to first grind the coffee into a container and then spoon it out. Creates much less mess. This was the big selling point for me. The other recommended grinders under $250 did not have this feature, from what I found.2. Very ergonomic, which is consistent with Breville products.3, Easily removeable cradles (two sizes depending on the size doser you have.)4. Easily removeable bottom tray that catches rouge grounds – connected by a magnet. Slips out and back in with no effort.5. Very nice, sealable, grounds container, when your grinding for your coffee pot, pour over, or just a day or two’s worth of grounds (I just grind as I go.)6. very nice control panel with time adjustment, one or two shot memory, and grind adjustment.7. Reasonably sized whole bean storage bin/feeder that holds plenty of beans. It is easily removeable and has a great feature that allows you to remove it without the beans pouring out. Effectively, you twist a center lock that releases the bin, but closes the bottom. You then then place the bin over a container, turn the lock, and the beans unload.8. Grinds very evenly.Negatives:Nothing really that lowered by review, but minor points:1. Loud – not shrieking loud, but louder than I thought it would be compared to a professional grinder. However, this is not a professional grinder, and for $200, I can put up with the “noise.”2. A little hard to unclick the lock that holds the burr for cleaning. It does come with a cleaning brush. You feel like you might break the little basket handle that you lift in order to twist and unlock the burr.Some reviews have complained of the grinder jamming and not working after a few months. I’ve had mine not about four months or so — so far, so good. I do clean out the burr periodically.For the money and convenience, definitely worth the price.
4 people found this helpful
Mike P –
Works as stated
Works fine. I think WAY over priced but looks good on counter.
TK –
Noisy but a good grinder
I really enjoy the simplicity of this grinder and the grinds it produces, but it’s too noisy. I wake up the whole house in the mornings when i grind. I’ve started wrapping a towel around it to try and absorb some of the sound.
One person found this helpful
T. Tran –
Best bang for your bucks
I had an eye on this machine for many months and I finally bought one when Amazon pricing algorithm tried to match the rediculous low prices from the other sellers. I was tempted many times to buy the open box but I am glad that I didn’t and bough new instead. I bought this on an impulse because my espresso machine, Breville BES870XL also has built in grinder, and I don’t see it adds anything to my espresso. I also grind coffee with a blade grinder for pour over coffee. I have not done any blind test but I can tell you that people who claimed the burr grinders for better coffee is bullsh*t. Having said that, I got good deal so I don’t regret at all.I watched many video reviews and comparisons between this model and the others, and I can tell you this is the best for the price and performance ratio. You can’t find any conical burr grinder out there that comes with many great features as this one:: 60 grind settings, nice LCD display, accurate timer for dose control, pause and resume, power saving, portafilter holders, removable bean hopper.. for less than $200. I have looked at these models in the same price range: DeLonghi America KG521 and Cuisinart CMB-20 which disappeared after released to market. You can step up to to Rancilio Rocky which is twice the price but I doubt it gives you much more for the money.I have been using it for a month without any issue so far, and I don’t need to cleap up the mess as I need when I pull up the cover of the Krups blade grinder.I just set the duration and grind size that typically for the pour over brewing. We just need to put the paper cone filter underneath and press the button until the grinding finishes. The ground coffee is very uniform for coarse and fine setting as many reviewers reports.So why did I give only 4 stars? It is 4.5 stars and I knocked off 1/2 for the maintenance requirement and this is not just for this grinder but for any burr grinder out there. Once for a while after finishing the beans in the hopper, I open up the grinder and brush off the super fine ground coffee that is stuck in there, or use paper clip if needed. I need to do more often if I use oily beans. My $20 Krups blade grinder is still running after 20 years without additional maintenance and I don’t expect this one, 7-8 times more expensive to last that long. The idea of switching the hoppers for different beans is not that simple without grinding and flushing out the old coffee which is a wasteful to me.The bottom line, if you want a little gadget in your kitchen or for your espresso machine then I strongly recommend this one. If you are looking for better brewed coffee then buy better beans, not the grinder.10/12/18My grider still performs flawlessly. I grind 2-4 times every day since I got this.4/6/20, still going strong, bored with wfh due to covid-19
6 people found this helpful
Tavis McDowell –
Better than the built in
I have the Breville Barista Express which has a built in grinder, but purchased this as a gift for my mom since she has the Breville Bambino. This is so much nicer than the built in ones. The screen is bright enough and the font is big enough for my mom’s bad eyes. It would be nice if there was a better cone for use with espresso portafilters so the grounds wouldn’t fall everywhere, but the removable catch tray helps to clean everything up.
Mom of 2 KidsMom of 2 Kids –
Perfect little coffee grinder
We purchased this little grinder to pair with our espresso maker. I enjoy decaf and sometimes half caf coffee while my husband enjoys regular caffeinated coffee.This little grinder has been the perfect solution. I love the ability to choose how fine the beans are ground, it’s very easy to use and clean and makes only a small amount of noise (not crazy loud at all). Fabulous machine for the value paid.
2 people found this helpful
F. H. BartlettF. H. Bartlett –
Holy static: UPIDATE!!!
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UPDATE!Be aware of shoddy third party seller!!! I bought the original grinder from E Zee electronics (which stopped selling on amazon right after I bought this debunked grinder from them).I returned ths grinder in the video and ordered it again making sure I ordered directly from Amazon! Good news! It has been working like a dream for several weeks! None of the issues like I had with the previous one! So I’m confident to say the one in the video was a bad egg. It really does make a great cup of coffee!ORIGNAL REVIEW:I wanted to love it. I wanted to keep it. It made the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had.I read all the reviews. Did extensive research on grinders. Serious eats and NY times all raved about this grinder and for the first use yeah it’s amazing…but everytime we use it grounds go 9 inches is every direction. It gathers on the front top of the grinder and all around with and without using the ground collector lid. I honestly don’t know if I can handle this amount of clean up for the next 5+ years. Not to mention the wasted coffee. Then it cloggs so easily. I’ve had to take the thing apart and clean it several times and we’ve had it just a month. I think this is especially caused when the lid is on – there is a significant decrease in grounds and result in build up in the chamber. I looked at videos of people using this grinder and no one had the significant amount of grounds everywhere like I’m experiencing which makes me think/ hope that something is simply defective? But then the noise started….it makes that horrible clunking sound and this is after cleaning it.I hope breville (who I also emailed) will contact me to let me know this isn’t the norm. I want the coffee this grinder produces. It was amazing. Alas as it stands now, I am returning it.
14 people found this helpful
CR –
Good consistent grind but no replacement parts thus good for 5 years or so
Having owned two of these for over 7 years, I can say they provide good consistency in grind and dispense easily into the Breville portfilter versus hassling with a separate grinds container which is a plus. The downside is the total lack of replacement parts which appear as sold out on the Breville website indefinitely. Net result is this unit can be considered semi-disposable. With daily use, it seems to be great for 5 years and then that consistency falls off as the conical burrs wear and the resulting motor torque required exceeds what the unit is capable of delivering in a consistent manner. Result is espresso pulls that vary with each use like coffee roulette.Time to step up to a Mazzer I guess!
3 people found this helpful
jabarthy –
An expensive but great grinder:
The Good:1. Quiet2. Great grind size distributionThe Bad:1. Have to set the grinder very far towards “coarse” to get a grind size fit for a regular coffee machine (we use #48). Haven’t tried to see if this will impact the grinder’s ability to do french press well.2. Some static charge on the grounds after grinding (makes a mess).The Bottom Line: It’s a nice grinder but I’m not sure it’s worth the price. We only bought ours because we had a gift card…3. The “cups” measurements are way off. For example, we use 4-cups according to the grinder to make 6 cups of coffee (using a 1-tbsp/2-cups rule). This seems a bit pathetic since our last grinder for a quarter of the price did this function flawlessly.Update NOV, 2018: We love our grinder and it continues to perform well. Any mess the unit creates is very manageable and either we don’t notice anymore or it’s gotten better with time. Once you get the seconds/cups set for your tastes the grinder is easy to use and very convenient. I’m still not sure you can’t find a great grinder for less but I doubt you’ll find a better looking one with more color choices.
One person found this helpful
S R –
Best fine ground espresso grinder for the price
I tried so many burr and spice grinders and couldn’t achieve the fine grind you need for espresso. Even the ones that said they were for espresso. Repeating grinds, shaking spice grinders, measuring… was all too manual. If your goal is an espresso grinder that is precise and minimal effort, you’ll be super satisfied with this. Easy to use and has grind setting for all the ways you can dream of making a coffee. Just had to decide it was worth investing $200 for a grinder. It was 👌🏼Breville quality is solid and user friendly.
Curly K –
Very nice grinder!
The one, and only thing that I don’t like is the static charge that builds up in the container, although it does dissipate within 24hrs.
One person found this helpful
Ray Friedman –
Works great. Really solid
Very solid machine. Works great. Amazing design. We use for both espresso and drop
FJG –
My Favorite After Trying Several Over the Years
I’ve tried several grinders over the years, and this is by far my favorite. I only use it for fresh ground drip coffee (none of the espresso modes), so it may be a bit advanced / expensive for me, but I like it enough to write a review.It’s simple, not as noisy as others, no mess, and no static in the container when pouring out grinds. No power switch — it goes to sleep and wakes on any button push. It maintains settings, and I don’t need to fiddle with it. It’s fairly quiet (my older ones sent the dog running & crazy). It doesn’t make a mess (I no longer have grinds all over the counter). The container empties easy into my filter basket without much left behind (no static cling so far). I use 30 seconds for 8 cups, with 45 grind setting. It makes a very nice bold cup of coffee using Starbucks whole bean house blend. It was easy to dial back the setting from the default 45 seconds for 8 cups, which made very intense coffee — too intense.I’ve previously had a Cusinart (VERY noisy, clean but some jar static, not the best grind) and Bodum (noisy, always messy with static & grinds everywhere, decent grind). This one is the most expensive, but my favorite. I took the rubber stopper off the grind jar / catcher lid and always leave the jar on the machine. It holds in place with a magnet, and the tray below it comes out for easy cleaning if needed (I haven’t had to do that, because zero mess or spilled grinds after a couple weeks’ use). Recommend!
Susty –
Breville BCG820BSS Coffee Bean Grinder
Quite expensive but quiet compared to my old one. Really like the antistatic jar. My old one (different brand) was extremely noisy and plastic containers were not antistatic so I had coffee grounds all over the kitchen counter.
Parker –
Very good for the price
This is my first coffee grinder and I am loving it so far. Very easy and intuitive to use.
Josh –
Works good
I use this to make espresso and it works great, easy to set the proper timing, and consistently gives you the right amount
Michael S Carlson –
MUCH better than Barzata grinder.
Great design and build quality! Very easy to use. Clean – doesn’t make a mess.
DeadElvis –
Finally! No static!
Pretty solid unit for a non commercial unit. Grounded unit with an airtight (plastic) grounds container. Consistent grind size and easy to clean (this is important so do not skip this). Grounded lower burr system with a grounded contact point on the base and container. I use a Flair Neo (manual) for my espresso maker and so do not use the other options. Easy to use interface with several ways to customize the amount of grind. Well worth the investment if you are a casual esspresso (or like me, just too cheap to buy a commercial unit), this is a great unit.
2 people found this helpful
Lori A. –
Nice Grinder but power cord is extremely short
This is a nice quality machine, however, the power cable is extremely short on this model. I had one before this that broke because something got stuck in it and ruined the blades and that one had a normal length cord. I didn’t return as I like this brand, but I do recommend to the manufacturer to lengthen the power cord just a bit. It is loud as well, but does the job. My last one was perfectly fine and lasted for years until something was in my beans and just ruined it. Other than that, it probably would have lasted many more years.
Steve –
Love it!
Grinds beans to exact specifications. From espresso to french press and everything in between.
Michael S Carlson –
MUCH better than Barzata grinder.
Great design and build quality! Very easy to use. Clean – doesn’t make a mess.
JeanmaelJeanmael –
Excellent product!
It greatly complements my coffee bar and extracts the coffee well.
Andres Camilo Barajas Martinez –
Gran relación calidad precio
Excelente producto, totalmente satisfecho.
seamonkey10 –
Took the Plunge
I’ve been using the same blade grinder for the past 15 years, and it finally gave out on me. Encouraged by a friend to step up my coffee game, I decided to upgrade from a simple and cheap machine to something a bit more sophisticated and expensive. I looked around at several models, and had a lot of difficulty choosing a burr grinder. For expensive machines, many seemed to have problems with durability. My friend recommended the Baratza, but I read enough reviews of people having problems with that brand, that I shied away from it. This led me to the Breville BCG820. It’s a newer model than the 800, so I’m hoping that they fixed the issues that people seemed to have with the previous model. (Fingers crossed!)One advantage to this model (compared to the older 800) is that you can simply dial all the way from espresso size to French press. The dial feels heavy since you are moving some gears up and down, but it feels solid. The grinds, in my amateur opinion, are fairly uniform, and there is definitely a difference in size when dialed in.There are a few things I’m confused about though. When you grind, it grinds by time, and not weight. I would rather know that I’m grinding 30 grams of beans rather than grinding for 20 seconds. You would think on a machine at this price, it wouldn’t be too difficult to put a small scale on the bottom.At first I was weighing my beans, pouring them in the empty hopper, adding a few seconds to the automatically selected time, and stopping the grind manually when the beans are all gone. Now I’ve realized that the grinder remembers your time, so I leave it at 13 seconds for a coarse grind.Another method it took me a few days to figure out was just simply holding the start button down until the beans grind, and letting go when I finished. This is only a secondary method, because who wants to hold a button for the entire grind?If you do not care about specific weights though, the system easily lets you dial in for the amount of cups or shots that you are making, and you can increase the time of the grind to effectively increase the amount of coffee you want.The hopper at the top holds 1 pound of beans. Although it’s air tight at the top, still there is a lot of room for air in the container itself, so I do not leave my beans in there. Another reason I don’t use the hopper is because I just want to grind a certain amount, and weigh my beans and just pour what I need into the grinder.From beans to grind, there is a bit of mess at the bottom. If you use the provided container (with the lid), there will be hardly any chaff that sticks to your appliance, but the chaff will stick inside the container. I just blow in the container and it usually comes out. I have not used the provided collars for the two sizes of portafilter, but there is a slight mess, especially if you decide to grind directly into a container other than the big plastic one provided.Size – For me, having limited counter space, going from a blade grinder to a dedicated machine was a big choice. It’s relatively small for a kitchen appliance (about 6 inches across) so I would say it’s not too bad, and well worth it to have good grinds, but it is another thing to have on your countertop.Burrs – I decided to go with this brand because of the metal burrs. I’m mainly grinding for French press and moka pot, so I don’t need the fine grinds that ceramic burrs can provide. Even if I decide to delve into the world of espresso, I’ve read that this machine does a decent job with fine grinds.Overall – I’m glad that I’ve decided to invest in a better machine. I’ve noticed less silt in my French press, and the uniform grind makes brewing the coffee better because beans should brew for the optimum amount of time, and various sizes of grinds will make the coffee more bitter. Hopefully this machine lasts though. It’s an expensive investment for coffee, and it can’t be that difficult to make a grinder that lasts for a few years in this day and age, right? ***Fingers crossed*** please last Breville 820!
9 people found this helpful
Real review –
This is a great coffee grinder
This is a great coffee grinder. It’s more suited towards an espresso coffee drinker as the grind is I. The finer side. I happen to be a French press guy and it’s a little too fine even at the coarse setting. Quality is amazing as with most breville products.
LSK –
All I can say is it’s great
I had one of these for 10+ years and I accidentally broke it. I tried a couple of cheaper grinders and they were simply inferior. They didn’t grind the coffee consistently and they left a mess on the counter wasting coffee. Breville improved it by giving you even more control, making it quieter and when you unplug it, it remembers your settings. The housing and the burr grinder are made of steel and in over 10 years of use did not wear out. Yes, this is an expensive grinder but if you really like your coffee freshly ground, this is the best there is.One caveat. My old grinder could not grind coffee fine enough for espresso even though it has an espresso setting. I no longer have an espresso machine and I haven’t tried to grind the coffee for an espresso maker so I don’t know if they have managed to improve this function.
One person found this helpful
D. Lindgren –
I really like the features of this grinder
I really like the features of this grinder, especially the digital dose and grind adjustment. The removable bottom tray makes cleaning up a snap. The main problem? Just like many other reviews have stated, this machine is likely to crap out on you quickly! I got this machine in December of 2015 and used it about 5 times a week since then. Things started getting dicey in July when the machine started to make strange noise and then it would skip. Now it only skips and won’t grind at all.To be fair, maybe I should have cleaned it more. I ran white rice through it a few times, but that was it. I’m getting a replacement sent to me from Breville, but if the next machine breaks the same way I will ask for a refund, bite the bullet, and buy the Rocky.Update: I spoke with Breville support and they were awesome. They walked me through how to fix the machine and how to keep it from jamming up. The reviews are correct in that Breville support is quick and very attentive.
3 people found this helpful
Thomas R. Buonomo –
Works Well
Love it. It works very nicely. Well made.
Next Step –
Mejor que lo que esperaba.
Exelente molino. Es bien preciso en las dosis y muele bien fino.
Kindle Customer –
Good grinder
Great product and good grinds.
Alicia –
Producto eficaz
Buen producto se recomienda
Chris ward –
3 grams of residue
If you like freshly roasted coffee and pour overs this is a great product. You will have to clean it everyday or at minimum with each bag of coffee. Every time you clean it make sure you add about 3 grams of coffee. This is not a zero res grinder and that’s the only reason I can’t give it a full 5 stars.
Amazon Customer –
Great grinder at a great price!
Solid performance and uniform grind! Grinds beans as good as way more expensive models. Worth every Penny! Have had mine for over 8yrs without a single problem. Just bought another as a gift for a relative and they love theirs also.*Absolutely make sure that you clean the grinder at least every two weeks or sooner if using darker beans using grinder cleaning tablets. That ensures you don’t get oil buildup on the burrs.
Robert W. Little –
Quiet & Well Built
No dislikes here! Very well made and easy to use. We’ve been grinding our own beans for many years, this is the best grinder that’s easy to set up and adjust! Burr Grinders are THE BEST, this is excellent so far. It arrived last night and we had coffee within an hour! Kudos!
2 people found this helpful
RS –
Good grinder
Bought it with a nice discount. I hate this color but for $60 less I think it’s worth it. The sensor that triggers grinding when you put in the portafilter could’ve been better, but other than that everything works great. Coffee beans quality and freshness remain the most important factor for getting a great coffee
One person found this helpful
RyanB –
Prepare to perform regular deep cleanings!
I bought this grinder with the FusedLine Single-Dose Hopper and Bellows so I can grind beans for espresso shot preparation. I discovered early on that any coffee bean that has even a modicum of oil showing due to age (e.g. a 7-day old dark roast or a 10-day old decaf), when grinding at very fine grind settings, it can gum up and clog. The motor labors very hard and eventually finishes the grind, but the inside of the hopper and the space beneath the conical blade is a MESS! At that point, I have to disassemble the grinding assembly, brush everything clean, run a long, skinny twisty brush through the grounds chute (which, by the way, is NOT included with the grinder), then reassemble.I have also noticed that if I grind espresso shots and the space inside and underneath the conical blade gets stuffed up with grounds, if the blade cans spin and grounds chute is clear, then the grinder will process and expel almost 100% of what is put in the hopper. I know! Go figure…Now I have to clarify that for larger grind sizes (e.g. for pour over, French or Aeropress, drip, cold brew, etc), it grinds VERY well and can be precisely programmed for consistent dosages. In my opinion, NOTHING beats a stainless steel conical grinding blade for precision coffee prep.To love this grinder for espresso shots, you have to love tinkering and be willing to experiment to get the results you want. If you’re looking for something mindless, use this grinder for all other forms of coffee preparation than espresso.
Chuck –
Excellent size and value.
Worth every dollar for a perfect machine which is and was a “TEN”Nice-looking in the red version..
Audiophile –
Excellent grinder, best in its price range
My husband and I were looking for a good grinder that could do both espresso and french press for under 200 bucks. We first tried the Rok coffee grinder. Bad idea, messy, intrinsically defective, major design flaws, sprayed out grounds in a cone shape with the open end pointed down (messy as f***), just all around a bad idea. The Smart Grinder Pro was our second attempt at getting a good grinder in this price range. So how did it work out?Overall, the smart grinder pro is the best bang for the buck.-I love the digital readout for the grind, it makes it very easy to reproduce previous good grinds.-The timing function is super useful for handling dispensing the grounds.-The anti-static chamber is excellent, I have noticed no static cling issues whatsoever with this grinder.-The portafilter fittings are also a nice touch and make it very easy to grind straight into the portafilter for my Gaggia classic. Easily cuts 3 minutes off of the time it takes to make my espresso.-The hopper design is nice as well, its airtight and fits more than enough beans. The grind quality is consistent, I usually grind at around a 9 on the main grind settings with 6 on the macro adjustment on the burr itself (this is the default setting). I love being able to pull the hopper off of the grinder and change out or refrigerate the beans.- Supposedly Breville is great when it comes to replacement parts availability.Now for the flaws or I should say annoyances. Most of these aren’t too bad but I’ll mention them in the interest of full disclosure.-This unit is slower than the Baratza Sette 270. The Sette gets your espresso in the portafilter in ~4 seconds, this machine takes ~17.5 seconds.-Another issue is that although there is a pause functionality on the grinder, it isn’t really useful because the damn thing resets the timer after about 10-15 seconds. This is annoying if you’re grinding and then redistributing the grounds in a portafilter. Not the worst thing in the world but it’s something that should (and definitely can) be fixed by the manufacturer with just a simple software tweak so that the timer at least takes one or two minutes before resetting. Still, you can just hit the start button again until there’s enough coffee there for your liking. If you do drip coffee, you won’t even notice it.- Not the end of the world but a lot of the “metal” is just plating. It still feels sturdy and doesn’t hurt the functionality (or bargain) of the machine but again, full disclosure. I knew this going in and it hasn’t been an issue.- For espresso, you don’t have a *huge* amount of room to work with as far as grinds but I’ve found that I have enough. I started with overly fine grinds and was able to dial in fairly quickly. For some machines that need finer grinds, it may be an issue. Like I said, with the gaggia classic, I haven’t had issues.- I haven’t tried this myself but supposedly this machine suffers in the course grind range (french press) but is more than adequate for french roast.-Having lived in apartments with two prong outlets, I’ll mention that this device has a three pronged plug. Not a problem for most people but just something to be aware of.All in all, a great grinder, good choice for espresso. Would buy again.
10 people found this helpful
Dave N Boice –
Great Grinder!
