Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder
by Breville
List Price:
Our Price: $199.00
You Save: $50.99 (20%)
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Buy Used: from $178.79 (click here)
Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: BrevilleBrand: Breville
Release Date: 2010-10-12
Model: BCG800XL
Color: Silver
Product features:
- 25 Grind Settings for french press, drip, percolator, and espresso coffee.
- Backlit LCD Screen clearly shows grind setting, number of cups or shots and customized grind amount.
- Auto dosing system calibrates each adjusted dose
- Bean Hopper with air tight lid and locking system for easy removal storage and transfer of coffee beans.
- Accessories include two portafilter cradles, grind contanier and conical burr cleaning brush
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder
Customer Review: Save you hours of research - read on ...
Summary: 5 Stars
I have researched these things for hours before deciding to buy not this unit, but the Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder. Here are my findings:
There are three units that were in the running (ordered by price):
a. Bodum Bistro Electric Burr Coffee Grinder, Black (the unit I ultimately bought and am very happy with) - $89.95
b. Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder - $199.99 (the unit on this page)
c. Rancilio ROCKY Rancilio Burr Grinder with Doser - $359.99
Now, if price is not an issue, by all means go with the Breville BCG800XL (really can't go wrong with that one). Also, notice that all of these are burr grinders (blade grinders are NOT the way to go) and all are excellent machines; all other machines researched under $400 have serious drawbacks - trust me - I've done the research.
Okay, now let's take a look at each one.
--- a. Bodum Bistro Electric Burr Coffee Grinder, Black - this is an excellent unit all around and the one I bought:
-- Grind:
Very consistent and perfect size for drip on drip setting; I have tried this with a drip coffee maker and it is excellent. Some say that it can't quite match the best machines out there for a cappuccino grind (i.e. very very very fine for very very picky machines) but I do not have a cappuccino machine and so this does not really concern me all that much.
-- Mess:
Awesome, no mess at all. The glass catcher reduces the static on the grinds so that they do not jump (no idea how some complain about mess); no mess here.
After catcher is removed, no excess coffee spills out.
-- Noise:
Not very loud at all; I thought it would be louder. Two scaredy cats in my house and both did not even wake up (same room as the appliance).
-- Cleanup:
Super easy; just rinse the catcher and you are done.
-- Features:
Timer -> 5-20 second; set it once, and it stays from grind to grind. 10 seconds was perfect for my mug (4 cups).
-- Build Quality:
Excellent all around with a glass catcher and plastic hopper. The burrs are very well machined.
-- Looks/Size:
The machine is on the small size but very good looking (I have a black one).
-- Cons:
Motor "should" (at least that is what the manual recommends) rest for 5 minutes before every 20 second grind. Really, for me, this is not an issue as 20 seconds produces about 6-8 cups of medium strength coffee.
Bean hopper is not tinted so leaving beans in it (especially in the light) may not be a great idea but you should not leave beans in the hopper in any case as suggested by all of the other machine's manuals.
Some claim that very very fine cappuccino grinds are not acceptable for very picky cappuccino machines; go figure.
Adjusting the grind size can only be done with the motor running (or so claims the manual). Not a big deal for me since I do not plan to adjust it ... well ... ever after the initial setting (doesn't have to have beans in it but just running motor while adjusting).
--- b. Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder - if money is not an issue, why not - I could find really nothing wrong with it except the price.
-- Grind:
From doing much research, this thing really gets it right for anything you want; even the pickiest cappuccino machines like this thing. French press is also no problem.
-- Mess:
No mess; static is eliminated by their special technology that slows the coffee grinds before they get to the catcher.
-- Noise:
Very quite.
-- Cleanup:
Cannot comment on cleanup but people have said that it is not a problem.
-- Features:
Built in doser - very nice; will auto grind correct amount based on your cup and strength setting.
Nice LCD screen.
Bean hopper is tinted.
-- Build Quality:
Customers claim that it is very solid and well built.
-- Looks/Size:
Looks very nice.
-- Cons:
Price.
--- c. Rancilio ROCKY Rancilio Burr Grinder with Doser - if you want the best, this is it for a reasonable price (reasonable to some, all depends).
Specs:
I am not going to go into detail about this one but needless to say that those very serious about their cappuccino grind, etc. and for whom money is no issue should probably get this machine. Frankly, for this much money, I see no reason.
Conclusion:
- The Breville is an excellent machine. However, if you do not have the extra $110 buck to spend on it, consider the Bodum Bistro Electric Burr Coffee Grinder which is great all around with very minor (at least to me) drawbacks, especially if one is to consider the price/performance ratio. Best of luck and hope this review saves some hours of research.
Description of Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder
The perfect coffee starts with a precise amount of freshly ground beans. The Breville Smart Grinder? contains Dosing IQ? which automatically calibrates each dose every time the grind settings are adjusted, giving you the perfect amount you need each and every time. The Backlit LCD Screen has an easy-to-read large display with 25 Grind settings, number of cups/shots, and customized grind amount options for french press, drip coffee, percolator, and espresso.This machine will automatically grind for direct dosing into Portafilter, Grinds Container or Drip Filter Baskets.Grinders & Roasters
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