Breville BKC700XL Gourmet Single-Serve Coffeemaker with Iced-Beverage Function
by Breville
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Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: BrevilleBrand: Breville
Model: BKC700XL
Color: Silver
Product features:
- 1500-watt single-cup coffeemaker with quiet pump technology and "showerhead" spray
- LCD control panel; digital clock with auto on/off; 5 brew strengths; variable brew temperature
- Removable 60-ounce water tank; charcoal water filter; iced-beverage function for iced tea or coffee
- Includes sample variety pack of K-Cup coffee pods, a reusable My K-Cup, and a measuring spoon
- You cannot use your Brewer until it has been primed for its first use
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville BKC700XL Gourmet Single-Serve Coffeemaker with Iced-Beverage Function
Customer Review: So much nicer than our Keurig B60!
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
We've had the Keurig B60 (a special platinum Costco edition with only two cup sizes) for about two years now, so we're very familiar with how these machines work. Except for the color, the Breville uses exactly the same K cup holder and My K Cup/filter set; the lids and filters for both are interchangeable. Let me say up front that, at first, it took us a while to get used to the difference in how K-cup coffee tasted, because we (like many others) thought it was "weak." But after we drank Extra Bold K cups for a while and then went back to regular grocery store coffee, we realized the "strong" taste we had been missing was more of a pesticide residue than actual strength of the coffee! We also learned that some blends beg to be taken black; others beg for cream or half and half to taste their best. Trying different blends, brew strengths, and additions is a luxurious adventure that the K-cup brewing system affords you. (See my Breville vs. Mr. Coffee taste test at the end.)
The rest of this review will compare how the Keurig B60 and the Breville machines differ.
The B60 sometimes sounds like a jet taking off in the distance--no louder than a dishwasher, but some dishwashers can be pretty darned loud. Hearing a Keurig "charging" (sending water from the tank into the guts of the machine to heat) gets old in a hurry. We were, then, completely knocked out by how quiet the Breville is. You can hardly hear it when it's charging; the only way you can really tell it's doing it is to watch the very thin illuminated line in the water tank go down as the machine is charged. Priming is easier with the Breville than with the Keurig B60. Also, the Breville has a well designed (and optional-use) charcoal filter to filter your water. (If you choose not to use it, you should use filtered water but NEVER chemically "softened" water.)
I have used my Keurig, sans coffee, to dispense water for steeping tea bags or reconstituting dehydrated foods, which helps me keep it clean, so I tested my Breville (just water) with mason jars at the default 192-degree (selectable to 187-degree) water temperature. After removing the drip tray from its base, a quart-sized mason jar fits with room to spare under the dispenser. I tested all five cup sizes. In the mason jar, the first three settings dispensed right at the 4, 6, and 8 marks on the jar; the two biggest sizes were closer to what's advertised. In a Pyrex measuring cup, these are the equivalents for the machine I tested: 3.25 oz (iced shot) = 4 oz, 5.25 oz = 2/3 cup, 7.25 oz = 7.5 oz, 9.25 oz = 9.75 oz, 11.25 oz = 11.75 oz. Getting very hot water from the Breville is MUCH faster than using the microwave, and I can just dispense it right into the food in my mason jars (or ramen noodle cup or bowl of oatmeal). The machine is set to default to 7.25 oz, the middle size, but you can change the default to whichever size makes most sense for how you normally use your machine. Selecting a different brew size from the set default is super-easy. And, just as with the B60, you can set auto shutoff, auto on/off, and time; the brew size and temperature is unique to the Breville.
I think both machines look sharp, but the black and silver Keurig design with its eerie blue LED-illuminated water tank looks more like something a bachelor would have in his pad to impress the girls, with its futuristic Jetsons/spaceship effect. The Breville, to me, is far more solid and impressive in appearance and looks more "grown up." It doesn't look like an alien has landed in my kitchen, and it fits right in with all my stainless steel. It fits under the cabinet better, too, so it takes up less room.
I appreciate thoughtful design, and the Breville didn't disappoint me. The end of the power cord has a hole in the middle that you stick your finger through to pull the plug out of the socket. Every power cord should be made this way! It really is a boon to people who have arthritis. I also love that you can stow the measuring scoop and My K Cup (OR the separate K Cup holder assembly) in the lid. Both the B60 and the Breville require popping out the K Cup holder to use the separate My K Cup/filter assembly. If you want to use the My K Cup with your own grind of coffee and someone else wants to use a pre-packaged K cup behind you, they have to change the assemblies...and then you have to change them back to brew yourself another cup from your own grind. (This is why people buy those Perfect Pod Makers and EZ Cups for the Keurig, I'm sure.) This is the ONLY thing about the Keurig-type machines I think could have benefited from better design.
As with any appliance, read the directions in their entirety before using the Breville; they are for the most part very thorough, although the first-time user may need to know that sometimes they will be instructed to OPEN the brew head and then NOT instructed to close it again. Just get in the habit of opening, then closing, the brew head before pressing the Brew button.
Okay, one more thing: I did a test with the Breville and the Mr. Coffee drip coffee pot my sister uses. I used the exact same grind of coffee, a Kirkland Signature House Blend ground for auto-drip machines. (The Breville says to use more like a French press grind.) I brewed one full scoop (equivalent to the standard 1/8 cup coffee scoop) on the middle-cup (7.25 oz) setting on the Breville. I used the equivalent amount, per the usual, for each two Mr. Coffee cups for a four-cup pot. (I figure those "cups" are likely about 5 oz. or less.) Then I blind taste-tested them on my partner, who has crummy taste buds. The color of the Breville cup was a little clearer than the Mr. Coffee cup; what some might call "weaker." He said both coffees tasted identical to him. I tasted both myself, and the one from the Breville had a good clean coffee taste (black) that was improved by a little cream. The one from the Mr. Coffee, in comparison, tasted bitter and did not have as refined and interesting of a flavor.
More Breville BKC700XL Gourmet Single-Serve Coffeemaker with Iced-Beverage Function reviews:
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Description of Breville BKC700XL Gourmet Single-Serve Coffeemaker with Iced-Beverage Function
If you prefer maximum coffee freshness, the Breville single-cup brewer serves up java perfection every time. This new upgraded model includes quiet pump technology that brews even quieter than previous models and an iced beverage function that dispenses a concentrated 3-1/2-ounce shot of tea or coffee. Simply dilute with ice and water for iced tea or coffee. Patented showerhead delivers precise amount of water for even coffee extraction and superior flavor. The removable 60-ounce water tank brews up to 10 cups of coffee and includes a water filtration system to reduce impurities in order to optimize drink flavor. LCD control includes a digital clock with auto on-off time, five brew strengths, and variable brew temperature. Brewer uses pre-made K-Cup coffee pods or just add your own favorite roast to the reusable My K-Cup. Includes a sample pack of single-use K-Cups available including cocoa and tea. The My K-Cup and included measuring spoon conveniently store in the brewer's top compartment.Coffee, Tea & Espresso
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