Obviously you can pay any amount of money you want to for a grinder, and as I have no experience with grinders that cost more than a couple of hundred dollars I can’t comment on how it stand up against higher end models. My expectation was that the noise level, grind quality, and ease of use/cleanup would be very similar to the built-in grinder on my Breville BES870XL. The burr grinder itself looks to be identical in both so that seemed a reasonable expectation to me. I was wrong. The Smart Grinder is a better in every way. I bought the Smart Grinder because my wife is drinking more and more espresso. She only drinks decaf and I was getting tired of switch out beans in the built-in grinder hopper every day. For me that involves using a scale to ensure the right amount of beans were left in the hopper and the chute for one double shot, so it would be completely empty for the other beans. Big hassle! This new grinder is quieter and is easier to make micro adjustments to. Cleanup is much easier, partly because of how easy it is to remove the bottom tray, and partly because of the pause function which allows me to stop about 3/4 of the way through the timed grind cycle, tap the portafilter a couple of times on the counter, and return it to finish the grind cycle which prevents espresso from falling over the sides of the portafilter.I consider myself fairly proficient making espresso. I roast what I drink and have tried to buy decent equipment, experiment, and learn to make the best espresso I can without spending a fortune. I am sure there are better, albeit more expensive, grinders but I give this one top marks for those like me that are only kinda obsessive about their coffee!
Roy Harmon –
Major upgrade
This is the compliment to the Berville coffee maker. Last in the series to score is an espresso machine. The coffee is much smoother than store bought grinds. Lots of speciality coffees from my farmers market to experiment with.
Amazon Customer –
Money well spent.
I am pleased with my selection of the Smart Grinder Pro. Sometimes the beans do not fall into the grinder fast enough , and therefore you get an inconsistent grind. However, this would be true of any grinder. I wish it had a way of weighing in grams the amount that you need. Good quality and features for the money.
Lester Stine –
works great
This works great and very easy to use. I think it is quite and the coffee grinding is very consistent
Tracy Schutte –
Grinding Beans has Never Felt So Good!
I really like this grinder, and let me tell you why. The precision timer that this gadget offers is a game-changer. No more guesswork, just perfect results every time! The locking bean hopper? Genius! It’s like a fortress for my precious beans. The stainless steel burrs are sturdy and efficient. My favorite feature, though, is how it preserves those essential coffee oils. It’s like waking up to a barista-quality cup every morning. Bottom line, it’s a pretty ‘grind-tastic’ experience!
Eric William Staeger –
Not an espresso expert
If you are getting Into espresso I think you could do worse. It was annoying trying to dial in our shots (but that was mostly us and the coffee we used). This makes it relatively easy and gives you stepping controls to get your shots how you want them. Would I buy it again? Ya.
Stephanie –
Perfect for espresso but
I have never spent this much money on a coffee grinder. We had a regular old blade grinder, which even by kitchen aid, is lucrative at best. But it worked when we just had a regular old coffee machine and were just getting into buying whole beans….We were gifted a beautiful Calphalon espresso machine for Christmas and I had been doing research on burr grinders since. I bought this one about a month ago.Holy intimidating though I’ll tell you. There are SO MANY OPTIONS available on this thing I didnt even know where to start. Sure they have a quick start guide, but I dont think it gave you specific grind times or grind level recommendations for what you’re trying to do. I felt so lost. Ended up pulling up a YouTube review and mimicking my settings to what the guy in the video was using. Maybe this grinder is too smart for me lolAt least, thats what I thought at first. I like making cappuccinos from my espresso machine but I have a very well loved cold brew jar that I was excited to use this for as well. They have a french press setting… you can even adjust something in the base to make a minor change in either direction to the coarseness level.. but this absolutely does not produce coarse coffee. We still keep our blade grinder around for that and thats probably the most disappointing thing to me cause I was really looking forward to throwing it awayI thought it was something I was doing wrong, but after a lot research into other peoples experience with this machine, that does not seem to be the case. I really thought about returning this. But truthfully restarting my search for the perfect burr grinder (thats not $400+) is just such a drag that Im probably just gonna keep it
One person found this helpful
Kaysie Currul –
Reliable
I got this product for a small coffee carriage set up I started. Could not afford a commercial grinder to start. Heard great things about Breville and went with this one. Considering this is intended for home use, it’s held up very very well for my mid-volume business. Easy to clean as well.
Steve Burnett –
Good grinder, too fine for French press.
This grinder is very nice to use. I can set it up and then get a perfect grind with the push of a button.My biggest downside is that I had to go to the coarsest of coarse settings to grind for French press. Even then the grind is a bit fine for French press.
Matthew –
Great, reliable burr grinder
This is my first burr grinder and boy am I glad I upgraded to this as I used a blade grinder for decades without knowing how imprecise and inconsistent they are. This grinder was the solution!I have been using it 1-2 times per day for the last 3 years without any problem. It has functioned well and I am probably lucky given I only clean it every several months. I only recently experimented with paper coffee filters as I have used a GoldTone metal basket since buying this machine. The paper filters do mellow the taste given they remove more oils and bitterness than the Goldtone filter. I glanced at the manual to determine that I needed to change the grind size depending on filter type and brewing method.Regarding noise, most burr grinders I have heard are loud so I don’t think this is any different. I measured this machine and it reads 82 decibels when grinding.I brew in a Cusinart DCC 1200 which has worked well. My neighbor has a Technivorm Moccamaster brewer and I can’t say it brews that much of a better pot of coffee, but I am considering upgrading to it or a Breville brewer when the Cuisinart fails.
Fred Wang –
Great espresso grinder!
We have a Breville Espresso maker with a built in grinder that we love. I drink decaf and my wife drinks regular coffee, so we were constantly swapping two bins. We decided to splurge and get a separate grinder, and it’s been a wonderful choice. The grinder is compact, looks good (especially next to the espresso machine), the grounds are consistent, and it’s great to have the portafilter attachment. It’s a bit slower than the grinder integrated into our espresso machine, but not terribly so, and it does feel like they could have a more powerful motor as per some of the other reviews, but it hasn’t been a problem for us. We haven’t tried the drip coffee or French Press grind settings yet, so can’t comment on those, but for espresso, it’s been great. So far so good!
M. Luke –
LOVE this grinder
After trying 3 other grinders that didn’t measure up I found this one. I have a Breville Espresso machine so why not the grinder? I didn’t want a combo espresso/grinder which is available in case I had problems with one but not the other. Anyway, this grinder grinds perfectly – even consistency and very fine, powdery coffee can be produced. I love the ability to set the timer for the precise amount of grinds each time. Before I tried this grinder, I found that I had to set the machine to the finest grind it could produce and I tamped it as hard as I could and the pressure was never enough to get a good brew. With this grinder, I actually had to back off the finest setting and be careful I wasn’t tamping too hard or I’d wind up with over-brewed coffee. Finally getting the settings adjusted for the right amount of grinds and the perfect consistancy. I highly recommend you get this machine if you’re having any trouble with your existing machine!
2 people found this helpful
Christopher S. Cornette –
Important to know – disregard some bad reviews
There are many bad reviews here about this grinder seizing or stopping, and a few even that talk of a burning smell… this is an easy problem to get around.Bottom line, this is a truly superb entry level grinder with one major drawback that is easily overcome. I’ll get into what makes this grinder great in a bit, but first, the one thing you NEED TO KNOW if you buy this model.If the grinder slows down or stops grinding before it has run its cycle, PAUSE THE GRINDER. You do this by pressing the button on the right. Then remove the hopper (consult the manual – this is easy to do). Remove the upper burr (also easy to do – read the manual). Dump out any beans inside the grinder (just pick the machine up and turn it upside down – I dump the beans back into the hopper). Brush out the lower burr area (Breville supplies a small brush for this). Put the upper burr and the hopper back together. Restart the grinder (press the right button). It will complete the remainder of the cycle that was paused. You may wish to manually grind a bit more to make up for any lost grounds.Why does this happen? The motor in this model is a bit underpowered. It can get hung up while grinding. It is rare, but there it is. It’s happened to me once in months of daily use. When it happens, follow the steps above and you should have no issues. It’s what I did, and the grinder went right back to flawless operation like it had never happened.Why is this still a great grinder? It’s pretty simple – the ONLY thing that matters about a grinder other than reliability/durability is how consistent the grind is (how uniform is the size of the individual specks of ground coffee). The better the consistency, the better your coffee will be, period.This model **absolutely excels** in consistency. Hands down, independently tested, it blows every grinder in this price range out of the water with more than twice as much “optimal” size grounds as compared to the next best make and model. You can spend 2 or 3 times this amount and still not get a more consistent grind than you will with this guy. Where it counts, this grinder is the king, unless you want to spend far far more for a true professional model.Some additional nice features:—With a bit of experimenting, you can dial in exactly how much coffee you want it to grind per cup (for drip) or per shot (for espresso) and easily program that amount in so you don’t have to think about it again. Once that is done, you can simply tell it 1 or 2 shots, or how many drip cups (up to 12) that you want to make, and then you can ALWAYS grind the EXACT amount of coffee you need. This means you can always make coffee with only freshly ground beans without ever wasting a single bean. That is pretty awesome.—You can experiment with up to 60 grind sizes to dial in exactly what you want. Personally, for espresso, 15.8 seconds at size 14 grind gives a perfectly dialed in double shot on my Breville espresso machine. For drip, I’m liking the mid 40’s, but I haven’t decided exactly where yet. The difference from one setting to the adjacent setting is really hard to taste with drip coffee.—If you don’t need super fine espresso grinds but want courser grounds than setting 60 will give you (to get French Press just so), you can adjust the upper burr (easy to do – read the manual). There are 4 more positions that will adjust all 60 settings and make them coarser. Conversely, if you want even finer espresso but don’t need the coarsest settings, there are 5 more positions of that upper burr that will make the whole range of the machine finer. One video review I saw said this makes for 600 grind settings, but I’m sure most of those 600 are overlapping. It’s at least 69 different grinds possible, at any rate.—Large hopper. Not as big as a professional grinder’s hopper, but you can put a full pound of beans into this grinder with some room to spare.—Cleanly removable hopper. In order to remove the hopper, you twist a knob to “lock” it. This closes down the feed ports at the bottom so no beans will fall out when you take the hopper off. If you want to get crazy, you could buy a second hopper (or more) and switch between espresso and normal coffee easily (although the first few beans ground will be from the previous hopper, left behind in the burr, unless you dump them out when switching). The removable hopper also makes it very easy to clean after it starts to get oil buildup (which can contribute to the machine seizing up).—Magnetic removable catch tray. Grinds get everywhere, and this makes cleaning up of (most) loose grinds very easy.—Magnetic portafilter holders. You get two, one for the standard 58mm PF size, and one for the smaller PF’s found on Breville automatic espresso machines. You can set your portafilter in the holder, and grind right into it without any mess. There’s even a button so you can set the portafilter in, then activate the grinder by simply pushing on the portafilter.Some things that could stand improvement:—More powerful motor… that would make this grinder just about perfect.—Could be a bit quieter. It’s not especially loud, as grinders go, but it’s not the quietest I’ve owned either. But a more power motor would probably be louder, so they may have been trying to find a balance here between powerful and quiet.—The included catch “cup”. It seals airtight, which is nice, but the mouth does not line up with the grinder port when it’s inserted fully. Push it too far back in and the metal lid sticks to the magnet designed to secure the portafilter adapter, but if you line it up just right with the grinder port, the vibration of the grinder tends to make it to slide out of place during grinding. The fix is to just grind directly into your filter, or take the lid off the “cup” and set it all the way in to catch your grounds.OVERALL RECOMMENDATION:—If you mainly make drip or pour-over coffee, and/or espresso, this grinder is unbeatable unless you can afford a true professional model. Stay vigilant if it binds up (again, that’s rare but potentially damaging for the motor). But if you take good care of this grinder, and spend some time customizing the settings, it will deliver superior grinds in exactly the amounts you need, every time.—If you primarily make Press coffee, and really like extremely coarse grinds, then there is probably a better choice for you out there.
866 people found this helpful
Tiffanie Turner –
My Coffee Grind Just Got an Upgrade
I’ve been very happy with this coffee grinder. The 60 grind settings cater to all my caffeine cravings, from robust espresso shots to gentle cold brews. The large bean capacity means I can grind my entire week’s supply in one go. The stainless steel burrs ensure precision in every grind. And the icing on the cake? I can grind directly into the filter – no more awkward bean transfers. In a nutshell, my morning coffee routine just got a serious upgrade!
Andy Mumm –
Almost perfect for us.
Great little coffee grinder user friendly and digital display is easy to see. Problem is the hopper doesn’t latch on or lock. Make sure to clean the hopper often to prevent build up. But the steel burrs make a fine ground. Will purchase again.
Galactic Bard –
Excellent grinder
This is my first REAL coffee grinder. Until know I’ve been using a cheap blade grinder.This has really taken my coffee to the next level! And combined with my new Breville Precision coffee maker, my coffee is now much more flavorful and delicious.This machine has excellent build quality. It feels like it will last forever, with no cheap or easily broken pieces.The amount of options you have as far as grind size is amazing. It’s actually more than the 60 they claim, as in addition to the 60 settings, you can also adjust the upper burr; I think there are 7 or so settings for that, so that extends the upper and lower ends of your grind sizes a bit.The timer programming is really clever, and I imagine is a way to give you the precision that you would get with a grinder with a built-in scale without the higher cost. Each cup and shot setting has a preset grind time that you can adjust as you wish and save your new setting. What I’ve been doing is weighing my beans with a 200g scale, and then grinding them, adjusting the programmed time each time until I get each cup size perfect (e.g. 4 cups, 6 cups, 8 cups). Once I have this dialed in, I won’t have to weigh the beans anymore. It’s best to do this with each different type of bean you use (and possibly even different batches, as bean density will never be constant). But once you got this dialed in, you could put a pound or more of beans in the hopper and not have to weigh them anymore. I’ll probably keep weighing them, as I’ll be trying different kinds of coffee, and I don’t want to keep beans in the hopper anyway for freshness sake.As others have mentioned, I got the AIEVE Silicone Bellow, which fits between the hopper and lid perfectly. I use it to blow extra grinds out of the chute after grinding, to help minimize the grinds left in the chute.The grinder isn’t too loud, much quieter than my blade grinder. I also like that you can also manually grind if you don’t want to mess with the timer.The controls are very easy to use.I love how the plate at the bottom is held by a magnet and snaps out, so you can easily clean off any grinds that fall on it.The only downside with this machine that I’ve seen is with the grind container that comes with it. It’s plastic, so grinds stick to the inside surface due to static charge. The top also doesn’t fit under the chute perfectly, so you do get some grinds spilling in the back, but since the tray comes off easily, that isn’t a big deal. The tray is even shaped in such a way to make it easy to pour any grinds on it into your filter basket. It would’ve been nice if the grind container were made of stainless steel, to minimize the grinds sticking to it. I try to get the grinds off the sides with my finger, and into the filter basket, but I can never get them all. I may end up getting a 250mL steel breaker, but I feel like I shouldn’t have to do that.I do like that the grinds container has markings for making espresso, drip coffee, and French press coffee. That’s a nice touch. The lid also can seal with an attached stopper cap, so you can keep grinds in the container, I guess, though I don’t know why anyone would want to do that. Seems to defeat the whole purpose of grinding your coffee fresh in the first place. It’s just unfortunate that with such an otherwise-stellar machine they’ve given us a grind container made of plastic, so the grinds stick to it. Also the stopper for the lid seems unnecessary and pointless, and it would’ve been better to have a lid that more perfectly mates with the chute to eliminate mess.I did try grinding directly into a coffee filter, and that didn’t work well at all and made a mess.All in all I’m very happy with this machine. My only quibbles have to do with the grind container. I just feel like for the cost and quality of this machine, they should have provided a better grind container. Everything else with the grinder is so well thought out, and then the grind container wasn’t thought out at all. But it’s still not enough to give this machine anything less than a 5-star rating.
12 people found this helpful
Miss Natalie –
Review for French Press & Cold Brewers only (coarser grinds)
This review applicable to French Press users only:I’m sure this grinder is probably fantastic for espresso & drip coffee, but the description says, “Grind settings allows you to go from the finest Espresso to the coarsest French Press.” NOT TRUE. We had to change the removable upper burr to the coarsest setting, 10, and the electronic dial to the coarsest setting, 60, and the coarsest we could get was medium grounds. The grounds were consistent and it’s a good quality, but not coarse enough for standard French Press and most definitely not possible to achieve, “the coarsest French Press”. Maybe, one could argue they are on the edge of the finest possible coarseness for French Press…. but who wants a grinder where you are forced to use the very coarsest extreme to only get the very finest extreme for French Press? Pushing my French Press’s filter is a 20 second chore with grounds from this grinder’s extreme coarsest setting.I called Breville Customer service to try to find out if maybe my machine just needed an adjustment or was possibly defective. They have you leave your number to call you back, but they never did. That was more than a week ago, so thumbs down to their customer service.I trouble shooted user error reasons for not being able to get coarser grounds. I tried using medium, light, and blended roasts. I would take out the upper removable burr and brush out all the grounds around the lower burr to make sure it wasn’t clogged and just making the grounds extra fine because of a dark roast clogging it up.I’m giving the grinder 4 stars still because all of the other bells & whistles and positive comments are true. But knocking it a star because it doesn’t achieve the wide breadth of grounds like they advertised. You’d think coarse grounds would be easiest to achieve but sadly it’s just not the case with this grinder.
5 people found this helpful
J. Parry –
Does not grind by weight
It is a shame, the grinder does a fine job. It would be nice if you could grind by weight instead of just time. The work around of course is to weigh out the coffee and make sure you give it just enough time to grind the amount of weight you want
prime lover –
I’m no espresso aficionado but this makes grinds great beans!
I would like to say that we buy locally roasted, organic espresso beans and they are top notch. This makes delicious espresso! I got this for my 20 year old daughter who is a starbucks junkie. At $7 a pop, plus a $5 bacon, gouda and egg, to go with, we are saving $12 a day! I don’t know what that actually works out to be, but I feel confident that this was a great investment. In a blind taste test, you couldn’t tell the difference between starbucks and kitchen made caramel macchiato! It was easy to set up, easy to use and easy to clean. I bought the breville automatic espresso machine to go with, and it works just fine for what she needs. Buy it and you’ll be happy you did!
Helloisitme –
I’m a sucker for a fresh ground cup of coffee
While this is definitely an expensive device. It is a creature comfort I would definitely buy again. Considering a fresh cup of coffee costs ~$5. This thing will pay for itself in no time. I’m currently using this grinder with my chemex setup. I find that I have to to use a much courser grind setting than I expected.Pros-Time based portion control is extremely accurate (well within a gram).-The hopper fits and entire bag of beans.-Looks amazing on my countertop.-Has a relatively small footprint.-Easy to clean hopper and grounds container.Cons:-Does not do consistent coarse grinds very well.-The grounds catcher makes a bit of a mess.-Loses current setting after a power outage.
My Favorite Things –
Wonderful addition to my kitchen!
This is a beautiful precision-machine that works exactly as described.The grinds go seamlessly into the collecting cup.
Andrea –
An Incredible Kitchen Addition
This is an incredible product because of two main features. The precision timer is a game changer and the direct portafilter grind makes it even better. These features make this grinder a must-have for any coffee lover. It’s perfect for a coffee lover! The only downside would be that the grinds can tend to fall off the portafilter a bit when grinding.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
AWESOME!
There’s no telling what is in the ground coffee purchased.With whole beans – you know you are getting 100% real coffee without “filler”This grinder makes grinding a CINCHHere are the steps I use:1. Fill the cup that comes with it a little over half way with beans (for 12 cups)2. Set grinder (just have to do this once… for drip coffee strength, 12 cups of coffee… and the timer will show about a minute of grinding.3. Set cup of beans in grinder and press start1 min later – perfectly sized 100% fresh 100% ground coffeeBEST TASTING COFFEE when freshly groundAfter grinding – I empty the cup right into my coffee drip basket.I use the little brush to get any static clingy ground coffee bits into the basket…I also purchased a bellows to get out a little bit of extra grinds that static clings in the chute.This thing is EASY and FUN to use and I LOVE the stainless steel conical burrs
Robert Martin –
Amazing coffee grinder! I’m a Breville Convert!
This grinder replaced my dearly departed Baratza Encore which worked tirelessly for me for 4 years before giving up the ghost. I was leery of switching to something different but now I am glad I did. This unit is a step up in quality, functionality and ease of use!One piece of advice: get the silicone bellows made for it and use it! This solved the only problem I had with the unit initially: that a significant amount of grinds stay in the chute after grinding. That stuff gets nasty and can spoil the next batch you make unless you clean it out. And cleaning it out with a brush is tedious, messy and wasteful. Better solution: install the bellows and give it a couple pumps after each use. The extra grinds are almost completely removed from the chute and are added to your dose where they belong! No waste. No mess.As far as the grinder itself goes, I have nothing but positive things to say. It’s fast, quiet, accurate and produces consistent sized grinds. Plus it’s easy to tweak +/- for any dose level you desire. AND the unit remembers all your tweaks. Very impressive.I cannot sympathize with reviewers online who spend time sifting grinds out, measuring them with calipers or looking at them under a magnifying glass. My questions were probably more like most of you: Is it easy to use and clean? Yes! Do the grinds look consistently sized by eyeball? Yes! Do the grinds look consistent from one use to the next? Yes! Can I tweak the grinds up or down in tiny increments easily? Yes! Does the coffee I make taste awesome? YES!I try not to be swayed too much by those who are over-analyzing and trying to impress you and themselves with their supposed superior senses. In reality they might just be trying to justify the $100s they dropped on grinders that produce identically tasting coffee. That or they’ve crossed the fine line between enthusiast and freak 🙂
65 people found this helpful
B. Long –
You are missing out if you don’t buy something in this quality range
I have to say that laying down over 2 bills for a coffee grinder was a bit unnerving. Still, after buying grinder after grinder in the $40-$90 range for years you, at some point, realize you are just wasting money. I had also suspected the variations in the coffee taste (drip and espresso) were more to do with grinder inconsistency then my process. I can say it is good to be right!Before I purchased this grinder, I did the normal reading of Amazon reviews and found the same thing you are finding: love/hate reviews for everything. Being unsatisfied, I branched out to other Internet sources and learned about the types of grinders, and more importantly, how the cheaper grinders are in my opinion misrepresenting themselves as being burr grinders. This thing is a real burr grinder, which as it turns out produces a VERY consistent grind and does not cause you to cringe while it is running.The things I like the most thus far:Coffee taste great, and it always taste the same.I grind straight into the strainer or espresso filter, even at 5:30am, so I always have fresh grinds.It dispenses in a downward fashion, instead of out the front at a 90 degree, so it shows no signs of clogging.Changing grind size and time is extremely easy – digital display so you are not fighting an analog setting that moves when you bump it.The occasionally small excess grinds that fall to the bottom of the grinder base are quickly dispatched by removing the base insert (simple magnet holds it in place so it is a one-handed effortless maneuver).Short if is dying and early death, I think coming up with a dislike is going to be difficult. Very happy with the purchase; sorry I wasted so much money on inferior products.FIVE YEAR UPDATE:Grinder is still uses 365 days a year less vacation days. It even did overtime during the lockdowns. Clean it as instructed at a reasonable interval (about every 2 months for us) and keep smiling. Take away the fingerprints and some staining of the lid from bean oil, which would probably clean off if I tried hard enough, and you would think it was just purchased. Small cleaning tip – I take it outside and hit it with canned air after removing the grinder. Turns 20 minutes into 3.
200 people found this helpful
Galactic Bard –
Excellent grinder
This is my first REAL coffee grinder. Until know I’ve been using a cheap blade grinder.This has really taken my coffee to the next level! And combined with my new Breville Precision coffee maker, my coffee is now much more flavorful and delicious.This machine has excellent build quality. It feels like it will last forever, with no cheap or easily broken pieces.The amount of options you have as far as grind size is amazing. It’s actually more than the 60 they claim, as in addition to the 60 settings, you can also adjust the upper burr; I think there are 7 or so settings for that, so that extends the upper and lower ends of your grind sizes a bit.The timer programming is really clever, and I imagine is a way to give you the precision that you would get with a grinder with a built-in scale without the higher cost. Each cup and shot setting has a preset grind time that you can adjust as you wish and save your new setting. What I’ve been doing is weighing my beans with a 200g scale, and then grinding them, adjusting the programmed time each time until I get each cup size perfect (e.g. 4 cups, 6 cups, 8 cups). Once I have this dialed in, I won’t have to weigh the beans anymore. It’s best to do this with each different type of bean you use (and possibly even different batches, as bean density will never be constant). But once you got this dialed in, you could put a pound or more of beans in the hopper and not have to weigh them anymore. I’ll probably keep weighing them, as I’ll be trying different kinds of coffee, and I don’t want to keep beans in the hopper anyway for freshness sake.As others have mentioned, I got the AIEVE Silicone Bellow, which fits between the hopper and lid perfectly. I use it to blow extra grinds out of the chute after grinding, to help minimize the grinds left in the chute.The grinder isn’t too loud, much quieter than my blade grinder. I also like that you can also manually grind if you don’t want to mess with the timer.The controls are very easy to use.I love how the plate at the bottom is held by a magnet and snaps out, so you can easily clean off any grinds that fall on it.The only downside with this machine that I’ve seen is with the grind container that comes with it. It’s plastic, so grinds stick to the inside surface due to static charge. The top also doesn’t fit under the chute perfectly, so you do get some grinds spilling in the back, but since the tray comes off easily, that isn’t a big deal. The tray is even shaped in such a way to make it easy to pour any grinds on it into your filter basket. It would’ve been nice if the grind container were made of stainless steel, to minimize the grinds sticking to it. I try to get the grinds off the sides with my finger, and into the filter basket, but I can never get them all. I may end up getting a 250mL steel breaker, but I feel like I shouldn’t have to do that.I do like that the grinds container has markings for making espresso, drip coffee, and French press coffee. That’s a nice touch. The lid also can seal with an attached stopper cap, so you can keep grinds in the container, I guess, though I don’t know why anyone would want to do that. Seems to defeat the whole purpose of grinding your coffee fresh in the first place. It’s just unfortunate that with such an otherwise-stellar machine they’ve given us a grind container made of plastic, so the grinds stick to it. Also the stopper for the lid seems unnecessary and pointless, and it would’ve been better to have a lid that more perfectly mates with the chute to eliminate mess.I did try grinding directly into a coffee filter, and that didn’t work well at all and made a mess.All in all I’m very happy with this machine. My only quibbles have to do with the grind container. I just feel like for the cost and quality of this machine, they should have provided a better grind container. Everything else with the grinder is so well thought out, and then the grind container wasn’t thought out at all. But it’s still not enough to give this machine anything less than a 5-star rating.
12 people found this helpful
Eric –
I use it every morning.
Not as quiet as I’d like, but it is highly adjustable for grind size and grind time. Love it. One downside is that the beans don’t feed well on long grinds. If it goes too long, the beans don’t flow well and it runs out of beans in the grinder even though there are beans in the hopper. I have to stand there and tap the top every 10 seconds to keep it going.
LDUSSAN –
MUY BUEN PRODUCTO
Buena calidad, fácil de usar y muy preciso en la molienda
Eric NYCEric NYC –
600 Grind Settings (not a typo!) – Incredible results so far, upper burr secret settings
Dear espresso friends, you may look for other grinders at this price point or at 2-3x this price point, but it is doubtful that you will find such a trusty machine. I read dozens of professional/semi-professional reviews and found there to be (like with many other hobbies) rabid snobbery regarding Breville, which is wholly misplaced. My advice = find the reviews that show you the particle distribution for the Smart Grinder Pro, and you will find that it competes at the top echelon of grinders priced at $700-900. What’s surprising in most reviews is also the lack of detail regarding just how much control you have with the grinder, and that control comes from the ability to set further coarse or fine controls on the upper burr. There are not just 60 individual grind settings…but 600 on this machine! I have an Isomac Zaffiro machine with an e61 grouphead and use a 58MM bottomless portafilter for my shots. With the burr set to 1 (yes 1) and the exterior dial set to 3, I grind 20g of dark roast espresso beans (Embolden from Lifeboost) into a 17G La Marzocco basket (using a dosing ring), then use the WDT method for distribution, then tamp and add a 1.7mm Normcore screen on top of the puck. ~29-34 seconds later I get the most glorious espresso that rivals any professional barista in town (NYC specifically). Until I made the switch to home espresso, I simply thought that I had to ‘live with’ sour (or bitter) espresso from fancy coffee shops. WRONG! You too can bring your espresso unicorn home with a little practice and a lot of patience.
17 people found this helpful
Federico –
La mejor compra lejos
Excelente molinillo precio calidad
Don Q –
A very good grinder…. But
I would have given this 5 stars, except for 1 problem. The machine grinds very well. No complaints in that regard. However when cleaning the grounds out I find it necessary to turn the machine over and gently tap the sides to get a sizable amount of grinds out from the bottom burrs,that are still in the machine. I even blow into the burrs (with eyes closed) and even more comes out the bottom onto the removable tray. I do this so the burrs won’t dull over time. A hassle? Yes but it is the best grinder I have ever owned
One person found this helpful
Kindle Customer –
Good grinder
Great product and good grinds.
Cliente de KindleCliente de Kindle –
Excelente
Es una maravilla, a pesar que dice que es para uso casero, funciona muy bien para trabajar en mi heladería artesanal, lo pusimos a prueba en un evento en dónde hicimos unos 300 cafés y no se recalentó, tampoco cambio la molienda.
C. Locke –
Great grinder. Relatively quiet, grinds quickly, highly adjustable and repeatable.
I chose this grinder because it is a reputable brand, has excellent controls and features, a wide range of grind settings, a programmable grind timer and cup/shot count selector. I have only made about 6 grinds with it, but I love the way it works. What I needed is a grinder that I can set to grind one cup of grounds at a specific grind level, and then be able to repeat that with a single button press and fine tune the grind level and the quantity (set by a timer). This has it all. While one would expect a grinder to make noise, it is relatively quiet and not nearly as noisy as the hand-held blade grinder I was using. I also bought the 3-yr extended warranty. Based on the reviews I doubt I will need it, but so many grinder reviews mentioned problems early-on I thought it would be a wise addition.
One person found this helpful
travis –
Works well
I bought this grinder mainly for espresso. I have an old grinder I was using for other brew methods(pour over, aeropress, french press) and needed something that could handle espresso. This machine works great, and it can grind plenty fine enough for espresso. The only downsides I can think of is that the timed grinding is completely useless in my opinion, the amount of coffee it grinds by time is bound to change based on how full the hopper is and the variability of the different coffees you’re using, however there is a manual mode if you just hold the button or the portafilter switch so I can just weight my beans before I grind and it works great. Perhaps the bigger downside is dialing the grind size just right is not easy and sometimes you’re just not going to get it perfect, this is a step adjusted machine so if you find that the perfect setting is somewhere in between 2 of the settings you just have to deal with it or go through the lengthy process of adjusting the burr setting to get it just right. Overall I’m getting great quality espresso, its ever so slight underextracted where I’m at now, but at this point I’m pulling better shots that I usually get at most cafes. This machine is absolutely capable of doing espresso well, but eventually if you want to get those perfect shots you might need to look at a grinder with finer adjustment controls, but for the value of under $200 nothing really comes close and that’s why I give it 5 stars. This grinder easily competes with grinders $100+ it’s price, and additionally this grinder not only does espresso but it works great for “regular” coffee brewing methods, so even if you upgrade you can keep this grinder around and keep using it for other brewing methods.
One person found this helpful
Visualhead –
It’s a good entry level grinder
My initial impression is that it’s a nice-looking, modern, and well-built entry-level grinder. For beginners and those who just want to grind decent coffee for their Press and Drip, I think the buttons and functionality helps especially trying to measure “cups”. You can definitely add more in ratio for stronger coffee.It’s definitely not the quietest grinder but its just fine. The grind quality so far is good.I think the only complaint I have is that it is kind of messy because of the static… though there are DIY type solutions for this. I think that’s the main thing most grinders has issues with is keeping it less messy as they fly all over the place.I’ve only had it for a few days and longevity wise, I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll come back and update. Maybe other reviews has more say to this as this model has been around for years and they haven’t really updated it in a while.. I’m guessing it’s going fine for most.
John –
I’ve had this grinder over 5 yrs with no problem.
I read some good and bad reviews out of curiosity and will give my opinion on a couple of them. The 60 grind settings can be expanded by using the upper burr settings which has 10 settings on it and there are two washers under the thing that pushes the grounds into the container. If you remove one of those washers, you can set it on the coarsest setting for a cold brew. With the 10 settings on the upper burr you can increase the fineness for espresso or make it courser to help the cold brew. That increases setting possibilities greatly. I have yet to figure out the problems some have had with the thing that pushes the grinds in the container, but fine grind for espresso can clog it up and make it bog down if you don’t clean the grinder often enough. I use drip grinds almost expressly and clean the grinder once a month and occasionally longer if i forget. When I made fine ground for an experiment for a while with oily beans (dark roast) I cleaned it in a week or so. Over 5 years of use and no problems yet. I get much better results than I did with the several grind and brew coffee makers I used in the past. I have a Breville precision brewer now and only make 6 cups a day using the cone inserts which is fine for me and my wife.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Good coffee grinder
Very noisy
One person found this helpful
D. M. –
Great investment
Breville Coffee Grinder: User-Friendly and VersatileI’m a big fan of the Breville coffee grinder. It’s a great choice for anyone who wants freshly ground coffee without any hassle.Simple to UseThe Breville grinder is user-friendly, even for coffee novices. The controls are intuitive and straightforward, so you can easily grind your beans to your preferred coarseness. No need to decipher complicated manuals or settings.Grind ControlThis grinder offers a wide range of grind sizes, from fine for espresso to coarse for French press. This versatility allows you to experiment with different brewing methods to discover your perfect cup of coffee.Grind Time CustomizationAnother great feature is the ability to customize the grind time. This allows you to grind exactly the amount of coffee you need for your pot, preventing waste and ensuring freshness.OverallIf you’re looking for a coffee grinder that’s easy to use, offers multiple grind size options, and lets you control the amount you grind, then the Breville is a great choice. It’s a versatile and user-friendly option for coffee lovers of all levels.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Business Customer –
Your espresso machine isn’t the problem- you need this!
We have tried more expensive grinders and still couldn’t get good flavor depth and crema from our espresso machine. This thing is a GAME CHANGER. Our espresso now comes out practically like melted chocolate with a gorgeous golden crema. We had even gotten rid of our very expensive Breville espresso machine and replaced it with a Gaggia Pro thinking the machine was the problem. Guys- if you want espresso which tastes like it came out of a $1k Italian machine, you need this grinder. The espresso grind comes out like a fine powder with no coarseness. You set the grind time for exactly what fills your portafilter and just need to hit the start button after that. No more weighing or guessing each time after you get it set. This grinder also is much cleaner than other grinders and keeps the mess very contained.Only downside is it won’t hold our 58mm portafilter very well, but that’s minor. This is worth every cent if you’re a coffee snob.
Kevin OsbornKevin Osborn –
Excellent grinder, Very easy to use and clean
I had a simple Braun disc grinder that I misplaced during our Kitchen renovation, and finally got around to researching and replacing it. This Breville “Smart Grinder Pro” looks sharp and has many more features than I will ever use, but so far it’s been terrific. It’s not static free, as implied by some of the reviews, but it’s not bad with only a little sticking to the sides of the grinds container easily knocked off with a tap.I mostly do French Press, and the Coarsest grind setting is still a little fine by default, however you can easily adjust the range by rotating the outer burr (see instruction manual). I think it’s setup by default for espresso users, so they can’t be faulted for setting the default range a little fine.The grind is uniform, and moderately quick (not too fast to get hot!) and the coffee is excellent! A great upgrade.
6 people found this helpful
David R Fleming –
THE entry level grinder for espresso
I made the mistake initially of trying to save money and bought the Bodum Bistro Pro. It cannot produce ground coffee fine enough for espresso. It went back. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro had already been recommended to us by friends who pull shots every morning. Sure enough, this is the grinder you need if you want an espresso grind. You will see reviews that criticize this grinder for producing grinds that clump – this is true – but if that bothers you get a WDT tool or just use tines on a fork like I do and break them up! Also, complaints about a retention issue – this is also true – expect a certain amount of grinds to remain in the delivery chute and just grind a little more into your portafilter. As someone said on YouTube, this is the difference between a $200 grinder and a $500+ grinder. We are very happy with it.
S R –
Best fine ground espresso grinder for the price
I tried so many burr and spice grinders and couldn’t achieve the fine grind you need for espresso. Even the ones that said they were for espresso. Repeating grinds, shaking spice grinders, measuring… was all too manual. If your goal is an espresso grinder that is precise and minimal effort, you’ll be super satisfied with this. Easy to use and has grind setting for all the ways you can dream of making a coffee. Just had to decide it was worth investing $200 for a grinder. It was 👌🏼Breville quality is solid and user friendly.
RogerZel –
Very good coffee grinder
I didn’t have to fine tune the grind settings. Tried a double shot and came out great.
J. Gordon –
Great for Medium and Fine Grinding but Not Coarse
The automatic dosing works very well as does medium and fine grinding. However, even with the upper burr adjustment, the coffee is not coarse enough for traditional French Press. The lid on the hopper is airtight to keep the beans fresher longer. And the option to save customized settings is very useful.
3 people found this helpful
JeanmaelJeanmael –
Excellent product!
It greatly complements my coffee bar and extracts the coffee well.
Andres Camilo Barajas Martinez –
Gran relación calidad precio
Excelente producto, totalmente satisfecho.
Aramcobratusa –
2018 tp 2024 still working perfectly plus incredible personalized taste
Six years later it works every single day. Holidays and the like maybe 3 pots but otherwise it’s a steady pot a day. Never breaks nor clogs. I’ve run the cleaning stuff through “religiously” about twice total. The quality of the pot of coffee was immediately noticed. I was younger and had a Mr. Coffee and the bean grind truly made so much difference. I wound up getting a nicer brewing system but it’s really the bean grind that’s doing the heavy lifting. It does take time to completely dial in EXACTLY how you love your coffee. If you spend this much on a coffee grinder you’ll be excited to tweak it to perfection.i picked this model because it was recommended in a Wall Street Journal article and I’m not sure if I’ve made a smaller purchase that’s had a larger impact on how happy I am in the morning. I’ve recommended this grinder several times, not cheap but worth it, and thus far they’ve been consistent that getting it dialed in was worth it to have the exact taste you prefer. At 5 a cup this thing pays for itself in about a month. I personally found my preference was a smaller grind which meant I could only make an 8 (out of 12) cup pot of coffee but it’s a delicious 8! I also like the ability to grind then use the tight lid to seal the container for later. Lastly, it’s NOT very loud. I bought two bean holders because my wife and I prefer different beans and she says it’s easy to swap them. It’s just coffee; enjoy yourselves!
Benji W –
Ups and Downs
TL;DR: this is a great value burr coffee grinder for those who want to make good quality drip coffee and espresso at home. If you use a bottomless filter basket (real espresso), then the Smart Grinder Pro will do the trick. If you’re making espresso with a pressurized filter basket, the Smart Grinder (predecessor) will suffice.If you’re making French Press or Moka Pot coffee, look elsewhere.Some questionable durability…see updates below.****Original Review****I’m so happy I waited this long to finally get an ELECTRIC burr grinder after years of manually grinding with the Hario Slim Mill Grinder. To think that I wasted all of those hours translated into days of my life to save a few bucks is baffling now that I’ve been using the new Breville Smart Grinder Pro for a couple of weeks now.First, a short backstory:-The first burr grinder I ever owned was the Capresso Infinity. My parents now use it in their kitchen, but I couldn’t stand this grinder. Never could grind finely enough for espresso, was difficult to clean, had static build-up. Frankly, not much better than a blade grinder.-I then bought my dad a Bodum Bistro. The thing was a piece of junk and broke after only a few uses. Was never able to return it because we lost the receipt.-My next purchase was for myself. The Hario Hand Mill grinder. Very inexpensive, very effective ceramic burr grinders, portable, etc. But after about a week of using it you realize how impractical it is to spend 10 minutes grinding coffee every time you want it!The reason I waited so long to invest in an electric burr grinder was mostly because of paradox of choice.I considered the Rocky Rancillio because I heard it was unbeatable for home espresso. Still, at $300+ and a nice hefty size, I was reluctant to take the plunge.I also flirted with getting a Baratza Encore or Breville Smart Grinder, but each was reported to have its own respective issues that only prolonged my indecision. In any case, I was ready to go for the Baratza Encore until I saw that Breville had released a new version of the Smart Grinder, the Smart Grinder Pro.~~~~Differences Between Current and Previous Model~~~~There were a few improvements to the new model that had me sold on giving it a try.1) 60 default grind settings vs. 25 in the original. PLUS, an adjustable upper burr for an additional 10 grind settings.2) “Smart” dosing timer that allows you to adjust the grind time down to 0.2 seconds. The old model allowed you to adjust the “strength” of your coffee. I guess it was designed to be idiot-proof, but I think if somebody is spending $200 on a grinder they know that more coffee + less water and vice versa is MOSTLY what determines a coffee’s strength. In any case, the old way was a silly and arbitrary way of dosing. The new way makes more sense*3) Start/Pause button instead of a Start/Cancel button. Now, I never used the old version so I don’t know if this is just different wording or not, but with the Smart Grinder Pro you can pause the grind and grind timer to say, settle your ground coffee in a portafilter before continuing the grind.*This feature isn’t very accurate in my opinion. I’ve weighed my ground coffee after using the same dosing time and had inconsistent weights. If you’re serious about your coffee, I’d stick with a gram scale for dosing. I will give it another try and report back here though.~~~~Repeat Features~~~~-Removable magnetic grounds tray. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this feature. Which may seem ridiculous…but I owned the Capresso Infinity where ground coffee was constantly building up in the tray at the bottom. This made the grounds basket more and more difficult to put in place. With the Smart Grinder Pro, keeping the grounds tray tidy is so easy because of this feature.-Lockable/removable 1 lb. bean hopper. This is a decent feature that allows you to remove the bean hopper and change out your beans without spilling them all over the place. This is really only useful to somebody who keeps their beans in the hopper at all times, which I don’t. I should also note that not all of the coffee in the hopper will be removed from the grinder since some of it will still remain between the burrs.If you’re looking to get more serious with your coffee, you shouldn’t really be storing beans in the hopper. But that’s just like, my opinion, man.-Grounds basket with “airtight” lid/seal. This is probably my least favorite part of this grinder. The grounds basket itself is fine, but the lid just gets in the way and isn’t even close to airtight. I don’t ever grind the coffee into the grounds basket with the lid on.-Comes with two different size portafilter holders (magnetic) and brush for cleaning burrs.~~~~My First Experience~~~~Now, despite my love for this grinder the first day of using it was a nightmare.I tried adjusting the upper burr on the first day of using it and then the grinder just stopped working. I called Breville, we did some troubleshooting over the phone, and the rep finally told me it was defective and would need to be sent back.My heart sunk.Fortunately, the return process was super easy (and free). They even sent the replacement before I sent my defective grinder back in (with a $150 hold on my credit card until they received the defective one).My replacement has been working like a charm though. And with this great customer service experience, I’m not inclined to take away any points in my review here. Only time will tell if it holds up though.~~~~Pros~~~~-It’s very quiet for a grinder-It’s fast-It is essentially stepless, even though 60 steps are displayed on the LCD screen-Does a brilliant job for my MyPressi twist (read: espresso)-Great price for the versatility~~~~Cons~~~~-Bad plastic/chemical smell post-grind that has seemingly gone away after some use-Doser isn’t that accurate, despite the improvement in the way it’s done-Grounds basket lid is useless and just gets in the waySo there you have it. I will update this review as time passes. I highly recommend this grinder for the budding home coffee enthusiast!****UPDATE #1 – July, 2015****Well I have to say I’m pretty disappointed.I am now on my third unit because of defects. This grinder works fantastically when it’s working, but unfortunately it simply can’t hang with the finer grind settings. The burrs lock up and the grinder stops grinding when I’m at a grind setting below 10 usually. Sometimes it works, but it’s like flipping a coin because you really never know when it will lock up.Additionally, I’ve come to realize that the coarsest settings really aren’t that coarse. As others have mentioned, this grinder is best for medium grind settings (and fines when it works).Breville has been great in terms of customer service, but there is really only so many returns I can deal with at a certain point. This will most likely be returned unless a solution presents itself quickly.****UPDATE #2 – December, 2015****I’ve bumped my review back up 1 star because my most recent unit is holding up pretty well.Here are some tips that I think have helped prevent the grinder from locking up with espresso grinds:1) Always adjust your grind setting with beans in the hopper while simultaneously running the grinder. Yes, you will waste some coffee, but this is pretty standard practice when using burr grinders.2) Never run the grinder with an empty hopper. You don’t want the burrs making contact with each other if you can avoid it.3) Grind in short spurts for espresso. I only grind a few seconds at a time, pause, and then resume for a few more seconds. I find that this helps prevent the motor from disengaging or the burrs from locking up.Couple of other points that I want to reiterate:-This grinder is no good for French Press. Look elsewhere.-I’ve found that the ground coffee feels pretty warm sometimes after grinding for espresso (I notice when I’m dosing). I don’t have much of a baseline reference for how hot (if at all) the ground coffee should be fresh out of the grinder…but my guess is that there shouldn’t be any noticeable heat. After all, heat is said to be one of ground coffee’s biggest enemies.-The plastic/chemical smell post grind is almost always there. This is certainly disconcerting.
265 people found this helpful
Phillip Iovino –
Grind is consistent and the interface is user friendly
Just to make things clear, I have owned this product for about a week now, so I will have to follow up on this at a later time.I previously had a Mr. Coffee grinder, so I was looking for some specific things from a new grinder: reduced noise, a more consistent grind and a less messy system (this was at the bottom of my list as I expected this to be more or less unavoidable).This Breville regulates the grinding, which not only helps considerably with grind consistency, but also reduces the noise output by quite a bit. Some unregulated grinders just have an on/off function to the motor, and if there are no beans between the burrs, if the beans are stuck in the hopper, the result is an extremely loud, high pitched whine. While I have not experienced either scenario yet with this grinder, I have noticed that the sound is very consistent with a controlled grind.I used to weight my coffee prior to putting into the old grinder’s hopper as that was the only way to get some consistency. After messing the the grind coarseness and timing on the new Breville to get the weight of beans I use, I used my scale the first several times I ground coffee. The Breville was consistent with a +/- 1g variation from where I had previously tuned it.It’s consistent not only in the amount, but the size of the grounds as well. I use a drip brewer with a cone paper filter, so my grind is on the coarser side. My old grinder would consistently have fine powder no matter the setting I used, which always threw off the taste of my coffee. With the Breville, I have not yet seen any fine powder in the grind.This grinder is also very clean and easy to maintain. Below the grinder outlet is a removable tray. So far, any stray grounds have ended up in the tray, so clean-up has been extremely easy. I have not yet had to clean the burrs or the outlet, so I may need to update later.All-in-all, I am extremely pleased with this grinder.
John M. Mccormick –
General workhorse value and convenience
I have had it for a year now… Great value general easy to use grinder. Not the best for single use where you frequently change bean type. Coffee is not as bright as the highest quality grinders (more full body). My workflow includes a dosing cup and scale, usually configured for morning espresso. No problems with it at all. I have an additional K6 hand grinder, and they are a good pair.
Justin Peterson –
I love just about everything about this
I love just about everything about this. My one complaint is that one is not able to easily fit a basket style filter under the discharge, so you need to either monitor while grinding, or use the included cup.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Why I’m Loving This Product
The reason I think this is a really great product is because it offers a unique feature that sets it apart from other coffee grinders. Imagine this – you’re in a rush to make your morning espresso, and the last thing you want is a messy cleanup. Well, with this Breville Smart Grinder Pro, you can say goodbye to that hassle! Its direct grind into the portafilter feature is a game-changer. Just imagine the convenience of grinding your coffee beans directly into your portafilter without any spills or mess. It’s like having your own personal barista! This little genius not only saves you time but also ensures that every bit of ground coffee goes exactly where it needs to be. No more wasted coffee or cleaning up stray grounds from the countertop. Plus, the brushed stainless steel design adds a touch of elegance to your kitchen. Trust me, this coffee grinder is a must-have for any coffee enthusiast. Get ready to experience the perfect grind every time with the Breville Smart Grinder Pro!
2 people found this helpful
NissaMFNissaMF –
So easy to use
This coffee grinder is AMAZING! Last year I bought the Breville Espresso maker. Been very happy with the new level of brewing. Was ready to take the next step on fresh grinding, and hubby got met his for X-mas. Right out of the box I added the beans and Voila- tried not too fine espresso grind, adjusted the time down a bit, and now in just 7 seconds have perfectly filled the puck. The fact that you can simply push in the puck to start the grind is neat feature! Once you dial this in, no need to use the tool, you’ll get the right amount every time (after tapping). It is not even very messy and the neat removable tray underneath you can quickly tap off any excess grinds.It’s also smaller than I thought and a nice companion to the machine (see pic).I had taken the advice of someone else and decided to keep these machines separate in case of any problem with either one of them.I am VERY pleased. It’s a whole new coffee game!
4 people found this helpful
Mom of 2 KidsMom of 2 Kids –
Perfect little coffee grinder
We purchased this little grinder to pair with our espresso maker. I enjoy decaf and sometimes half caf coffee while my husband enjoys regular caffeinated coffee.This little grinder has been the perfect solution. I love the ability to choose how fine the beans are ground, it’s very easy to use and clean and makes only a small amount of noise (not crazy loud at all). Fabulous machine for the value paid.
2 people found this helpful
Ted in Sonora –
I found that its most coarse setting was much too fine for French Press coffee
About 20 years ago, a friend introduced me to coffee made with a French Press. I had known of the method but had never tried it. At first I found the coffee to be much too strong for my taste. But I soon developed a preference for it.Even before that, I had been grinding my own coffee beans, using a blade-type grinder. I learned that I needed a burr grinder to get the coarse grind needed for a French Press. I bought a Capresso grinder and it worked for several years. Then I bought a Baratza Maestro Plus burr grinder. It recently stopped working. Both models had a coarse setting for French Press.Recently I researched various burr grinders and settled on the Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder. I bought it from Amazon. Upon using it, I found that its most coarse setting was much too fine for French Press coffee. I returned it.After further review, I decided to buy the Breville Smart Grinder Pro Stainless Steel Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. It was a bit pricey at $270 but I enjoy coffee and a grinder is something I would use every day.I was quite disappointed to find that despite 50 grind settings, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro would not grind coarse coffee even at its most coarse setting. The machine is a beauty, with many fine features. But it is not suitable for making French Press coffee.This week, I went to the store where I have been buying my coffee beans for years. They have a commercial-duty Bunn Coffee Mill for customers to use. I set the grinder to “French Press” and the grind was quite coarse, perfectly suited for making French Press coffee. I would love to be able to find a home model grinder that would grind coffee to this texture. I will be returning the Breville Smart Grinder Pro.
9 people found this helpful
Ben –
Breville smart pro coffee bean grinder
Works great, just hope it lasts for many years.
Parker –
Very good for the price
This is my first coffee grinder and I am loving it so far. Very easy and intuitive to use.
Clayton –
Good Entry Level Grinder
Its not bad for $200. Nice starter grinder and fairly quiet. Produces very clumpy grinds so you’ll need to WDT or use a dosing funnel to break everything up. It will make you want a better grinder, so I’d save for something better.
Rdiaz –
Very happy so far! However…
Just got this entry level coffee grinder and I am loving it so far! Fair warning however, when cleaning the hopper and container DON’T use the abrasive side of a sponge like I did. It will leave micro scratches on the plastic.Messiness isn’t to badGrind consistency is greatNoise level is okOverall 10/10 would recommend.
Joan Fouteau –
Funciona al 100 %
Me llego tal como dice las especificaciones recomendable
L. Smith –
A very high quality, versatile fit for purpose product.
The kid gave me a cofeee atlas for x-mass that informed me that my trusty old Krupp’s blade grinder was cheating us of flavor. Researched burr grinders and despite sticker shock pulled the trigger on this. (We have their counter top oven which we love) Easy to set up and use. Instructions are crystal clear. The taste difference has been a revelation! I have used the press setting. Very happy. You will need to experiment with grind and qty for your coffee maker. Knocked off a star for the short cord. I do t get that at all.
carlos –
Incertidumbre
Lo necesitaba para colocar los porta filtros de una máquina profesional…pero quedaron muy estrechos…y no alcanza a presionar el botón de dosificación…aunque me daré mis modos para hacerlo…claro que esa no era la idea…
Zeroman01 –
Save money, not having to go to Starbucks
Make good coffee without having to go out in the snow, waste, gas, and money in a car accident trying to go to Starbucks.
Robert H. –
All around OK
Decent enough for a wide range of brewing, although a little dusty for coarse grinds. If you are more of a precise brewer, just know that you’ll get about 1g of the prior grounds if you don’t clean it out or give it a good tap while after you hear the beans feed through completely. My biggest complaint is that the memory for dosing will delete if this is unplugged, so I still weigh my coffee each time.
Carl Foleen –
Well Built
It may take a little time and effort to set the machine up for your favorite brand/roast of coffee bean. However, if you are particular enough about your favorite coffee beverages consistency from one day to the next, this is a very large step in the right direction of that goal. Money well spent.
Suds –
Great Features, but Limited Life Span
Nice features and consistent grind for 3+ years. I used it exclusively for espresso and it has the ability to grind finer than needed for a great shot. Built in catch tray and other accessories make it an enticing bundle. At about the three year point, my espresso shots started going all over the map, from completely stuck to way too fast. I replaced the grinder with a Baratza and my problems ceased. I could have replaced it with another Breville, but wanted to try a grinder made specifically for espresso and found one for not much more cash. Will keep the Breville for the rare occasion I want to brew a pot of drip, if I can find my drip machine, that is!
One person found this helpful
Mark Magnanimous –
FLAWLESS GRINDING AFTER 4.5 YEARS AND GOING STRONG!
I’ve used this daily for over 4.5 years, and it works flawlessly. You are able to dial in the perfect grind level and quantity. The grinding timer is selectable within a 5th of a second, and the grind precision ranges from a crazy fine powder to pepper grind size with highly refined adjustments in between. Usually a grinder will die on me within a year or so, this shows no sign of wear working day after day just perfect. I was really skeptical at paying for a high priced grinder, this is extremely durable.
Scruffy –
Works great, attractive
This is my second electric burr grinder. The first one died after one use. I use the coarse grind setting for cold brew. So large quantities at a time. It works great. I might try for hot brew once it gets cold. The only thing I could hope for is another setting for quantity that included ounces or grams. It is a bit messy. Coffee grounds fly all over the counter around the the grinder. I love that it is reliable and that I know it will work the next time I need it. I also like that the hopper holds alot of beans
One person found this helpful
Alan Lee Starr –
I am completely satisfied
It grinds coffee and provides exactly the quantity and size that I want. I didn’t take long to adjust it to the proper settings (for me) and it has, over the past 5 months, provided consistent and flawless service. No issues whatsoever.
3 people found this helpful
AYAY –
Improved the taste of my coffee.
I had an average 80.00 burr grinder been using it for years. We decided to try a better one found this one on Amazon. The first thing I thought was I must be out of my mind paying 200 for a coffee grinder. But I figured I could just send it back if it was junk. On the first cup I thought this coffee tastes much better. I gave my wife a cup within a minute she said the coffee tastes better. At that point we knew we had a winner. Then a couple weeks latter we had our in-laws over as usual I made them coffee. He says to me that’s good what coffee are you using? I said it’s not the coffee it’s the coffee grinder. He purchased one and loves it. I am using a bun coffeemaker going to try a better coffeemaker soon.
6 people found this helpful
George Woodworth –
Works great
Works much better than my Setti 30 which was twice the price. Have only used for a few days but works great for expresso!
Amazon Customer –
Love it so far
Love it so far! Much easier and cleaner than my old burr grinder. Only concern is I can’t grind down in the single digits of the fine grind range. It’s not affecting my espresso, but a bit concerning that it won’t grind when you attempt to make it that fine.
Linux Administrator –
A good, consistent coffee grinder
It works great within its range, from a bit coarser than espresso to not quite coarse enough French press. It’s perfect for intermediate grinds such as Aeropress and percolators. For single dose grinding it retains minimal amounts, after priming with some coffee. Cleaning should be easy although I haven’t done that yet (important for French and darker roasts). There is some static when coffee beans are very dry. An excellent grinder, except that I wished for a bit coarser French press grind setting.
John M. Mccormick –
General workhorse value and convenience
I have had it for a year now… Great value general easy to use grinder. Not the best for single use where you frequently change bean type. Coffee is not as bright as the highest quality grinders (more full body). My workflow includes a dosing cup and scale, usually configured for morning espresso. No problems with it at all. I have an additional K6 hand grinder, and they are a good pair.
Ellis Ditrip –
Barely works for good espresso’s
This grinder works well. A little bit clumpy on fine settings. I took the burr out and set it to #2 on the inside click, then set the display to #5 for espresso and I’m getting good results. On this setting there are a lot of clumps of grounds but stirring them away is possible. Once you set the inside burr to #2 you can no longer grind coarse so I have another burr grinder for pourovers. Overall I am satisfied and I use this every day. For the price, the only fault is clumps which is not that big of a deal. Also, you can put your portagilter in, push the button and walk away and it’s not messy or very loud either. I am weighing my beans and grinding for doubles so I do 17.5 grams at a time. I would recommend this if you’re on a budget. Solid machine good build quality easy to use quiet and clean.
2 people found this helpful
SStep –
Great grinder, but noise levels may make it a deal breaker for some.
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It’s a great grinder – Easley to clean and operate. One thing I can’t stand in it, especially early in the morning is its sharp winding noise that cuts through my sleepy morning brain. So at times I still resort to my manual grinder. Make it less loud and increase the price – I would another $100 for low operating noise. The noise may not sound bad during the day, but as the first sound I hear in the morning feels like a dentist drilling into my head. Besides the noise it’s a very good grinder. Just grind your coffee the night before or wear warm plugs.
12 people found this helpful
Bergie –
Returning *edit keeping*
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Fit and finish and excellent for the price point. First two grinds with the unit and I was surprised and how quiet it is relative to what other reviews has said. Unfortunately the grinder started jamming with every grind required a complete take down to clear. I am not sure if this thing has a built in clutch that causes the sound in the video or if the motor is simply stalling. I and going to return this one and exchange it for another. I will update the review once I try the replacement.*edit. Tried other beans and roasted the ones in the video a little longer. The moisture content was too high and gummed up the grinder. Now it works perfectly. We are using this in a commercial coffee shop grinding 16 lbs of coffee every week.
7 people found this helpful
Randall G. –
works OK
It mostly does what it’s supposed to, but there are two things that irritate me about this machine. If you lose power (I live in a rural area that frequently does) it re-sets itself to 18.6 run time. And the beans inside frequently “bridge” and block everything from flowing into the grinding burrs. That means to use it I have to keep banging on it like a demented lunatic.
Federico –
La mejor compra lejos
Excelente molinillo precio calidad
Amazon Customer –
AWESOME!
There’s no telling what is in the ground coffee purchased.With whole beans – you know you are getting 100% real coffee without “filler”This grinder makes grinding a CINCHHere are the steps I use:1. Fill the cup that comes with it a little over half way with beans (for 12 cups)2. Set grinder (just have to do this once… for drip coffee strength, 12 cups of coffee… and the timer will show about a minute of grinding.3. Set cup of beans in grinder and press start1 min later – perfectly sized 100% fresh 100% ground coffeeBEST TASTING COFFEE when freshly groundAfter grinding – I empty the cup right into my coffee drip basket.I use the little brush to get any static clingy ground coffee bits into the basket…I also purchased a bellows to get out a little bit of extra grinds that static clings in the chute.This thing is EASY and FUN to use and I LOVE the stainless steel conical burrs
GEC –
Pro grinder. Works amazingly well. However, expensive.
Pro grinder. Works amazingly well. Grinder size adjustment is amazing, and you can even adjust further with a simple procedure. Espressos come out fresh, with lots of crema and flavor! However, expensive.
T. Mackenzie –
GREAT – but messy.
I love this! Our coffee has never tasted better. The only downside is it’s pretty messy and while it’s easy to clean – I hate having to clean it every time. But because of the cost associated with the item – I really make a valiant effort to do clean it almost every time.Side note: We use a Ninja coffee maker and the setting just above the espresso grind (I think it’s 32). With doing so we have to use a paper filter instead of the filter that came with the ninja… which really we had to do that anyway because grounds got into the coffee and I don’t like to chew my coffee. With this setting, the coffee is super super smooth!
jozabeth garcia –
Grinding Beans Like a Pro!
This is a really positive review because this grinder has brought new life to my morning routine. The precision timer is like a wizard controlling time, ensuring every grind is just right. The consistent dose? Let’s just say it’s like the North Star on a clear night – reliable, steady, and always there. The direct grind into the portafilter feature is the cherry on top, it’s like this grinder read my mind. I mean, we’re basically best friends at this point.
Lester Stine –
works great
This works great and very easy to use. I think it is quite and the coffee grinding is very consistent
Tony D –
Espresso grinder
Easy to dial in different beans
Diegoni87 –
Espectacular!!
Muy práctico, buen tamaño. totalmente automática.
The Film Poets –
6 years – still going
As I made my coffee this morning, I realized this beautiful machine has been with my family for over 6 years – and at the same price as it is today. Sweep out the bottom with the included brush about once a year. That’s everything you need to know.
Diamond Ayala –
Wonderful Coffee Grinder
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Got this when I upgraded to an espresso machine from a ninja coffee brewer. I had a little blade grinder that couldn’t grind fine enough for espresso. This is amazing! I know it’s considered entry level, but it really does an amazing job! Refining the grind size/duration was so much fun too! It’s not super noisy or quiet but sound level isn’t super important to me. Had looked at several others at similar price points but this seemed to have the best of what I was looking for; definitely won’t be disappointed with this! I will say do not use flavored beans with this the oils on it jams it up and the grind doesn’t come out nice. Use the roasted beans that have notes of flavor and it works beautifully the flavors come through amazing! Love that you can set the timer (speed) I’ll be honest that was the one thing I was super confused about but when it came in I realized how useful it was in calibration! I got a normcore portafilter and it fit perfectly with the 54mm insert!
One person found this helpful
addot –
Great product but undersized motor
The grinder works great! The settings allowed me to easily tune the grind to make great espresso. Compared to my now last grinder (gaggia MDF), it dispenses grounds much cleaner and grinds much faster but I swear it sounds like it is struggling. It hasn’t stopped but the sound of the motor varies throughout the grind. I am glad I got the extra warrantee. That being said, it seems like a solid enough grinder to get through the two double espressos we make in our house every morning for a long time.
3 people found this helpful
Eduardo Asher –
Amazing value, grind options are endless.
Great value and definitely grinds so fine I’ve chocked my Pavoni several times. The only downside I have so far is that the grind does clump more so than it would on a more expensive machine. Not sure why exactly, just does. I have a little wisk that I use to solve the issue. Also done like the plastic portafilter holders, they are a bit flimsy; but they do the trick and the magnets are a nice feature.Wish list…. add a scale and I’d be in heaven.I’d buy again. In fact buying one as a gift for a friend who needs a better grinder for his Ascasso.
Kristina C –
Wish it ran a little quietter
The grinder works really well, my only wish is it would run a little quieter.
prime lover –
I’m no espresso aficionado but this makes grinds great beans!
I would like to say that we buy locally roasted, organic espresso beans and they are top notch. This makes delicious espresso! I got this for my 20 year old daughter who is a starbucks junkie. At $7 a pop, plus a $5 bacon, gouda and egg, to go with, we are saving $12 a day! I don’t know what that actually works out to be, but I feel confident that this was a great investment. In a blind taste test, you couldn’t tell the difference between starbucks and kitchen made caramel macchiato! It was easy to set up, easy to use and easy to clean. I bought the breville automatic espresso machine to go with, and it works just fine for what she needs. Buy it and you’ll be happy you did!
K. Peffley –
The best coffee grinder
I’ve had my Breville coffee grinder now for 8 years and I have no complaints. I’ve used it just about every single day without mishap. It allows you to fine tune your grind size and how long you want to grind within tenths of seconds, so I can consistently have the same amount of ground coffee for my coffee maker. I use a pastry brush to wipe out the grounds that cling to the coffee container. It’s so easy and convenient to use. My girlfriend is from France. She says I make the best coffee. Now that’s saying something.
2 people found this helpful
Michael Kolp –
Great all purpose grinder
Works well with a Flair Pro 2 Espresso Machine
Dennis H –
A lot of bang for the buck. Surprisingly good.
I bought this as a gift for my son, who is just starting as a “home barista.” I helped him get set up with the Smart Grinder Pro paired with my old Gaggia Coffee Deluxe (modded with a PID and other upgrades). I was very impressed with the grinder. It offers plenty of range to spare at the finer settings to dial in and make small adjustments as the beans age. The grind appears very consistent in size and timed dosing comes out consistently each time. (Although I have not gone so far as to weigh each dose to see just how close to one another they are.) It has a lot of great features. The large hopper is designed well. I wish my Baratza Vario held the same volume and the hopper could be removed so easily with beans in place. The airtight gasket is a nice touch. I find the digital controls very easy to use. The portafilter holder and shield do a great job containing and funneling any flying grinds, and the nice, cupped, magnetically attached tray makes it easy to keep things clean. Should my own current grinder go down, I would definitely consider buying a Smart Grinder Pro for myself, at hundreds of dollars less than others with comparable features. I have no idea how long the grinder will hold up after daily use. However, I have only had excellent customer service/repair from Breville on other appliances by them I own, even when out of warranty. The unit is lighter in weight than I expected, especially when compared to the Vario. However, it does not skate around the countertop or feel like it will topple over, so I don’t think its weight will be an issue for concern. It’s a nice grinder that should work very well for most home espresso makers. Breville has really upped the ante on entry-level grinders for espresso. Bravo Breville.
2 people found this helpful
Next Step –
Mejor que lo que esperaba.
Exelente molino. Es bien preciso en las dosis y muele bien fino.
Rdiaz –
Very happy so far! However…
Just got this entry level coffee grinder and I am loving it so far! Fair warning however, when cleaning the hopper and container DON’T use the abrasive side of a sponge like I did. It will leave micro scratches on the plastic.Messiness isn’t to badGrind consistency is greatNoise level is okOverall 10/10 would recommend.
Melvin Peabody –
I am very pleased with the grinder
I am very pleased with the grinder. It grinds precisely in 14 sec the amount of coffee I need for 3 cups of coffee using a Melitta #6 cone filter.I can taste more of the subtle flavors in my coffee beans due to the consistent grind of the beans.No negatives to report, and I’ll try to update my remarks in a few months to address the quality of workmanship and performance at other grind settings. So far, it is exceeds my expectations.
5 people found this helpful
Mark Magnanimous –
FLAWLESS GRINDING AFTER 4.5 YEARS AND GOING STRONG!
I’ve used this daily for over 4.5 years, and it works flawlessly. You are able to dial in the perfect grind level and quantity. The grinding timer is selectable within a 5th of a second, and the grind precision ranges from a crazy fine powder to pepper grind size with highly refined adjustments in between. Usually a grinder will die on me within a year or so, this shows no sign of wear working day after day just perfect. I was really skeptical at paying for a high priced grinder, this is extremely durable.
Scooby921 –
Awesome grinder. I love mine.
Good products cost money. I thought I was buying a “good” grinder when I spent $70 on another brand. It broke within a year. I ponied up the funds for this grinder and I’m totally satisfied with the purchase. It looks good sitting on the counter. It’s easy to setup and use. It’s incredibly easy to disassemble and clean. I’m also very happy that there is memory on whatever circuit board lives inside. You can unplug the unit and it remembers your grind settings from the last use. If you stop mid-grind it’ll hold it’s place for a few minutes so you can resume, like if you forgot to top off the hopper with beans and almost ran out mid-grind. After a longer time it will reset back to your full grind settings. When it does this it also “turns off” in the sense that the screen backlight is disabled and off. Noise is average. It’s quieter than my previous DeLonghi grinder, but it’s not whisper quiet as one might hope for a noisy morning device. It’s still a set of grinding teeth pulverizing the soon-to-be-savior of your morning. I would compare it to a Kitchenaid stand mixer or perhaps an immersion blender. You can hold a conversation while it’s running, but you’d have to turn up your voice a few clicks. One other thought…when it’s off and you want to fire it up in the morning you can press any of the three buttons and it doesn’t change any settings or automatically cause the machine to start grinding. The first press is just a “wake up”. You can still review your grinding settings before telling it to go.
Eric K –
Perfection
After years of buying cheap grinders, I decided to splurge this time. It’s just ridiculous how much better this device is than the less expensive alternatives. The static mitigation works superbly well, a major issue with the other grinders. All accessories (catch tray, storage container and espresso basket bracket) connect to the machine via magnets which are grounded to relieve static. This alone is worth the purchase in my opinion. I don’t like coffee grounds. It’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.
One person found this helpful
Customer Review –
Love this thing! I use it for my automatic drip Breville Coffee Maker
My favorite is french roast. I grind for 34 seconds on the finest grind setting just befor it flips from cups to oz’s. I make 8 1/2 cups from this using the custom mode on the brewer and I’m in my perfect state of mind thereafter. It’s easy to clean out occasionally as the really dark roast beans are oily. Well built, and beautiful display. Highly recommended with all it’s various settings, I can’t see anyone not liking it.
IgIg10 –
Absolutely recommended.
My Baratza died and Breville Pro is the replacement. WOW! Now I wish that my Baratza died much earlier. Breville Pro is much better. It provides easy tuning to desired grinding level. After tuning, end result is very consistent which is crucial for a good cup of expresso. Recommended.
Tanya W. –
Solid grinder with great range!
Our daughter has a very manual espresso machine, and we frequently use a French press, but for early work mornings it’s nice to set the drip coffee maker on auto and have hot coffee ready when you get downstairs! This grinder gives us the perfect grind for all of our applications. And I can set the machine for how many cups of what grind, push the button and go. No measuring. Or, grind a bag for drip coffee.Some people complain about static, I think that depends on the weather and humidity. Sometimes it’s an issue, other times not. It’s worse in a cold dry winter. But not really a big deal.
ID –
I’ve accepted the Gospel of St. Grinder!
For years, I have had coffee aficionado friends, my mother-in-law, and a bajillion online forum posts telling me that a good burr grinder was the key to quality espresso. All the money in the world on a prosumer machine wasn’t going to amount to a hill of gourmet coffee beans as long as I was chopping them up with the $20 Krups blade grinder which I’ve been using for 15 years. But I just couldn’t see how it could make that much of a difference. And certainly not at the prices that rivaled the espresso machines they were meant to feed!But for that same 15 years I’ve had a prosumer espresso machine that I bought after going through several cheaper models (in our house, the espresso machine gets worked fairly hard). I’ve had it serviced and overhauled every few years. It’s plumbed in on a dedicated, filtered water line, and it’s plugged into a digital timer so it kicks on 30 mins. before the alarm goes off in the morning and is fully warmed up and ready to go every day. So a couple months ago, I took it for service and decided that rather than pop for a shiny new machine, maybe I’d try upgrading my grinder to see what difference that might make.I did my due diligence and researched the options before settling on the Breville Smart Grinder. Yes, I was considering a new $2K espresso machine, but I wan’t spending that kind of small fortune on a grinder! What sold me on the Breville were several features. The removable hopper (you can leave beans in it when you take it off), the adjustable grind size and dosing, and the magnetic switch triggered by putting the portafilter in place. It took me a week or so of fiddling with the timing and grind size to find the sweet spot for my machine, but once I got it dialed in I realized the advantage of the high-end grinder. For years, I could get a decent shot out of my blade grinder probably 7 or 8 out of 10 times (I had nearly perfected the art of counting a certain number of seconds). But now, I was pulling shots at just the right pressure (9 bars) with thick, rich ‘crema’ every single time. I had accepted the Gospel according to St. Grinder!Okay, so why did I give this grinder 4 stars instead of 5? No machine is perfect and this one has a couple of VERY minor drawbacks. One cool feature is the mid-grind pause. To keep from making mess all over the counter, the grinder can be paused, allowing me to tamp down what’s in the portafilter and then pick up the rest of the dose with the same precise timing. Cool! But if I take too long to restart it, the timer goes back to the default and starts a whole new cycle. I wish the time allowed for a pause we’re just a few seconds longer (a relatively easy software tweak, I’d guess). The other downside is the hopper is just a little shy of being to hold a full pound of beans. Not a huge deal, but it’s a slight inconvenience to buy a one pound bag and then have to store the last couple ounces in the fridge until there’s room for them.Having said that, I just started buying Lavazza brand beans on Amazon in a one kilo (2.2 lbs,) bag. So now, of course, I have to store what doesn’t go in the hopper in the fridge anyway. And here’s the interesting thing: when I changed beans, I had to totally recalibrate the grinder. You’d think coffee beans are a pretty uniform size and hardness so should grind the same. But the beans from my local gourmet grocer would have to have the dial set much finer and the timer longer to get a decent shot. It took me several tries before I got the grind size dialed down to a little coarser and shorter cycle with the Lavazza beans. The bonus is, the Lavazza beans are a less expensive than the ones from my local grocer.A couple of months in, and I’m very happy with this grinder and would recommend it to any serious home barista.
9 people found this helpful
G. Oak –
“Entry level” burr grinder that ranges from espresso to French press.
Works as expected. I imagine there are more quiet ones out there but also louder ones. The fine, espresso settings can clump but have not had any issues with consistency. Cleaning is easy enough but there will always be some deep in there that would require removing some parts. It’s been a solid work horse with daily use, multiple times a day. Hasn’t shown any signs of wear yet or degredation in grind consistency. Would recommend.
Ron V –
I wish they made a dedicated espresso grinder
This review is regarding espresso grinding.Measuring grind time is not particularly helpful. Instead, I need it to measure grounds weight in 1/10 grams and support single-dosing.Right off the bat I adjusted the inner burr to 4 instead of the default 6, so the espresso range will be more stretched. Now, I can start from setting 10 on a new bag and adjust from there. I don’t think anything above 15 will ever get used.I don’t use the filter attachment. Instead, I use a metal funnel / cone. This produces less mess and gets most grounds inside the filter (a tiny fraction may stick to the funnel or to the tamper, but almost nothing) and with less effort.It has a switch on top and inside the cavity, which is nice.The way I use it, there’s no point in a digital display, except for the grind size. It also takes a long time to turn off.The produce beans look pretty consistent to me. I use a single dosing attachment in place of the hopper, which delivers a more consistent output.The device is easy to clean from the outside. A tray can easily be detached to clean (or collect) all grounds which did not make it into the filter.The Berville grinder does have more grind size range than my Baratza Solis grinder and is easier to clean and use.
5 people found this helpful
Michael Weddington –
Fantastic grinder
Easily dialed in programming. Precise and simple. 5 stars
DuoArtDude –
It is also my favorite so far
I’ve been home roasting and grinding my coffee for about 18 years. This is my third burr grinder. It is also my favorite so far. The first was a Krups that used a volumetric dosing. It was made of plastic, built up static and made for messy grinding and imprecise doses. I stopped drinking expresso after I got fed up with the Krups and switched to the Bodum Bistro which served me well, but was lousy for espresso grinds. The hopper was also too small because I roast a full pound in my Behmor 1600 and like putting the whole drum into hopper. The Breville has a one pound hopper which is removable. The grind seems uniform and it’s easy to use. I don’t use the plastic vessel they provide because I either grind straight into a portafilter or into a glass tumbler because static is less of an issue. Don’t see why Breville included a sealable container for ground coffee when any rational coffee lover would NEVER use ground coffee that had sat in a container (sealed or otherwise). I considered the Baratza Encore and Virtuoso. This seems to sit somewhere in between, although I like Breville’s look more. I calibrate the timed dosing with a small scale I bought from Harbor Freight. While I realize different coffee varietals and roast would change, the variation does not bother me. I get wonderful Espresso and Vacuum Pot coffee from this machine.
16 people found this helpful
Gloria Millet –
EASY 2 CLEAN
Been using this grinder for over 4 years with excellent results primarily for espresso grind medium roast coffee. Used with a Gaggia Classic Pro for the first four years and now with the ECM Classika PID with flow control. Somewhat clumpy grind but easily addressed with a WDT. Easy to clean the top burrs and a deep clean is also very manageable. Overall a very good espresso grinder in the $200 price range.
simplynutssimplynuts –
Very consistent grind quality, sturdiness is questionable.
Grind quality is excellent and very consistent. It gets a little inconsistent at the coarsest grind setting. It is perfect on the espresso grind levels.I removed a star for 2 reasons: 1.) The 2 knobs feel cheap and breakable, and they do not rotate smoothly. The “grind level” knob, and the “grind time” knob. 2.) The color is darker than what shows in the ad. I don’t mind the color difference, just be aware.
One person found this helpful
sabine bauwens –
Perfect
Perfect, easy to use
Bergie –
Returning *edit keeping*
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Fit and finish and excellent for the price point. First two grinds with the unit and I was surprised and how quiet it is relative to what other reviews has said. Unfortunately the grinder started jamming with every grind required a complete take down to clear. I am not sure if this thing has a built in clutch that causes the sound in the video or if the motor is simply stalling. I and going to return this one and exchange it for another. I will update the review once I try the replacement.*edit. Tried other beans and roasted the ones in the video a little longer. The moisture content was too high and gummed up the grinder. Now it works perfectly. We are using this in a commercial coffee shop grinding 16 lbs of coffee every week.
7 people found this helpful
Ben –
Breville smart pro coffee bean grinder
Works great, just hope it lasts for many years.
Carol Wilde –
Very good quality and quiet grinding.
Nice product and a great addition to my kitchen.
thompsje –
Amazing Grinder, Looks Great!
This is one heck of a grinder. First of all, it’s very attractive looking. It honestly looks even nicer than it does in the photos (I think the photos make it look kind of like cheap plastic, but that’s not at all how it feels).The grind size is extremely consistent and it doesn’t take terribly long to grind. (Grinding 42 grams of coffee at setting 52 takes about 28 seconds).It’s really easy to adjust grind size with the big knob on the right. You have to experiment a little with choosing the number of cups or shots you need, but it’s all very customizable. For instance, say you making 4 cups of coffee in a French Press. If you’re like me and you measure your beans first, then put them in the hopper and grind right before using, the 4 cup setting at a coarse grind size might not complete all the beans in the time it use right out of the box. No problem though — you can use the knob on the front to adjust the time to grind for 4 cups. It adjusts in 0.2 second increments. The one thing I haven’t tested is the consistency of the weight outputted once you dial in a time. (Because I just do the weighing first and don’t store beans in the hopper).I haven’t tested this for espresso because I don’t drink espresso, but everything I have seen online indicates it works very well for an espresso grind (for this price range, of course. This isn’t a $1500 grinder or anything). It does come with two portafilter holders though, which is very cool.The hopper seems to seal pretty darn well. As a bit of coffee obsessive person, if I wasn’t trying new coffees all the time through a subscription service, I wouldn’t hesitate to store a pound of beans in there and just grind what I need each morning. And honestly, the container for the ground beans seems airtight enough that I wouldn’t sweat it too much leaving some extra grounds in there until the next morning.The adjustable burrs are an awesome feature, but I haven’t had to adjust them — I’ve been happy with the factory range so far. (I almost exclusively brew using a Chemex and I’m happy with the grind for pour over use).It’s pretty easy to clean the machine of loose grounds, so that’s not a big deal.If you’re looking at this machine, in all likelihood you’re also considering the Baratza Virtuoso or Encore. I can’t speak to how those machines function — I haven’t owned either. I can say that the knobs and LEDs and stainless steel of the Breville appealed to the nerd in me, and the grind produced by this machine is acceptable. Everything I’ve seen on the Baratza machines indicates they are absolutely excellent as well, but given that this machine and the Virtuoso are the same price, I opted for the style I like. I have not been disappointed.EDIT: Since I wrote this review, I learned a couple of things. First, the espresso-level grind is very fine and very consistent. I tried it for a cold brew and it worked out great. Second, you can hold down the start button and it will grind until you let go. If you put in an amount of beans you have weighed, this feature will allow you to either get a good idea of how much time you’ll need to grind to get the amount you want if you intend on filling the hopper with beans, or, if you only put in as much as you need to grind, not have to mess with the timer at all and instead just grind until you hear that it’s empty (the burrs make a very different sound when no beans are being ground). Third, I haven’t found the weight output based on time to be consistent enough for my needs. I’m pretty anal about ratio and I only want to grind exactly as much as I need each time. I don’t think this is Breville’s fault. They can’t control for bean size, etc. For the anal people like me, it’ll be best to not fill up the hopper and store your beans elsewhere, then just grind what you need.
68 people found this helpful
TommyT(SC) –
After over a month I am perfectly happy with my grinder
After over a month I am perfectly happy with my grinder. After experimenting I have the exact grind coarseness (48) for my machine (Technivorm), the exact amount of beans (3 level scoops) for the half pot I make, and the exact grind time (20 seconds). So I just hit one button and the machine does the rest. (I may have to re-calibrate when I change the nature of the beans I grind, I realize.)Slight static charge leaves a dust on the receptacle lid, which I blow off over the sink, but a few taps of the jar on the heel of my hand causes all the grounds to leave the jar itself. I will probably never submerge the jar or use chemicals to clean to protect its slick interior.If using the jar, carefully screw on the top all the way but not overly tight. If you do, you can push the jar just as far back in the machine as goes and you will feel it just barely “seat”. If the open hole is dead center left/right it will be under the shoot from the grinders and one of the white scale markings will be perfectly centered facing you. When I place the jar just as described/designed, I have no spilling outside the jar whatsoever.Before I fully appreciated this jar placement, I was accidentally clogging the shoot from the grinders and the machine locked down. I stopped it before there was any damage and first looked to clear the grinders, but when that did not do the job I found that the opening below was full of packed ground coffee, which released with a toothpick. Back in business and no issues in the weeks since.Grinder noise not a problem, though I would not call it quiet. If is high-pitched and not overly loud. The machine is large relative to many, but I would not trade. Espresso people will have to check other reviews, as I don’t grind for any coffee machine but my own.
2 people found this helpful
M.J. Schwer –
A fantastic grinder at a great price!
Grinds Espresso for shots perfectly…even on a 14 setting! After much research this is a solid machine that performs top notch! Pulls shot great and is a quiet machine. I love the portafilter option. Has little retention and quality build.
Josh –
Works good
I use this to make espresso and it works great, easy to set the proper timing, and consistently gives you the right amount
Robert W. Little –
Quiet & Well Built
No dislikes here! Very well made and easy to use. We’ve been grinding our own beans for many years, this is the best grinder that’s easy to set up and adjust! Burr Grinders are THE BEST, this is excellent so far. It arrived last night and we had coffee within an hour! Kudos!
2 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
PERFECT
LAST ONE LASTED 8 YEARS . THIS ONE SEEMS ALMOST THE SAME HOWEVER LOOKS RED IN THE PICTURE BUT SEEMS MORE BURGUNDY.. STILL PERFORMING PERFECTLY.
Vickieblack5 –
Coffee Grinder
I’m really happy with this. I’ve only used it once so that could change. lol. So far I’m loving it. Was really easy to use and the ground coffee smelled amazing. Tomorrow morning will be the real test to see if the espresso grind was right and if it will work with my espresso machine.
David R Fleming –
THE entry level grinder for espresso
I made the mistake initially of trying to save money and bought the Bodum Bistro Pro. It cannot produce ground coffee fine enough for espresso. It went back. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro had already been recommended to us by friends who pull shots every morning. Sure enough, this is the grinder you need if you want an espresso grind. You will see reviews that criticize this grinder for producing grinds that clump – this is true – but if that bothers you get a WDT tool or just use tines on a fork like I do and break them up! Also, complaints about a retention issue – this is also true – expect a certain amount of grinds to remain in the delivery chute and just grind a little more into your portafilter. As someone said on YouTube, this is the difference between a $200 grinder and a $500+ grinder. We are very happy with it.
Tanya W. –
Solid grinder with great range!
Our daughter has a very manual espresso machine, and we frequently use a French press, but for early work mornings it’s nice to set the drip coffee maker on auto and have hot coffee ready when you get downstairs! This grinder gives us the perfect grind for all of our applications. And I can set the machine for how many cups of what grind, push the button and go. No measuring. Or, grind a bag for drip coffee.Some people complain about static, I think that depends on the weather and humidity. Sometimes it’s an issue, other times not. It’s worse in a cold dry winter. But not really a big deal.
John Caravelli –
Grinder
Used it mainly for espresso. It grinds more than fine enough for that.
KarenT –
The Best! And I didn’t come to that conclusion easily!
I was hesitant to review a product that I’ve owned for less than a week, but if my opinion changes, I will come back with an update. Let me preface this review by saying that I am comparing this burr grinder to what I considered to be the gold standard: The KitchenAid Pro Burr Grinder. If they still sold it, I’d have bought another without hesitation. I couldn’t even find replacement burrs to have it rebuilt…which brought me to my search. Reluctantly. I felt like I was cheating on a lover, but the day had come. After reading way too many reviews and feeling way too much ambivalence, I chose this Breville Smart Grinder Pro. I went into it KNOWING that I’d be disappointed, because nothing could compare, right? Well if you’ve read this long and wonder when I’m going to get to the actual review part, here it is: this grinder is amazing. It performs like my KitchenAid did when I first bought it! The precision, the low temperature, the perfection of the grind, the ease of operation, the looks? If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Initially I felt disappointed that the hopper and bin weren’t glass…but guess what? I’ll never break that and have to purchase a replacement again! Something that happened to me twice with the delicate glass bin. I thought the glass gave it a more solid professional look, but I’m totally pleased with the appearance of this grinder. I didn’t think it was possible…but I prefer it to my old faithful. I said my goodbyes to my KitchenAid, with a tear in my eye, but now I am all smiles and filled with joy as I drink what is quite possibly the best cup of coffee I’ve ever ground. If anything changes, I’ll update this review, but for now I’ll just give five stars and say: THE BEST. Simply, the best.
5 people found this helpful
Michael A. Chudzinski –
Almost Exceptional
I’ve been grinding with a Wirsch, which has performed well for the last 2 years. BUT, I wanted something MORE. I had bought the Breville Infuser 3 months ago and have been roasting my own beans using the Fresh Roaster roaster. **NOT HAPPY PART** The Breville grinder did not work out of the box, loud noise coming from the grinder and NO ground coffee. I followed the directions, second time, loud noise, no coffee. It turns out that on the very top of the conical burr there is an end-capped screw and its threaded backwards, that end-cap was loose. I tightened it a little past finger tight. re-assembled. That fixed the issue. My experience with the grinder after the issue, exceptional, absolutely exceptional and that should be what I get with this Breville, it’s two hundred dollars. Setting the grind to 2 is perfect for the Breville Infuser Espresso Machine. I’m going to adjust the grind time down a few seconds because the amount of coffee ground is a bit too much for at 58mm double shot Portafilter. But with a setting of grind size 2 and filling the Portfilter to just a hair above level and using the tamp pressed down to the depth of the silver ring on the tamper that comes with the Infuser, gives you a flawless pull with the Breville Infuser Machine. Flawless. The pull, with these conditions I have listed, on the Breville Infuser, moves the pressure gauge to 75-80 percent which is not too over extracted, it’s as good as it gets….. So, bottom line, I wanted exceptional and I wanted consistent and the grinder does that. This baby takes very little of you to DIAL IN perfect grind….
One person found this helpful
K. Peffley –
The best coffee grinder
I’ve had my Breville coffee grinder now for 8 years and I have no complaints. I’ve used it just about every single day without mishap. It allows you to fine tune your grind size and how long you want to grind within tenths of seconds, so I can consistently have the same amount of ground coffee for my coffee maker. I use a pastry brush to wipe out the grounds that cling to the coffee container. It’s so easy and convenient to use. My girlfriend is from France. She says I make the best coffee. Now that’s saying something.
2 people found this helpful
J.P –
7 years later it still works, even if your pour water into it.
I got this grinder in 2016, it has been super great and reliable. I am wondering if I will get 10 years out of this grinder. I love the adjustable top Burr and that at the setting of 7 I can see that it should keep grinding well as long as the motor holds up. I am looking at upgrading and finding something used for around the same price as a new one. I have accidentally poured water into the grinder and it still works, I also threw into my dehydrator when I did this. It is somewhat forgiving and for that I am very grateful that it has lasted as long as it has in 2023 and I hope to keep it as a back up.
2 people found this helpful
SnoududeSnoudude –
Perhaps not a perfect grinder but very versatile for a beginner.
Admittedly I’m somewhat of a coffee “novice” – though I’ve been drinking coffee for almost 4 decades – my coffee making experience has been limited to mainly automatic drip or “pods” – honestly, I’ve not been too interested in good coffee or as in a hobby until very recently. My wife wanted an espresso maker and shortly afterwards down the rabbit hole I went. Our first purchase was a Breville Barista Express espresso machine which has a built-in grinder and works well enough for the task but may not produce grounds coarse enough for other coffee making methods (pour over, french press, drip, etc.) so rather than just live with the inexpensive blade grinder we already had I looked into a grinder that would give us that level of control and flexibility. After watching hours of reviews online my conclusion was that if I wanted to spend about four hundred dollars (grinder plus, a good set of burrs, and shipping on top) I could get a better grinder for espresso than the built-in with the Barista Express but my non-pressurized shots with the built-in grinder are pretty decent if I don’t mind saying so. Which lead me to finding a grinder that my family can use for different coarse settings (easily) and doesn’t require complicated re-adjustment to get to another brew method. The “easily” is the main thing – so in my opinion a “stepped” grinder is a good choice and one that’s not specifically designed for espresso. I’ve only used the grinder a couple of times for espresso where I was trying different beans and wanted to leave the built-in grinder un changed.Some notes and observations:- the burr set appears to be the same as the stock built-in one from the Barista Express – Breville’s web site seems to confirm this though only the upper/outer burr is available for purchase (when it is available).- I’ve not had to adjust the upper/outer burr itself – some people have reported that the factory setting is 4 and others say 6 – I’m an engineer so I’ve been tempted to tinker with it but I’ve been making far too good coffee to change things unless I have to.- there is a bit more “loss” with the stand alone grinder than with the built-in one – what I’m seeing is about .2 – .3 grams with the Smart Grinder Pro and maybe a tenth of a gram with the built-in grinder although I’m almost always grinding coarser with the Smart Grinder Pro – perhaps there’s more being held back due to that. Most coffee I make with the Smart Grinder Pro isn’t weighed it’s volume measured so I typically grind a little more than I need so “retention” isn’t an issue.- the Smart Grinder Pro is a little larger than what I’d thought when I’ve seen it in pictures and on video. absolutely not a deal breaker but if you’re really tight on counter space you may want to measure things out or plan to re-arrange things.- there WILL BE grounds flying about – I’ve gotten in the habit of placing a towel under the grinder to catch the larger grounds that try to “escape” that makes cleanup a bit easier – you may not have this issue if you’re grinding for espresso but for press, pour over, or drip they tend to jump out of the grinder’s cup.- the display is easy to read and clear to understand – my eyesight isn’t the best in the morning before I’ve had a cup – you can easily tell what the grind number is and where it falls on the “scale”- cups/shots and grind time is somewhat redundant – I think a lot of reviewers have called that out – it’s not really an issue to start/stop/pause the grind process this feature is probably the only real “gimmicky” one – I suppose that the time or cups/shots would vary depending on grind size but as long as it has completely ground your beans and you’ve stopped the machine well then there you go.- this comes with a nice cup for your grounds, two portafilter adapters (54 and 58 mm).- the coarse / fine grind setting adjustment knob isn’t the nicest use “experience” – the knob does feel a bit “plasticy” and “cheap” – I really don’t expect a milled solid piece of stainless or anodized aluminum at this price point but I wonder how well this will hold up to years of use.- the price is a bit “high” for a conical bur grinder however – lots of ones at half the price (around $100) seem not to last as long, are more complicated to adjust or return to a setting that you can remember for the brewing method or has features such as the portafilter adapters. The ability to glance down and see that the grind number is in the range of the brewing method I’m doing is worth the extra money.The bottom line (for me at least) was that this grinder has gotten very good reviews by established “coffee folk” for good grinder for people starting out their coffee journey. Is this the G.O.A.T. grinder – I don’t think so. Is it even the most consistent one – I don’t believe so either – spending about $50-80 more for a flat vertical burr grinder along with a better set of burrs would likely give you better grounds but for someone who wants to grind some beans that’s either not “into it” or who is just getting started I think this one makes a lot of sense. This likely will not be my last grinder – I’m certain as I become more skilled and discerning I’ll want something “better” will I get rid of this one (give it to a friend / relative or donate it) probably not – there will be times where I want to grind a bag or three of beans for a large gathering and I’ll dig the Breville Smart Grinder Pro out for that job – until then I’ll be making 8 cups at a time with my Mr. Coffee and enjoy trying pour overs, french press and other methods.
118 people found this helpful
Trudy –
Great grinder
Works really well! I especially like how wide the range of the grind is, so we can use it for drip coffee and espresso. Pretty easy to clean.
DT –
Nice Electric Burr Grinder
For years I’ve done grinding with a hand grinder, and honestly I’m convinced that’s the best/quietest/cleanest way to grind your own coffee. But with a new baby and increased work scheduled constantly hand grinding finally got to be too much. I settled on this one for a number of reasons:1) The Breville brand. I’ve always found their appliances to be good quality with well thought out designs.2) Based on review videos online this seemed to be one of the quieter electric grinders.3) Easy to use interface with more than just a simple timer.4) Capable grinding different sizes from French press coarse to finer grinds for drip and aero press with plenty of setting to fine tune for personnel preference.So far it’s been a great grinder and It seems to be of quality build. Definitely feels sturdy.Do not expect whisper quiet, I do not think that’s ever going to be a thing for electric grinders, but it was definitely quieter than some of the others I’ve seen. My newborn infant gives it zero thumbs up… because he’s somehow still asleep while in the same room 20ft. away, but YMMV. For me that’s a decent sound level.The grind levels are great. There are almost too many to chose from, but it does give you plenty of options to find your perfect grind. I use a drip brewer during the week (automated/quicker) and a pour over (preferred) on the weekends. I’ve found different grind levels that I like for both. And having so many grind size options means it’s easy to adjust for bolder/lighter coffee as needed.My only real issue with the grinder, and this seems to just be another thing for electric grinders is the mess. Breville tried to make it a close fit between the output shoot and the container that catches the grinds, but some does escape, and some of the grinds static cling to the inside of the lid and jar. All to say, you end up with some on your counter when you grind and when you open the container to move the ground coffee to your preferred brewer. Nothing a quick wipe with a paper towel can’t take care of.One last note: Most electric grinders, this one included, run based on a predetermined time. Cheaper ones leave the amount of time up to you to figure out. The Breville bases the time on number of selected cups and your grind size. If the time doesn’t match up for you, it’s easy to reprogram the machine to a time that better matches your expectations. Personally I still find it easier to weigh my beans first (a cheap 500g scale is highly recommend, and had many uses in the kitchen) then place them in the hopper. This way even if your timing is off you still end up with the right amount. Either way you choose, I believe this is a great grinder for the money and hopefully will last for many years like the other Breville products we’ve had over the years.
29 people found this helpful
Ty –
This grinder works great when compared to all that I’ve used
I use this for esspresso, French press, percolator, and drip. I have worked in a few coffee shops and operated a few different industrial grinder models as well as many of the home editions. This grinder works great when compared to all that I’ve used. There may be a grinder more suitable for the home out there but I haven’t used it yet. For the price I would love to give this 4 stars because sometimes the grinds catch on top of the included catch container. I like an imaculate kitchen and think that design could work a little better. However when I consider that the process of grinding coffee is inherently messy I’ve never used a cleaner or more easy to clean grinder. Also considering it is just a coffee grinder it would be nice to spend less. I gave it 5 stars because I just haven’t found a better grinder priced and intended for home use. Regardless I’m almost certain I won’t need to buy a grinder for at least 20 years. Taking into account TVM this is a good investment. Before you buy (or not) remember this value includes a machine that is easy to use, very versatile, keeps coffee fresh, and allows you to achieve the quality some beans need to exract their taste. If you are a simple coffe drinker this may not be the investment for you. If you have fun with coffee, take it serious, experiment often, or expect consistancy than this product would work for you. I’ve used it for 4 months now sometimes more than twice a day. I will update this if anything to note happens.
15 people found this helpful
Jonathan Mortensen –
High-quality, albeit not TOTAL perfection.
I purchased this grinder after desiring greater grind customizability to fit my new espresso machine, while also being able to accommodate for my tendency to make other forms of coffee as well; I was not disappointed.1) 60 grind settings with 10 adjustable burr settings. Thus, things brings the effective number of settings to well over 60 settings; that’s incredible.2) It’s incredibly easy to use, with a screen to depict the grind number, that setting in relation to the different mins and maxes, the number of “shots” (if portafilter holding basket is inserted) or “cups” if you aren’t. The hopper twists right out without issue, and the burr is a simple click and twist to remove and clean.3) It grinds fastI overall love this machine, but I have a few gripes:1) If you run the motor idly for too long (for example, when beans are gone from the hopper while the timer is still going), the motor MAY become overworked quickly. I occasionally smell the burning plastic smell and feel the heat from this.2) You can’t run it forever. Connected with the first point is that you can’t run it forever because the motor could also become overworked from this.3) Coffee retention is still a problem, even at a higher price point. Between 1-2 grams of coffee will always become stuck to the sides of the burr, especially with finer grinds, EVEN if you “burp” it (lean it over slightly and give it a few light taps). This isn’t a huge issue, but can become annoying for brewing espresso, for example.Overall, I rate this as a great product. Not EXCEPTIONAL due to noticeable gripes for the price point, but a great addition to any barista’s kitchen, nevertheless.
M.J. Schwer –
A fantastic grinder at a great price!
Grinds Espresso for shots perfectly…even on a 14 setting! After much research this is a solid machine that performs top notch! Pulls shot great and is a quiet machine. I love the portafilter option. Has little retention and quality build.
Jim W. –
Look Ma no Mess
Still getting use to the settings but it works great not difficult to use. Some reviews say it is quite, well if you think a car with a broken muffler is quite compared to a car with no muffler than ok I will agree to that. It is by far the quietest grinder I have ever used and it has no muffler at all!Now I don’t think it grinds beans better than any other grinder I have ever used. That maybe that I just do not challenge its capabilities, that my needs are more basic. What I do like is that the grinder controls are easy to use and it gives digital feedback on what the settings are. I am still playing with the controls to see what works best for my taste. I also like the bean chamber being larger than any other one I have ever used. It takes a full bag of about 1 pound or so.What I was surprised and pleased about is the lack of a mess. I ordered an extra large bush to help clean the coffee grind container. Since I like my dip coffee fine other grinders have done three things: 1. Either spit out grinds outside of the grinder container or 2. When I pulled the container out of the grinder and opened the lid to get the grinds fell off the lids (and yes I beat the container before opening it) 3. Static made grinds stick to the sides and bottom and made a mess getting them outThis container captures all the grounds and has no static cling at all! I have not used the bush at all! This unit eliminates about 99% of the mess!
2 people found this helpful
Gloria Millet –
EASY 2 CLEAN
Been using this grinder for over 4 years with excellent results primarily for espresso grind medium roast coffee. Used with a Gaggia Classic Pro for the first four years and now with the ECM Classika PID with flow control. Somewhat clumpy grind but easily addressed with a WDT. Easy to clean the top burrs and a deep clean is also very manageable. Overall a very good espresso grinder in the $200 price range.
HisDudeness –
Works great !
Provides a nice range of grind sizes for my needs. Very efficient and easy to clean and use. Instructions very easy to understand. Made well with seemingly high quality materials. Etc etc. Not a bad purchase…..so far. We’ll see how it holds up over time cause I plan to use it a lot.
Scooby921 –
Awesome grinder. I love mine.
Good products cost money. I thought I was buying a “good” grinder when I spent $70 on another brand. It broke within a year. I ponied up the funds for this grinder and I’m totally satisfied with the purchase. It looks good sitting on the counter. It’s easy to setup and use. It’s incredibly easy to disassemble and clean. I’m also very happy that there is memory on whatever circuit board lives inside. You can unplug the unit and it remembers your grind settings from the last use. If you stop mid-grind it’ll hold it’s place for a few minutes so you can resume, like if you forgot to top off the hopper with beans and almost ran out mid-grind. After a longer time it will reset back to your full grind settings. When it does this it also “turns off” in the sense that the screen backlight is disabled and off. Noise is average. It’s quieter than my previous DeLonghi grinder, but it’s not whisper quiet as one might hope for a noisy morning device. It’s still a set of grinding teeth pulverizing the soon-to-be-savior of your morning. I would compare it to a Kitchenaid stand mixer or perhaps an immersion blender. You can hold a conversation while it’s running, but you’d have to turn up your voice a few clicks. One other thought…when it’s off and you want to fire it up in the morning you can press any of the three buttons and it doesn’t change any settings or automatically cause the machine to start grinding. The first press is just a “wake up”. You can still review your grinding settings before telling it to go.
D McNulty –
LOVE LOVE LOVE
I have had to trash so many coffee grinders that I should have just bought this one in the beginning! The flavor of my coffee has really improved because it doesn’t burn the beans. The size is nice. It sits beside my coffee maker. The grind speed is nice. It is not messy and it holds a fair amount of beans. I would recommend this to anyone any day of the week! Sorry I didnt purchase this sooner.
EB –
Good, but the collection bin is sub-optimal
It grinds beans quite well. Flavor of the coffee is great. The only problem is the collection bin and the tray it sits on. You have to wedge it in to prevent the grounds from going all over the place.
Ana Ramos –
Grinding Coffee to Perfection Made Easy
There are quite a few reasons why I love this grinder. First, it has easy storage and transfer, making it stress-free to handle. The consistent dose ensures my morning coffee is just as I like it every single day! Also, the locking bean hopper alongside the stainless steel burrs not only adds to its sleek design but also provides long-lasting durability. The fact it grinds directly into the filter? Oh, that’s just the cherry on top! A delightful gadget for all coffee aficionados.
David Duty –
Made one pot of coffee and then it did not want to start again.
I just got the coffee maker and grinder pro in and made my first pot of coffee. It did take me about 30 minutes to figure out how to grind (easy) and make my first pot (not as easy). I’m sure I will figure it out. Be sure to look at the water container and it tells you not to make more than 8 cups with a cone filter. I made 12 cups with a cone filter and it filled it to the top and had some grinds in the pot. This is not the fault of the coffee make; it was my fault for not looking at the markings on the water container. I used the same coffee beans that I was using in my Cuisinart. My first sip sold me!! What a difference. I’m not sure why it’s so much better but it is. Taste like Starbucks, if not better. If anyone wants a GREAT tasting cup of coffee at home or in the office, I don’t think you can go wrong with this combo.Update. I made one pot of coffee and then when I tried to make another one this morning I ran into a problem Maybe it”s me. I filled to tank up with 8 cups of water, put the ground coffee in the filter and put the caraft in place. I thought I would do that the night before. This morning I pressed the start button and nothing happened. It would just not turn on. I did not have the auto start turned on. I unplugged it and plugged it back in. It ask me to fill the tank which was already filled. I exempted it out and put in fresh water. It then ask me to select a filter which I done the night before. Then it ask me to put the carafe in but it already was in. Finally I pressed the start button and it made a pot of coffee. Am I doing something srong?
2 people found this helpful
StevenSteven –
Best coffee grinder I’ve ever owned hands down
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There’s nothing to dislike about this coffee grinder. Could the price be cheaper? sure, but it would be impossible to get the quality this grinder has. Every possible thing you could want out of a do-it-all coffee grinder this grinder has. From super fine espresso grind to course grind for percolators or French presses. I’ve had this for a while now and haven’t had one problem with clogging or anything I’ve got consistent grinds and weight every time. I can’t say enough good things about this machine so if your in the market for the last grinder you’ll ever buy you’ve came across the right one. Get it
9 people found this helpful
Glenn Lovitz –
I had the previous Smart Grinder which worked very well but difficult to dial …
I had the previous Smart Grinder which worked very well but difficult to dial in the grind for different bean. This updated Pro model is much better at giving a lot of adjustment for precise grind size and length of grind to 0.2 seconds. Every espresso dose is repeatable! The only negative is the old machine seemed to have a little better grind size uniformity. I grind almost exclusively for an espresso machine and the coffee particles from this grinder always includes extremely fine particles that pass through the portafilter holes.
One person found this helpful
AbnerAbner –
Perfect Grinder
I was in the market searching for a grinder within the price range of $150 to $250. There were three options available, and after careful consideration, I determined that the Breville Pro was the most suitable choice for my needs. It is aesthetically pleasing and complements my home coffee station perfectly. The stainless steel material exudes a sense of premium quality, while the plastic components do not feel cheap. The knob on the right provides a satisfying tactile experience with its distinct clicks.Upon starting the grinder, I noticed that the noise it produces is quite high-pitched, yet it remains relatively quiet. Currently, I am not utilizing the portafilter holder, as I find the portafilter funnel to be more convenient and easier to clean. Additionally, this machine operates at an impressive speed, grinding coffee significantly faster than my previous grinder, and it achieves a more consistent grind. However, I have encountered a minor issue where clumps of coffee remain in the grinder after the grinding process is complete. To address this, I have purchased a silicone adapter that enables me to effectively transfer the remaining grinded coffee into the portafilter.Another significant aspect that I would like to emphasize is the range of features this grinder offers. It provides the flexibility to grind coffee from very coarse to very fine, making it suitable for various brewing methods. Additionally, the included accessories cater to different portafilter sizes, ensuring versatility. It even comes with its own container, along with other features that I have yet to explore. Overall, I highly recommend this grinder and give it a 5 out of 5 rating.
7 people found this helpful
Lu Han –
The previous cooffee grinder I owned does not work properly with the Breville espresso machine that I bought since the coffee grinder was not fine enough. That’s tbe reason I bought this machine
Does it job when cooffee ground doesn’t clog. The previous cooffee grinder I owned does not work properly with the Breville espresso machine that I bought since the coffee grinder was not fine enough. That’s tbe reason I bought this machine. In the past few months it did it’s job. The crema it produced was so rich and very satisfying. However, after the grinder has clogged earlier this month, it constantly started clogging which I’m not yet sure if I grind my coffee beans too fine (which is also a problem, why they set the really fine level if the grinder can’t even work with it), or my coffee bean isn’t freah enough (if that’s the case I probably need to buy coffee beans every month, so I probably can only buy the local coffee beans). I’ll probably update my finding later just to be sure what’s the real problem.
Aimee v. –
Molinillo de cafe
No funciona con es recipiente de almacenas el cafe
Casey –
Great Grinder- no complaints from me
I’ve only recently become a coffee/ espresso nerd and come to realize the value of a good grinder. I never would’ve thought I’d spend over $200 on a coffee grinder, but I totally get it now. I got my first real espresso machine a few months ago and needed a grinder that could do espresso. I initially purchased a very popular but inexpensive grinder that seemed OK at first and said it was suitable for espresso grinds, but it was extremely loud and at the finest setting was in reality not quite fine enough to pull a perfect espresso shot.Compared to the cheaper grinder (~1/3 price of the breville):- Breville feels way better made. Everything on it just feels good/ solid/ heavy and doesn’t have a cheap plastic feeling. This is to be expected for a grinder 3x the cost.- Breville is WAY quieter. Previous grinder would wake up everyone in my house running it at 7am, while with the breville I’m not too worried about it. It’s still fairly noisy but it shouldn’t wake up kids/ roommates in another room unless they are super light sleepers.- Breville has way more settings and can effortlessly grind finer than I’ll ever need. Cheaper one just couldn’t pull off an espresso grind.- Grind consistency is pretty darn consistent with the breville. The other grinder had lots of super fine dust mixed in and a lot of grounds that were too coarse.Only cons I can think of:-I have a 58mm, 3-ear portafilter and it doesn’t work with the plaster holder- I have to hold it the whole time I’m grinding. Pretty annoying but I wouldn’t say it’s enough to dock a star.All-in-all, I’m happy with the purchase and would recommend.
12 people found this helpful
J. Savage –
Solid grinder but can’t easily handle big batches
I was looking for a large capacity grinder because I do 10/12 oz bags at a time. The hopper will hold that much but unfortunately, you have to repeatedly empty the catch container because it isn’t as large. Since the static buildup is bad, you must wait between batches else coffee goes everywhere. I do like the digital display and the good selection of grind size. It’s also quite easy to clean.
Nationwide Gage –
This is my second grinder of this make and model – it is much louder than the first
Received as ordered, works a s expected except noise level is high.
PMJ –
A superb grinder for your coffee making needs
I purchased a Breville Bambino Plus and quickly realized that the blade grinder I was using was not adequate. Looking around there are a multiplicity of gear type grinders and decided to go with the one made by the same manufacturer as my espresso machine.This machine could grind directly in the portafilter from the Bambino and had a container that slipped under the machine into which you could prepare a grind for later use. Control is excellent allowing you to go from a coarse to fine grind with an easy to control knob and display. Time/grind amount is easy to set in very fine increments allowing you to get accurate delivery for consistent coffee every time. Presets for amounts are also provided to make it easy to duplicate amounts when grinding for a single or double shot.Cleaning was occasionally problematic as grounds would get caught in the gear teeth and would prevent the top gear being reinstalled. I had to take the machine and physically invert it to clear the excess grounds on one or two occasions. It is important to clean after each session.Pros:1. Provides consistent and repeatable grinds for your coffee.2. Easy to set up and use.3. Nice integration with other Breville products.Cons:1. Sometimes difficult to clean well.Thoroughly recommended.
10 people found this helpful
J. TaylorJ. Taylor –
Transformed my espresso
I was making espresso with a new KitchenAid espresso machine but a nearly 20 year old Cuisinart burr grinder. The espresso was ok but the grind was not consistent in size and didn’t get small enough. Well my Cuisinart, which lasted impressively, finally stopped working and I bought this grinder. It’s made everything better.-The espresso basket fits in the included bracket, so I don’t have to transfer messy grounds.- The grind is consistent and gets very fine.- You adjust your settings for the perfect grind size and amount, which it remembers, then you can just push in the basket and a button in the back automatically starts the grind.-The grinder is much much quieter than my old one.- Everything about this looks good and feels well made.The only downside is that the two included brackets don’t fit my espresso basket (KitchenAid semiautomatic espresso machine) perfectly. I’m using the larger one and it works, sort of, but it is hard to balance in there without it falling.
One person found this helpful
Robert Alves –
Back to the grind
For the home, this is the best machine, I have owned. For morning, cup of coffee to espresso, The machine is as close as you’re gonna get to perfection. Nothing like fresh ground coffee!
Jon Lamere –
great grinder
works great. love the multiple grind sizes. I purchased a separate single dose kit since I primarily use this for grinding espresso
SteveLSteveL –
Nice Grinder with Plenty of Features but…
Very nice grinder but was hesitant to purchase due to the problems with the impeller wearing out in a year or so. Purchased it anyway because of the price, versatility, and that it matches my Breville Infuser espresso machine. It does look like they have made improvements on the impeller. It’s not completely metal but the plastic impeller blades are now almost completely covered by a metal shield. Only time will tell if this is a solution to the premature impeller wear problem.It does have a consistent grind for the most part but does sound like its struggling when grinding espresso down in the less than 10 range. As others have stated I do hear a faint whine when the unit is off and plugged in. Not sure if this is a hazard so I just unplug it after use.All in all its a decent grinder packed with tons of features for decent price. If you do a lot of daily grinding a heavier duty machine may be a better choice long term.
16 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
It made my day~
Quite impressive ~ functioning better than I was expecting. Once settings are fine tuned (no pun intended) to your needs, it will take the guess work out of your Barista duties. I should be cleaning soon so I’m hoping that will go without any issues. It does spray some of the grind out from the sides while filling the porta filler.
2 people found this helpful
Chris –
Great but not perfect
The noise is not terrible and is low pitch which is good. Overall it’s a great grinder and looks incredible on counter. It’s expensive and coffee grinds get all over because the static cling actually causes them to “leap” out of the collection jar. Not sure how else to explain that.
CA User –
Breville Smart Grinder is excellent
The Breville Smart Grinder has a wide range of grind qualities (very coarse to very fine) and allows the user to set the grind volume (the amount of coffee ground and dispensed). Very nice product. Works very well. It is loud when it grinds but otherwise a great product.
One person found this helpful
CS17 –
Works amazingly
We love it! It’s a powerhouse. Quick and efficient with reliable consistency. It was on the pricey side of things as far as these go, but I’m hoping the you get what you pay for statement is true and that this machine will endure grinding our beans for many..many years.
DeadElvis –
Finally! No static!
Pretty solid unit for a non commercial unit. Grounded unit with an airtight (plastic) grounds container. Consistent grind size and easy to clean (this is important so do not skip this). Grounded lower burr system with a grounded contact point on the base and container. I use a Flair Neo (manual) for my espresso maker and so do not use the other options. Easy to use interface with several ways to customize the amount of grind. Well worth the investment if you are a casual esspresso (or like me, just too cheap to buy a commercial unit), this is a great unit.
2 people found this helpful
Carl Foleen –
Well Built
It may take a little time and effort to set the machine up for your favorite brand/roast of coffee bean. However, if you are particular enough about your favorite coffee beverages consistency from one day to the next, this is a very large step in the right direction of that goal. Money well spent.
Spencer Thayer –
Improvement over original model
I have had the the Breville Smart Grider as my daily grinder for eleven years when it finally started to fail. I believe I can fix it but while I’m researching a fix I figured it was time to upgrade to the Pro model. It is a stark improvement . Grind time has improved. Grind accuracy is noticeably better. The ability to set the grind based on time rather than “weaker” or “stronger” is so much better. All in all this is a superior grinder. I plan on getting my original model back up and running and keeping it setup for decaf exclusively.
Potgieter –
Small footprint, excellence in craftmanship.
This is a very well made and well designed coffee grinder. A recommended buy, if coffee excellence is on yer list of things to achieve. Pairs most excellently with the Bambino.
Ewenix –
Two year review – Breville Smart Grinder
Two year of ownership review: In the second paragraph below are my comments following my first year of ownership. At the end of the second year of use, I have nothing to add…. It just keeps doing the same thing day after day. Boring but wonderful.Firstly, my daily usage is modest. I use the Breville grinder daily to grind coffee for 2-3 lattes; it is rare that I use it more than this. Occasionally on weekends or when friends visit will I use it more. I do not use it for making drip coffee, French press, pour over, etc. I preface my comments because some users have noted that the Breville is not as robust as a Rancilio Rocky or Baratza grinders. It probably is not, but it costs a lot less as well. That said, I am 100% satisfied with the Breville. It gives consistent grinds for espresso, is easy to clean, and I have had zero problems in one year of usage. It is extraordinarily easy to adjust the grind to suit your needs. Some reviews have suggested that it is difficult to figure out how to set it for various grinds, but I cannot see how they could arrive at that conclusion. The only foible I have encountered is that when the power goes out, the settings default to the manufacturer initial setting. Bottom line – I am totally satisfied with the Breville grinder, and would buy it again in a heartbeat. If you make 8-10 lattes per day, or similar heavy duty use, it may not be the best choice, but for light to medium duty use it is great
6 people found this helpful
Stan Volin –
5 Stars for the Breville BCG820BKSXL The Smart Grinder Pro…
I’ve had the grinder for one month and, so far, am extremely pleased with it. When researching prior to purchase, there were some reviews citing grounds ‘spillage’ around the machine and also ‘static cling’. As of today I have ground two pounds of medium roast coffee (two varieties) and have the following remarks;1. I have had no ‘spillage’ whatsoever. I am using the Grinds Container that ships with the unit; possibly the poor review referred to other types of containers.2. I was into my second pound of coffee before ‘cling’ became noticeable. The solution was to wash and air dry the container and bean hopper, and just brush out the top and bottom grinder and grounds outlet.3. Grind size is amazingly even. I have tried to find uneven bits in the grinds container, and failed (4 times). By comparison, before getting the Breville I was using a $90.00 grinder (won’t mention the name) that did (I thought – what did I know?) a good job. Grounds went from powder to obvious bits. Static ‘cling’ was present from day one. Grinder had to be cleaned at least twice a week. Minor spillage required counter wipe down after each use.I have also noticed some ‘strange’ side effects that may or may not be related to the Breville. BB (before Breville) i washed my coffee pot weekly – there was a noticeable coffee stain on the glass pot. AB – I washed the coffee pot today for the first time in a month, not because it (visually) needed washing, but because I received a large thermos today and it needed cleaning before use and since the water was running….My only ‘con’ comment (and not enough to take away a star) is that for the first week or 10 days or so, after 30-35 seconds of grinding, there was a distinct odor of hot metal. I normally grind enough coffee for a full 12 cup pot (55 seconds at #41 grind, medium roast). I don’t know if the odor came from the burr grinders or the gearing, or both, but I thought it was worrisome. I loved the ground product but decided to return the unit if the smell lasted to the third week – it didn’t, and has not been noticed since then.I grind coffee only for a drip coffee maker, so cannot report on the grinds for any other types of preparation. And, for what it’s worth as a testimonial, I am drinking a lot more coffee than I did a month ago.Stan
One person found this helpful
Corey M. Peterson –
Cup O’ Joe with a side of noise
Ok, some history. I started out manually grinding my own beans, only to find that it was a bit of a chore. Hence my purchase of a good conical burr grinder such as our Breville here. The pros far outweigh the cons with this piece of equipment, but it could be better. Firstly, the noise can be a bit annoying. My wife has made fun of the “whirring” that it makes on multiple occasions and that is from upstairs in the bedroom. Secondly, the settings, while easy to change, are not as dialed in as I would expect with all the digital circuitry included. I honestly love just being able to come down, hit the button and wait a couple of seconds for my coffee to grind. Would definitely recommend.
Victoria Foutch –
LOVE!
Love the ease and accuracy!
Ben –
Breville smart pro coffee bean grinder
Works great, just hope it lasts for many years.
Amazon Customer –
PERFECT
LAST ONE LASTED 8 YEARS . THIS ONE SEEMS ALMOST THE SAME HOWEVER LOOKS RED IN THE PICTURE BUT SEEMS MORE BURGUNDY.. STILL PERFORMING PERFECTLY.
Spencer Thayer –
Improvement over original model
I have had the the Breville Smart Grider as my daily grinder for eleven years when it finally started to fail. I believe I can fix it but while I’m researching a fix I figured it was time to upgrade to the Pro model. It is a stark improvement . Grind time has improved. Grind accuracy is noticeably better. The ability to set the grind based on time rather than “weaker” or “stronger” is so much better. All in all this is a superior grinder. I plan on getting my original model back up and running and keeping it setup for decaf exclusively.
Cindy –
Game changer
My daughter and I bought an espresso machine for Christmas last year. We’ve been using a basic grinder. I thought it was no big deal as the other grinders were so expensive. I was wrong. This grinder is life changing for making espressos. My daughter and I always say that and people look at us like we are crazy but it really does make all the difference. It grinds the beans quick and has the adjustments for which grind you want. We love grinding right into the porta filter. It’s a little messy but an easy clean up with brush and removable bottom. The cup of espresso we make now is superior to the one we were making before. We love this grinder!!!! We still watch it as it grinds, mesmerized by it’s efficiency and beautiful grind.
One person found this helpful
Bruce –
Good grinder easy to use. More difficult to obtain coarse settings
We use this grinder daily and had used a previous product from anther manufacturer for french press and drip coffee pots. This grinder replaces the older grinder that finally broke. It is easier to get finer expresso grinds with the Breville grinder. The product is very fine and consistent. Despite adjusting the internal settings as directed I still cannot get the coarser grind I want for french press ordrip coffee, although the grind that I am getting produces acceptable drip coffee. The grind in my drip system is coming out as small kosher salt sized flakes. So the lesson learned with the Breville is that experimentation will be needed to fine tune your grind. The good news is that the controls allow that experimentation.
Dave –
First review. It could change (Electronics failure)
Out of the box, I give my first experience with the Breville Smart Grinder Pro one star because there is an issue with the electronics. Most of the complaints I see about the Smart Grinder pro is the impeller failing after 6 months to a year and complaints about the grind being extremely fine even on the coarsest settings. But I haven’t seen reports of the failure my machine experienced.Most people researching the Smart Grinder Pro as a possible purchase (And you should before you buy any product) understand how to set the functions of the machine. After following the instructions out of the box, i insured the burr was fully seated and snapped into place. Then the same with the bean hopper, fully seated and snapped into place. Then I put a few beans in the hopper for a test grind. The little cursor that marks the grind setting immediately began running back and forth up and down the scale. This action caused a constant change in grind time. Fearing I had failed to set the removable burr fully in place, I stopped it, cleaned the machine completely and started over. Same result, as soon as I turn the machine on to grind, the the grind setting cursor runs wild up and down the scale. Two more attempts to get it right and I decide the electronics came busted on this machine, whether a loose wire somewhere or a bad circuit board in the control panel.I started the process of returning the grinder and am sent to Amazon Tech Support, where I explain to a very nice person (Arlene) my problem with the machine. After talking her through exactly what happened, this nice person set up a replacement to be sent. I give Amazon and the nice Arlene 5+ stars for being so courteous and helpful. I hope the electronics failure of my first Breville Smart Grinder Pro is not a common problem.I will update this review after I receive the replacement grinder and test it out for a while.4/4/19 update: The replacement arrived promptly and thus far works as advertised. Still working through the grind settings, but that is an operator issue. Hopefully The Smart Grinder pro will have a healthy life span. 4 star for prompt replacement by amazon and a working grinder. Now to see how well it performs.
2 people found this helpful
Federico –
La mejor compra lejos
Excelente molinillo precio calidad
CMac -Amazon Addict! –
LOVE this grinder!!!
It’s AMAZING! This is our second Breville grinder. We purchased our first one five years ago, and loved it – after five years of lots of grinding nicely, we got an odd bag of espresso beans that had some little stones in the bag with the beans. The company stated that it was sorry but because it is a natural product (like beans), things like stones are a possibility but not a probability. We do believe that the grinding burry MAY have been slightly damaged or at the very least, dulled by the rogue stones. Replacement burr’s are available from Breville, but they have also discontinued the model that we had purchased five years ago.Which brings us to this newer model being a new star on our counter top. The new machine (comparing it to the old model) is pretty much whisper quiet. It also has a grind timer. When I make an espresso, I like to double tamp the grind in two stages. Fill it half way, then tamp, then fill it the next way and tamp again. The timer set at 10.5 seconds for each pulse works perfectly for the double porta-filter that goes with our Breville Infuser espresso machine. The machine gives a fantastic personal taste grind. The settings alone might take a while to dial in to your preferences. For me, thankfully I just set it at about the same settings for my old grinder and managed to get pretty lucky by only having to tweak it a bit.Parts are available online at Breville as far as outer parts (the grinder itself), and not the internal gears. With the way appliances go bad of late, (it seems that nothing can last longer than four or five years), I’m more than pleased that this grinder is doing my morning grind for me. I truly believe that the days of an appliance lasting a lifetime is LONG gone, which means that if I must replace more often, I will at the very least make sure that I get the best replacement possible. It’s a purchase that I’d make again!
2 people found this helpful
John Galt –
It lasted nearly 9 years before tanking out. I immediately bought another.
I didn’t use this for fine grind espresso, just drip. I’ve always had good luck with this brand and replaced it. I’ll more closely follow the cleaning instructions this time. I always used dark roast coffee.
Evaluator –
Quality Device That May Not Be Worth The High Cost
We bought this device, because it was supposed to deliver a better quality. more controllable grind. So far (two weeks) that has not been the case.Attractive device, but very tall. Controls are not intuitive and some seem to contradict each other.The taste of our coffee did not improve, it got worse. That will likely change over time, as we learn more.We spent a lot more money, for a poorer cup of coffee. Why 4-stars then? Because we assume things will improve as we use the device more.
2 people found this helpful
John Galt –
It lasted nearly 9 years before tanking out. I immediately bought another.
I didn’t use this for fine grind espresso, just drip. I’ve always had good luck with this brand and replaced it. I’ll more closely follow the cleaning instructions this time. I always used dark roast coffee.
Vickieblack5 –
Coffee Grinder
I’m really happy with this. I’ve only used it once so that could change. lol. So far I’m loving it. Was really easy to use and the ground coffee smelled amazing. Tomorrow morning will be the real test to see if the espresso grind was right and if it will work with my espresso machine.
Amazon Customer –
One small issue.
The grinder makes perfectly ground coffee every time. The one small issue seems to be , the coffee beans get jammed in the hopper a lot, We just give the grinder a little tap or shake while grinding. Everything else is perfect.
Michael White-Webster –
Coffee tastes better from beans
The oils from freshly ground beans makes ONEHELLUVAH difference. A machine such as this could feel more refined. I wasn’t expecting the grind size control wheel on the right to be mechanical, and having more than one programmable setting per container size would have been nice.
Timothy W Hoff –
Reliable
The grinder has worked perfectly for the past 6 months! The only thing I would have liked would be a knob to select the grind amount. Clicking a button that only adjusts the amount upward until it rolls around is slightly annoying.
D. M. –
Great investment
Breville Coffee Grinder: User-Friendly and VersatileI’m a big fan of the Breville coffee grinder. It’s a great choice for anyone who wants freshly ground coffee without any hassle.Simple to UseThe Breville grinder is user-friendly, even for coffee novices. The controls are intuitive and straightforward, so you can easily grind your beans to your preferred coarseness. No need to decipher complicated manuals or settings.Grind ControlThis grinder offers a wide range of grind sizes, from fine for espresso to coarse for French press. This versatility allows you to experiment with different brewing methods to discover your perfect cup of coffee.Grind Time CustomizationAnother great feature is the ability to customize the grind time. This allows you to grind exactly the amount of coffee you need for your pot, preventing waste and ensuring freshness.OverallIf you’re looking for a coffee grinder that’s easy to use, offers multiple grind size options, and lets you control the amount you grind, then the Breville is a great choice. It’s a versatile and user-friendly option for coffee lovers of all levels.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Simply the best
Much quieter than other grinders
Michael Weddington –
Fantastic grinder
Easily dialed in programming. Precise and simple. 5 stars
Rob From Bellport –
Great grinder
this grinder Is very versatile. I have a French press, percolator, regular drip machine, moka pot and an espresso machine and this covers all the basis. it’s easy adjustable and it looks great sitting on the counter. great buy at a great price.
KC –
PROGRAMMABLE TO ONE CUP AT A TIME. QUIETER THAT OTHER BRANDS. EASY TO CLEAN.
SEE ABOVE
Colauhu –
Don’t think you can live without this!
I am floored by the difference this made over my 10 year old Cuisinart DBM-8. I guess I was just getting used to the system I had in place and didn’t think much of it. My coffee was just kind of OK. The old grinder threw out a LOT of very, very fine powdery grounds so I figured maybe the burs were wearing down so I started researching grinders and this one got nothing but very positive reviews. I bit the bullet and ordered it. All I can say is holy cow! I could taste flavors in my coffee I have not tasted for a long time! We also have a Breville espresso machine. It took me no time at all to dial this grinder in to get a nice, consistent espresso. The built in grinder in the Breville is a pain to dial in. I quit making espresso because it always turned out bitter no matter what I tried. I knew it was the grind but I was just tired of wasting coffee to try to get it set up right. This grinder literally took me two attempts to get my espresso tasting really good. For an “entry level” grinder you cannot go wrong. This thing is awesome for the home coffee/espresso enthusiast.
2 people found this helpful
Amy –
So much to love
Is this the end-all-be-all? Is it perfect for espresso freaks? Probably not, but it is seriously the best grinder that I’ve had. Every other grinder including the expensive Gaggia one that I splurged on makes a giant mess everywhere. This one is pretty much mess free. And any grinds that do drop on the little tray are a cinch to clean up because the tray pops out so you can easily dump it. I use the doser and I also use the container — both work great. I find for the doser I need to put a dosing funnel around it to be as mess free as I’d like. And the grind isn’t perfect like a high end grinder would provide, but it does what’s needed. Easy to dial in the seconds you want it to grind for the number of shots you want. Lots of variable settings so you can play with it to get it perfect for your setup.
4 people found this helpful
KV –
So good
Bought for espresso… perfect grind, beautiful shots!
2 people found this helpful
AbnerAbner –
Perfect Grinder
I was in the market searching for a grinder within the price range of $150 to $250. There were three options available, and after careful consideration, I determined that the Breville Pro was the most suitable choice for my needs. It is aesthetically pleasing and complements my home coffee station perfectly. The stainless steel material exudes a sense of premium quality, while the plastic components do not feel cheap. The knob on the right provides a satisfying tactile experience with its distinct clicks.Upon starting the grinder, I noticed that the noise it produces is quite high-pitched, yet it remains relatively quiet. Currently, I am not utilizing the portafilter holder, as I find the portafilter funnel to be more convenient and easier to clean. Additionally, this machine operates at an impressive speed, grinding coffee significantly faster than my previous grinder, and it achieves a more consistent grind. However, I have encountered a minor issue where clumps of coffee remain in the grinder after the grinding process is complete. To address this, I have purchased a silicone adapter that enables me to effectively transfer the remaining grinded coffee into the portafilter.Another significant aspect that I would like to emphasize is the range of features this grinder offers. It provides the flexibility to grind coffee from very coarse to very fine, making it suitable for various brewing methods. Additionally, the included accessories cater to different portafilter sizes, ensuring versatility. It even comes with its own container, along with other features that I have yet to explore. Overall, I highly recommend this grinder and give it a 5 out of 5 rating.
7 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Awesome product worth it
Absolutely love this
Eric K –
Perfection
After years of buying cheap grinders, I decided to splurge this time. It’s just ridiculous how much better this device is than the less expensive alternatives. The static mitigation works superbly well, a major issue with the other grinders. All accessories (catch tray, storage container and espresso basket bracket) connect to the machine via magnets which are grounded to relieve static. This alone is worth the purchase in my opinion. I don’t like coffee grounds. It’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.
One person found this helpful
Casey –
Great Grinder- no complaints from me
I’ve only recently become a coffee/ espresso nerd and come to realize the value of a good grinder. I never would’ve thought I’d spend over $200 on a coffee grinder, but I totally get it now. I got my first real espresso machine a few months ago and needed a grinder that could do espresso. I initially purchased a very popular but inexpensive grinder that seemed OK at first and said it was suitable for espresso grinds, but it was extremely loud and at the finest setting was in reality not quite fine enough to pull a perfect espresso shot.Compared to the cheaper grinder (~1/3 price of the breville):- Breville feels way better made. Everything on it just feels good/ solid/ heavy and doesn’t have a cheap plastic feeling. This is to be expected for a grinder 3x the cost.- Breville is WAY quieter. Previous grinder would wake up everyone in my house running it at 7am, while with the breville I’m not too worried about it. It’s still fairly noisy but it shouldn’t wake up kids/ roommates in another room unless they are super light sleepers.- Breville has way more settings and can effortlessly grind finer than I’ll ever need. Cheaper one just couldn’t pull off an espresso grind.- Grind consistency is pretty darn consistent with the breville. The other grinder had lots of super fine dust mixed in and a lot of grounds that were too coarse.Only cons I can think of:-I have a 58mm, 3-ear portafilter and it doesn’t work with the plaster holder- I have to hold it the whole time I’m grinding. Pretty annoying but I wouldn’t say it’s enough to dock a star.All-in-all, I’m happy with the purchase and would recommend.
12 people found this helpful
horatiu1 –
Espresso grinds comes with lumps.
Good for daily use but not for espresso coffee grinders with lumps
James Petersen –
I believe I’ve solved the problem of the clutch disengaging and causing the horrible noise – working fine now
This review speaks to one specific problem that other users have reported. It has to do with the torque-limiter/clutch disengaging, making a horrendous noise and leaving the smell of ozone in the air.I had this problem and was constantly clearing the chute that transports ground coffee to the hopper. Last week it struck me what the problem was. My placement of the hopper was partly blocking the chute causing ground coffee to back up into the mechanism, become compacted, and prevent the machine from operating properly.My SOLUTION, working fine for the past week: The hopper must be pushed all the way back in the front opening until it is snug up against the rear wall. This allows ground coffee to fall freely into the hopper without clogging the chute and causing the clutch to disengage. (when you glance at it, it may seem that the hopper opening is too far back. It’s not.)(It’s working beautifully now. Four stars at this point for very small things like the timer returning to default setting when unplugged and difficulty removing the grinding mechanism for cleaning. Otherwise, I’m more than satisfied with the quality of the grind I’m getting.)
15 people found this helpful
Cliente de KindleCliente de Kindle –
Excelente
Es una maravilla, a pesar que dice que es para uso casero, funciona muy bien para trabajar en mi heladería artesanal, lo pusimos a prueba en un evento en dónde hicimos unos 300 cafés y no se recalentó, tampoco cambio la molienda.
Lester Stine –
works great
This works great and very easy to use. I think it is quite and the coffee grinding is very consistent
Anita M. –
Great grinds
Great breadth of choices and very easy to set up and use! If you are nervous about grinders and being able to adjust it to the right grind as well as the right amount this is your grinder! Quite intuitively made. Noise level is low, capacity is great! I don’t notice any static so the grounds come out clean.
One person found this helpful
John –
It’s a nice gtinder.
It’s a good grinder for what you get. Don’t expect this to grind great for espresso. It will do the job but you will want a better grinder for sure. It’s a good starter grinder. It will grind for french press, drip, aeropress, pour overs, and espresso.
JeanmaelJeanmael –
Excellent product!
It greatly complements my coffee bar and extracts the coffee well.
E. Hill –
Very Nice.
A very nice grinder. The reviews are all well-representative. Nice capacity bean hopper, intuitive dials and knobs, a wide range of grinds settings, and the accessories included, e.g., the canister, are very nice. My only complaint: I wish the canister stored better under the grinds chute, when not in use. The canister fits well under the chute when you’re grinding beans into it, but when the lid is sealed, the container doesn’t feel like it fits well in the space (you have to just shove it in there). This is my first grinder, and since I make French Press (for cold brew) as well as Espressos, it’s a great one. For all-purpose needs, this one seems like a good one.
Alisha Harris –
Great home grinder
I used to work in various coffee shops as a barista and have the Rancilio Silvia Pro at home. I started with a $600 Baratza grinder, but recently sought a second one to have more variety of beans around without having to switch the hopper out every time. I ordered this one, and I actually like it better! The grind size is comparable, it’s easy to use and clean, and it can grind directly into the portafilter, into a basket for drip coffee, or into a canister it comes with. I’m actually looking to get a second one to replace my Baratza! The only thing I think the Baratza does better is repairability. If something happens to this grinder, you have to buy a whole new one, but for being a third of the price, as long as you take care of it it’s well worth it.
5 people found this helpful
LSK –
All I can say is it’s great
I had one of these for 10+ years and I accidentally broke it. I tried a couple of cheaper grinders and they were simply inferior. They didn’t grind the coffee consistently and they left a mess on the counter wasting coffee. Breville improved it by giving you even more control, making it quieter and when you unplug it, it remembers your settings. The housing and the burr grinder are made of steel and in over 10 years of use did not wear out. Yes, this is an expensive grinder but if you really like your coffee freshly ground, this is the best there is.One caveat. My old grinder could not grind coffee fine enough for espresso even though it has an espresso setting. I no longer have an espresso machine and I haven’t tried to grind the coffee for an espresso maker so I don’t know if they have managed to improve this function.
One person found this helpful
Tvuheli –
Must have if you want to save time.
Work goods. Easy to use. Very loud though
writer49 –
Surprised and yet a little disappointed…
I was pleasantly surprised by this grinder’s quality, speed and noise level! I’ve had mine for about 3 months and use it multiple times a day for espresso, so far it has jammed once. A quick clean (5 minutes) and it was up and running again. It does everything I expect a quality grinder to do with one key exception listed below.I haven’t tried the largest grind size, so can’t speak for that. But, for espresso grinds and larger it does a decent job. It replaced a cheaper, painfully loud grinder. It’s nice to get freshly ground coffee every time you want a cuppa without having to wear hearing protection.One downside – there’s no way to precisely measure a coffee dose. For example if an 18 grams of ground coffee is desired, there’s no way I’ve found to do that. One can set the timing of the dose and the grind size, but not the amount. Some reviews mention that they have to figure out the dosage with the timer – pretty hit and miss imo.Until, when and if I figure it out, I can only rate this nice little grinder four stars…
RogerZel –
Very good coffee grinder
I didn’t have to fine tune the grind settings. Tried a double shot and came out great.
Zeroman01 –
Save money, not having to go to Starbucks
Make good coffee without having to go out in the snow, waste, gas, and money in a car accident trying to go to Starbucks.
Amazon Customer –
Great grinder at a great price!
Solid performance and uniform grind! Grinds beans as good as way more expensive models. Worth every Penny! Have had mine for over 8yrs without a single problem. Just bought another as a gift for a relative and they love theirs also.*Absolutely make sure that you clean the grinder at least every two weeks or sooner if using darker beans using grinder cleaning tablets. That ensures you don’t get oil buildup on the burrs.
Tavis McDowell –
Better than the built in
I have the Breville Barista Express which has a built in grinder, but purchased this as a gift for my mom since she has the Breville Bambino. This is so much nicer than the built in ones. The screen is bright enough and the font is big enough for my mom’s bad eyes. It would be nice if there was a better cone for use with espresso portafilters so the grounds wouldn’t fall everywhere, but the removable catch tray helps to clean everything up.
Ryan –
Almost great
I bought this grinder because I like consistency – I like that this grinder makes it easy to always grind the exact amount that you want. I also like that the hopper is detachable so that I can keep my beans in the refrigerator. The only thing I don’t like is that there is no on/off switch. It will go to sleep if you leave the hopper attached, but if you detach the hopper it never goes to sleep and you have to unplug it unless you want it to stay on all the time.
Customer Review –
Love this thing! I use it for my automatic drip Breville Coffee Maker
My favorite is french roast. I grind for 34 seconds on the finest grind setting just befor it flips from cups to oz’s. I make 8 1/2 cups from this using the custom mode on the brewer and I’m in my perfect state of mind thereafter. It’s easy to clean out occasionally as the really dark roast beans are oily. Well built, and beautiful display. Highly recommended with all it’s various settings, I can’t see anyone not liking it.
MommaAMommaB –
A Reliable and Versatile Grinder
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After our coffee system broke, we decided to purchase this standalone grinder. While we’re still using the steam function on our old machine, we plan to switch to a Breville steamer and espresso shot puller once it’s no longer functional.I would highly recommend purchasing individual machines rather than a standalone system. The aesthetic appeal of standalone systems can be deceiving, as a single component failure can render the entire system useless without a warranty or local repair service.Our experience with GE products has been disappointing, but we’re extremely satisfied with our Breville grinder.
7 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Simply the best
Much quieter than other grinders
Thomas –
So far, so good
I do not yet know about the durability of this unit, however, it does a good job for the cost. I have a naked portafilter and this grinder produces adequately fine and uniform grinds to use it perfectly. It is a vast improvement over every other grinder that I have owned. I love the ability to grind directly into the portafilter. This makes the grinder much cleaner to use than most grind and dump grinders. Also, it is quieter than my previous grinder(s). All-in-all, I recommend this grinder. I will revisit this review in awhile to address durability and cleaning issues.
One person found this helpful
Justin King –
Quiet
This is a great coffee grinder. It’s so easy to get the amount of coffee grounds right everytime, and it’s exceptionally quiet! The only negative thing is that it does grind on the fine side. So unless you experiment with other forums of coffee making besides drip, this grinder is probably overkill.
Robert W. Little –
Quiet & Well Built
No dislikes here! Very well made and easy to use. We’ve been grinding our own beans for many years, this is the best grinder that’s easy to set up and adjust! Burr Grinders are THE BEST, this is excellent so far. It arrived last night and we had coffee within an hour! Kudos!
2 people found this helpful
VikingQueen –
Grinds from very coarse to very fine. Collection container with lid fits snug with no mess.
Grinds quite evenly over very wide range of grind sizes from very coarse to very fine. The timed grinding and big bean hopper totally useless to me. I weigh my coffee beans in grams and only grind what I will use immediately (usually single cup). I do not leave any beans in hopper but does have air tight lid on hopper. Easy to adjust grind size. The grind collection cup has lid with hole which fits snugly below chute so no mess. Minimal static problems. I have not ground very fine for espresso so do not know how well it works for espresso machines. Using for filtered coffee and pour over with V60.
7 people found this helpful
Timothy M. –
Sweet!
Like it a lot! Perfectly even grind every time!
carlos linarez –
excelente
excelente
Ray Friedman –
Works great. Really solid
Very solid machine. Works great. Amazing design. We use for both espresso and drop
W. BevinsW. Bevins –
7 years later I am thoroughly impressed
Customer service: We had popcorning (beans not feeding properly) quite abruptly after 3 years. Breville very gladly replaced it and 4 years later the grinder is still going.Durability: Its plastic and stainless. Thats both a selling point and a small criticism. For where it matters it seems to have held up (the second unit) incredibly well. It gets used multiple times a day. We put 80g of medium to dark roast through this a day and also do the occasional v60. Its never jammed, never made any funny noises. It ground coffee every single time we asked it too.Usability: I want to preface that I “single dose” AKA only put the desired amount of beans for that grind into the hopper. I cannot attest to the hopper freshness or anything like that. I also RDT (lightly spray beans with a fine mist of water).It cleans well with a nice long bristle brush (Pallo or the like). We bought a 3d printed shim to sit between the hopper and top burrs so minimize retention and the chaff buildup from some medium roasts. Our retention after all these years is incredibly minimal. 0.2 – 0.3g at most. It has def gotten better over time. RDT has helped massively for static and retention. Almost zero static for anything but realy dark roasts now.The timer function is great for single dosing. Just add an extra 10 seconds for dark roasts (they take a little longer usually) and it just turns off.Grind uniformity is the real stickler here. I attached a v60 picture and you can see where the fines stuck to the wall and the larger chunks at the bottom. This is where it loses a star. Its actually more noticeable the larger your grind size gets but drip is forgiving enough where you can easily forgive it. v60 with this grinder can produce very good cups but its a very subdued cup if you start to get into lighter beans. You wont get the really clear flavors you might want with an Onyx brand coffee for example.Overall: A fantastic drip coffee grinder that so far has held up to a LOT of coffee being run through it.
6 people found this helpful
Jon Lamere –
great grinder
works great. love the multiple grind sizes. I purchased a separate single dose kit since I primarily use this for grinding espresso
Mi –
Been working great so far!
Pros: Looks greatQuieter than mostSingle dose zero retention hopper available on EtsyWide range or grind settingsCons: Produces a considerable amount of fine particles, which cause over-extraction. Thus it is not a great grinder for cold brew or immersion techniques.Retains a few grams of grounds after grinding, which means you’ll be getting stale coffee mixed in with your fresh grounds. Fixed by installing the single dose hopper from Etsy. It’s now slightly shorter and easier to store too.I am using this on many types of coffee beans for pour over. I couldn’t decide between this and the Baratza so I took a chance because this looked better on my countertop (priorities, am I right?). Thankfully it has been working well thus far. The grind is pretty consistent, although no better than to be expected for the price. I do get a decent amount of fine particles, so if you have a Kruve, a Fellow Shimmy, or a mesh sieve to filter them out, you’ll realize a more consistent cup can be had. That said, it allows me to make a great tasting cup and makes those single origins shine through even more when making pourover using the 4:6 method (YouTube if curious). Noise level is quieter than others of the same style I’ve used, but it is a coffee grinder so it does make noise. However it’s not enough to wake my roommates in small 2br apartment. I removed the burr before the first use and adjusted it to the highest setting so I could get a coarsest grind since I’ll never be doing espresso at home with this grinder. From my months of research, I’ve gathered that it’s best to have a dedicated grinder for espresso. For me, that grinder is still within the walls of my local coffee shop haha. For everything else, this grinder does just fine. I will definitely update this the second I have any problems with the grinder so if this review is still up just assume it’s up to date.
5 people found this helpful
Homburg Pokes –
This is a sturdy and quality grinder that yields consistent results
This is a sturdy and quality grinder that yields consistent results. You can tinker with the grind, or you can set it and forget it. Add beans to the reasonably sealed hopper and just press the start button each morning. Use the same quantity of water each morning to yield a consistent brew.For me, the best part of this grinder is that I can extract the fresh ground coffee without spilling any grounds on the counter. Previous grinders did not have a lid on the grounds container and the static build-up would send coffee grounds flying when you removed the container. This container fits tight with multiple options for convenience.My only concern is the grinder sounds like it is working extra hard (it is very effective) and there is an electrical burning smell. I sort of remember this smell in the first couple of days with a Breville juicer as well, and it dissipated with time.
2 people found this helpful
IgIg10 –
Absolutely recommended.
My Baratza died and Breville Pro is the replacement. WOW! Now I wish that my Baratza died much earlier. Breville Pro is much better. It provides easy tuning to desired grinding level. After tuning, end result is very consistent which is crucial for a good cup of expresso. Recommended.
M. Hayes –
Buy it and thank me later
So far so good. I read more reviews than probably anyone ever should BUT, I kept coming back to the breville because of the ease in switching between drip and espresso. I don’t have experience in espresso and didn’t what to spend a ton of money on things for it(grinder and machine) if i wasn’t sure I would drink it like that (and i dont.i prefer moka right now). THIS , was a good decision.It was “cheap”, the grinders are uniform and its quiet. Its a big step up from my hand grinder where you have to guess if the setting is right. And, with the taste difference, even with drip, im assuming the consistency with the hand grinder wasn’t the best.The machine fills my portafilter without a problem. I read about other machines throwing grinds all over the place. And for drip, the included cup is perfect. NO static or anything like that. I just need to get use to the timer feature.I clean my grinder daily, as of right now i use it twice a day. Usually going from drip to moka pot grind (which is almost the same). And it needs it. there is a lot of left over grinds caught in there. which brings me to my next pointI think a lot of the problems people have is from not cleaning the machine. If you try to go a wk( and im sure some people push it farther than that) without cleaning it you are going to have problems!!! The more coffe in their, the harder the motor has to workMy grind settings: for drip i use, 32 (which is the start of drip on the screen). for moka,30 (this is near perfect) and for my pressurized filter i use 25 for really fresh beans and then go down 1 notch every wk.Also with mine i notice for little clumping. Very very little.. If it lasts two years using it the way i do… it would be a steal in my eye
45 people found this helpful
Xlw –
Tal cual la descripción
excelente producto
Interwebz Admin –
Easy to use, a bit noisy, one questionable reliability item
I personally love this grinder; been using it daily for about two months. It is very fast and consistent. Just an FYI though, I use it exclusively for drip coffee as I have a high end Mazzer for espresso, which takes forever to dial in, so adjusting between espresso and drip would be impossible. This grinder can supposedly do espresso, I’ve just never tried it for that.It is very easy to clean, and because the adjustment occurs on the bottom side of the two grind plates, when you reinstall the top plate your fine/course setting is preserved. It is fairly noisy; you will not be carrying on a conversation while it whirs away, and if your place of installation is very close to a kid or guest bedroom, it may wake them up. The canister it comes with butts right up against the output of the grind mechanism funnel so you won’t end up with grounds spraying everywhere like some competing models in this price range. The canister also has a rubber sealing top, so if you grind more than you need and want to save it for the next day, no real harm done.Last but not least, reliability. If you read through the reviews, you’ll realize that this grinder has a significant weak point in a metal-covered plastic gear that sits under the grind plate. Many reviews point to this gear as having worn out, and Breville not treating it as a replaceable part. I nearly didn’t make this purchase over this fact because I find it fairly obnoxious they would not sell the part most likely to break, which not only inconveniences the purchaser, but results in an easily avoidable significant contribution to land fills. The competing models in the same price range just had too many feature concerns though, so in the end I went forward with it, however, only because Amazon had the option to bundle a $30 four year warranty on it, so if that stupid gear does fail, I know I can get a new unit easily. It won’t save on the waste, and I wrote a nasty letter to Breville about that, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on a competing model with less features.
Diegoni87 –
Espectacular!!
Muy práctico, buen tamaño. totalmente automática.
Michael A. Chudzinski –
Almost Exceptional
I’ve been grinding with a Wirsch, which has performed well for the last 2 years. BUT, I wanted something MORE. I had bought the Breville Infuser 3 months ago and have been roasting my own beans using the Fresh Roaster roaster. **NOT HAPPY PART** The Breville grinder did not work out of the box, loud noise coming from the grinder and NO ground coffee. I followed the directions, second time, loud noise, no coffee. It turns out that on the very top of the conical burr there is an end-capped screw and its threaded backwards, that end-cap was loose. I tightened it a little past finger tight. re-assembled. That fixed the issue. My experience with the grinder after the issue, exceptional, absolutely exceptional and that should be what I get with this Breville, it’s two hundred dollars. Setting the grind to 2 is perfect for the Breville Infuser Espresso Machine. I’m going to adjust the grind time down a few seconds because the amount of coffee ground is a bit too much for at 58mm double shot Portafilter. But with a setting of grind size 2 and filling the Portfilter to just a hair above level and using the tamp pressed down to the depth of the silver ring on the tamper that comes with the Infuser, gives you a flawless pull with the Breville Infuser Machine. Flawless. The pull, with these conditions I have listed, on the Breville Infuser, moves the pressure gauge to 75-80 percent which is not too over extracted, it’s as good as it gets….. So, bottom line, I wanted exceptional and I wanted consistent and the grinder does that. This baby takes very little of you to DIAL IN perfect grind….
One person found this helpful
Anita M. –
Great grinds
Great breadth of choices and very easy to set up and use! If you are nervous about grinders and being able to adjust it to the right grind as well as the right amount this is your grinder! Quite intuitively made. Noise level is low, capacity is great! I don’t notice any static so the grounds come out clean.
One person found this helpful
hiflyer –
Exceeded my expectations
I enjoyed using my Moka pot with canned espresso coffee for years. Then I decided to move my game up. I watched hundreds of videos and came to the conclusion that I would not purchase a cheap grinder and I didn’t want to spend the money for one in the price range of what is considered barely a barista level grinder so I purchased a high priced hand grinder. It took me a couple of months to figure out…all that work just wasn’t worth the ever changing result and so I bought a Breville Smart Grinder. What a revelation. I couldn’t be happier. At first I still weighed the beans then the pour etc. etc. but I soon learned the grind was exactly what Breville suggested and I could easily eyeball the time. I have mine set for 16 seconds but changing it up or down is a snap with the right button. I use a bottomless porta filter and after a very short learning curve I always get a nice clean pour that tastes good!I love mine. You’ll love yours!
2 people found this helpful
rick H. –
quite
great product & very quite
My Favorite Things –
Wonderful addition to my kitchen!
This is a beautiful precision-machine that works exactly as described.The grinds go seamlessly into the collecting cup.
Kiwichibi –
Happy Customer!
Update 8/22/20: Turns out I don’t like pour overs (espresso gal <3), but my friend exclusively drinks them. I gave this to her since she had been hand grinding her coffee. She loves the convenience and says it’s been a lifesaver. The grinder is still working great and going strong!Update 7/1/16: I recently found that this grinder can’t handle harder beans/ lighter roasts very well. It sounds like it’s dying. I was grinding a medium light roast so if you primarily drink lighter coffees you may want to look into a different grinder. I want to get into pourovers, and am currently considering a hand grinder. I will update how that goes.Original Review:To be fair, this should be more like 4.5 stars because I do really like it. Bought this a few months ago to go with my Breville Infuser and they look so nice together. It’s pretty straight forward to operate this machine. The only reason why I didn’t give this 5 stars is because it’s not completely perfect for my use. It seems the beans that I’m using would like something between the 14 and 15 grind settings to get the optimal pressure. The 15 setting is too coarse, so the better setting is the 14. At a grind level of 14, I find some small coffee grinds end up in my espresso and start settling out as it sits. Not sure if this is due to a few stray pieces getting through the filter, or if it’s because the grinder is creating some sprinkling of finer grinds. I just don’t drink the coffee at the very bottom. For the most part I’m very satisfied with its performance.
6 people found this helpful
Wendall F. Bishop –
Insufficient clearance for dosing funnel
I mostly love this grinder. It perfectly complements my Breville Barista-series espresso machine and has excellent grind control. My one disappointment is that the standard Breville porta-filter will not fit under the grinder when a dosing funnel is attached–which is really needed to do a full grind in one step. My workaround is to use a bottomless porta-filter to provide enough clearance to use my dosing funnel. If Breville modified this design to provide another 1 to 2 cm of clearance, then it would be 5 stars.
One person found this helpful
Dave –
IMPRESSED!
6 year update- 19 November 2024:Still working great, no reliability issues. I have adjusted the burrs once to account for wear. I see no reason not to expect another 6 years of trouble free use.6 month update- 7July19:Still delighted, have not experienced any problemsI had to buy a new grinder because I need one that will produce a fine enough grind for a non-pressurized espresso. After some research I could only find three below $250 that can do this. This one, for $180, and the Baratza Virtuoso, for $140 and the Compresso Infinity. Reading the reviews for the Baratza it appears that you first have to get instructions from the internet on how to adjust the shims on the burrs to get very fine, (what the …?) This alone is worth the extra $40 for this one.After opening the box I was impressed with the build quality and attractive appearance. It produces consistent and even grinds, that alone is worth the $180. There are 3 features that surprised me. The first being the LCD panel, I figured this was unnecessary and perhaps cheesy, well it works great and is very useful. The second is the grind time control. I was thinking this would be a poor substitute for a built-in scale, but that is not the case. I sometimes keep it simple and make my espresso with a pressurized filter, and since grind fineness is not so critical, I use grind size setting 15, it just so happens that this size happens to grind my medium roast beans at 1 gram per second (I have a digital kitchen scale to establish this) so to make pressurized espresso I set the grind to 15 and the timer to 14 seconds and I consistently get 14 grams of perfectly ground beans! I am still playing with what grind works best for non-pressurized so I haven’t yet established what time I will need to get my 18 grams. Bottom-line, the timer is a perfectly adequate substitute for a built-in scale. The third feature is the option to dispense grinds directly into your portafilter. I figured this would be useless as it would be messy and with all the grinds left on the counter I would end up with fewer grams in the filter. Wrong again, it works great! It puts 99.9% of the grinds in a neat mound in the middle of the filter, much better than I can do by hand. With the grinds in a neat mound in the middle of the basket I can tamp them down without spilling any grinds (again, something I can’t do when putting grinds in the filter by hand)!Between even and consistent grinds, including the very fine grind size needed for non-pressurized espresso, the timer and the ability to dispense grinds directly into the filter, this is a fabulous grinder at this price and I think can hold it’s own with machines at twice the price. Some complain about uneven grinds at the coarse setting. If all you want is French press coarse grinds then you don’t need an espresso focused grinder, save yourself money and buy the Cuisinart DBM-8 for only $40.Finally, the issue of reliability. All I can say for sure is that mine came in great working order, and while I have not had it long enough to vouch for long-term reliability, since it is solid and well-built I see no reason that it won’t be reliable. But if you are still worried, consider this. If you look at the reviews for most grinders and espresso machines you will see that about 2/3 rds of the scores are 5’s and 4’s, with between 15% to 20% being 1’s, primarily bitching about reliability and warning you not to buy whatever it is. Well in this case ¾’s give it a 5 or 4 and only 12% are 1’s. I see this as a testament to it’s build quality and reliability … just sayin’.If I experience issues in the future I will post an update.
31 people found this helpful
CS17 –
Works amazingly
We love it! It’s a powerhouse. Quick and efficient with reliable consistency. It was on the pricey side of things as far as these go, but I’m hoping the you get what you pay for statement is true and that this machine will endure grinding our beans for many..many years.
farmboy –
Replacement grinder
Purchased to replace the same model Breville grinder. The new unit seems to be noiser than the previous unit. Does a great job grinding coffee beans but wish it were a little quieter.
One person found this helpful
MommaAMommaB –
A Reliable and Versatile Grinder
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After our coffee system broke, we decided to purchase this standalone grinder. While we’re still using the steam function on our old machine, we plan to switch to a Breville steamer and espresso shot puller once it’s no longer functional.I would highly recommend purchasing individual machines rather than a standalone system. The aesthetic appeal of standalone systems can be deceiving, as a single component failure can render the entire system useless without a warranty or local repair service.Our experience with GE products has been disappointing, but we’re extremely satisfied with our Breville grinder.
7 people found this helpful
Andrea –
An Incredible Kitchen Addition
This is an incredible product because of two main features. The precision timer is a game changer and the direct portafilter grind makes it even better. These features make this grinder a must-have for any coffee lover. It’s perfect for a coffee lover! The only downside would be that the grinds can tend to fall off the portafilter a bit when grinding.
One person found this helpful
Potgieter –
Small footprint, excellence in craftmanship.
This is a very well made and well designed coffee grinder. A recommended buy, if coffee excellence is on yer list of things to achieve. Pairs most excellently with the Bambino.
Tom Linehan –
Good for Tech Enthusiasts
Coming from strictly mechanical burr grinders, this Breville unit is an adjustment. You may discover that the relationship among no. of cups, grind size, and grindings in the collector is not what you had become accustomed to. So, you may need to ignore the designed-in relationship among the inputs and to set the numbers to give what you are after. It allows grains of the grind to escape more than I am used to, and the collector cup is not so easy to slide in and out. Last, its burr gear design produces much higher volume of grinds than a mechanical model, though this would be more of an issue for people who make pots of coffee (10-12 cups). However, it is sleek, techy-looking, and seems to be well-made.
3 people found this helpful
DakotaGirl –
Great quality,
My 20 year old Kitchen Aid Burr grinder was giving up so I had to find a replacement. After buying a Breville toaster recently I immediately looked at that brand grinder. I have only had this grinder for about 2 weeks but so far am really happy with it. I do have one complaint that I am surprised Breville hasn’t figured out. When I bought it I saw that there were many settings for fine – coarse grind but they really need to have it a bit more coarse for those of us that drink pour over and make cold brew. After a call to support I learned how to set the burr to the most coarse setting and when I set the dial to the most coarse it comes out right. Breville needs to cover these methods of coffee making in their instructions but they emphasize espresso. I will definitely keep this grinder and will enjoy it.
Sean –
Grinds well, auto timer, and minimal mess! Highly recommended.
Our 12-year-old Rancillio Rocky grinder’s motor stopped working. I’m sure it could be repaired. The heavy duty brass burrs are still in fine shape, but we decided to give something new a try. The Rocky has been a solid grinder, but not very neat (grounds would get all over the counter) or convenient since one must stand there and hold the button down until you have enough grounds. We grind for espresso (non-pressurized portafilter), drip (currently the OXO ON1 Barista Brain… which is fantastic), and I also grind for the Aeropress I use at the office. The Smart Grinder Pro was the best value we found in a grinder that can go fine enough for nonpressurized espresso portafilters, and also has features like automatic timer grind, portafilter holder, pause grind, and easy cleaning.We have had the Smart Grinder Pro for only one week, but it has already had a big improvement on our morning coffee routine. The ability to select the number of cups, hit Start, and have it automatically grind the beans while you fill up the coffee maker with water is a huge convenience. It’s also pretty quiet. A bit more quiet than our Rocky, and much quieter than a whirlyblade grinder or a disc grinder. The conical burrs grind consistently for drip and espresso. I’m sure our old Rocky is probably a bit more consistent for coarse French press grounds, but we don’t use a French press these days. I adjusted the burr settings towards the finer end of things, and I’m able to get a grind that is fine enough and consistent enough for our nonpressurized espresso portafilter.This grinder does not have an integrated scale, but the automatic timer is well calibrated to grind the correct amount of beans per golden ratio cup or per espresso shot. You can adjust the timer for more or less as well. The only thing you have to watch for is if beans get stuck in the hopper while the timer is ticking. It has only happened to me once this week, but I could hear the grinder spinning with nothing in it. A tap on the side of the bean hopper got things flowing again, but I had to carefully measure out the coffee since I knew the timer was running for a few seconds with nothing to grind.It shipped with two portafilter holders. The smaller one fits ours. The magnetic snap in feature is fantastic. It’s so easy to switch between portafilter and drop container. The bottom tray also comes out easily for cleaning and then snaps back in with a magnet.My only complaint about the grinder is that the container for catching grounds doesn’t catch them as well as it could. If you use the lid, which has a hole for the grounds, some grounds always spill down the side. Not many, but a few. I’ve been grinding without the lid and that works fine. Another reviewer recommended a glass beaker that fits under the grinder perfectly. I may give that a try. It might not be necessary. The included container works with no mess so far, but it’s plastic so static make the grounds cling to the side a little.Overall we are very happy and I would give it 4.5 stars if that were an option. Only complaint is the design of the grind container lid, which many may not even use. If you have a flat bottom filter, you can just grind into that. Only time will tell if it lasts 12 years like our Rocky did, but so far we like it more. It’s easier to use, looks easier to clean, keeps our counter totally clean, and makes great tasting coffee at all the grinds we need.
16 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Great Machine – except for missing parts!
I’m sure I’m going to enjoy using this grinder once I’m able to obtain the parts that were missing in the original packaging. I had to order three missing parts, and I’ll start using the grinder once the parts arrive.
Trudy –
Great grinder
Works really well! I especially like how wide the range of the grind is, so we can use it for drip coffee and espresso. Pretty easy to clean.
Tech sailor –
Happy ..now!
It started badly as the 1st one I got was defective but I reached out to Breville and they took care of the issue immediately and sent me a new one. Since then I m using it daily and I am very happy with it. I have been playing with the settings and I think I am good now. The cleaning ritual takes a few minutes, it could be a bit less messy that is why I am giving it only 4 stars. The burr does it job very well you can see the consistency which is very important. I definitely recommend it.