Breville Grind Control BDC650 Review: Is This Flavorful Elite Worth It? 2024

Last updated on February 18th, 2023 by Marissa Bergen

Many coffee drinkers prefer to grind their own beans for the freshest coffee. But it can be time consuming. Also if the grind is too coarse, or the machine isn’t up to snuff, you may end up with coffee that’s not as flavorful as you hoped. 

Breville coffee makers are known to produce the perfect pot of coffee. The built in grinder along with the steep and release technology of the Breville Grind Control coffee maker help to truly capture the essential oils and freshness of your coffee beans. But is it the right machine for you?

In this quick straight to the gist Breville Grind Control BDC650 review, we answer the question and give our overall rating to help you decide.

Last update on 2024-03-27

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Breville Grind Control BDC650 Review and Rating

Build & Quality

What is it Made Of?

The BDC650 is made from a durable stainless steel. This is an ideal material for coffee maker construction as it is food safe and will not affect food taste. It can also withstand extreme temperatures and is corrosion resistant. 

Durability

Most customers find this Breville machine to be fairly durable and can last for years. But if you don’t keep up with the maintenance, the lifespan can cut short on you.

Overall Quality Rating: 8.8

Performance

Brew Modes

• You can brew the coffee for a single cup serving or carafe with different strength settings. You can also use the machine’s auto-brew feature. 

Grinding

• The built in burr grinder has 6 settings so you can find the perfect grind for your brew. The stainless-steel burrs will produce a consistent particle size which we all know is crucial for a better flavor coffee.

Steep and Release

• The steep and release basically controls the strength and flavor of the coffee. The BDC650 will steep the grounds in water to allow all the flavors and aroma to be extracted at the time you tell it.
• But this feature is only active in the single cup mode

Strength control

• The BDC650 has a clever calibration function to determine the right coffee water ratio based on the weight of your ground coffee beans and the strength of coffee you choose.
• Strength setting range from 1-8

Number of Cups

• You can adjust the settings to make a single cup (5 oz) of coffee or a full 12 cup (60 oz) carafe. 
• The single cup mode uses the steep function to immerse the coffee beans in water for a few minutes and then release it into your mug for optimal flavor.
• 12 cups of coffee is good if you want medium strength coffee. For strong coffee, the most is 8 cups, otherwise it may overflow.

How Quiet is It?

• When the Breville Grind Control grinds, it makes a noise similar to paper shredder. However, the noise stops after 20 seconds, and the machine works pretty quietly from then on. 

Taste and Flavor

Unanimously, everyone agrees the flavor, aroma, and subtle notes of your coffee beans are on full display with this machine. The precise grind control, hot SCA certified water temperature, and steep and release technology are the biggest contributors to the fresh tasting coffee you enjoy.

How Fast Does It Work?

A single cup serving will take about 4-5 minutes to brew, while a full carafe pot will run for about 10 minutes. It also has a feature that allows you to adjust brew time. 

Overall Performance Rating: 9.5

Ease of Use/Maintenance

How Big Is It?

The Breville Grind Control BDC650 is quite large. Many customers complained about how much space it takes up on their counter. Its large size also makes it difficult to move or take anywhere. The product dimensions are 8.5” D x 12.5” W x 16.3” H. It weighs a whopping 16 pounds, heavy compared to most other drip coffee makers with a grinder.

User Display

The BDC650 has both an LCD display and push buttons. The push buttons are used to program the machine while the LCD display shows your current settings. 

How Easy is it to Use?

A grinding coffee maker may seem intimidating if you don’t know much about coffee. You may be concerned about the coffee water brew ratios, grind size and brew temperature you need to get the perfect taste. 

Fortunately, the Breville Grind Control is easy to use to figure out all those factors. Just pour in your coffee beans, choose a strength level, coffee size and you’re good to go. The LCD tells you everything you need to know including your water levels, strength, and cup size. 

However, getting the perfect brew may take some trial and error. If the coffee tastes watery, try a finer grind. If it tastes bitter, try a coarser grind. 

How Easy is It to Clean?

Cleaning can be challenging with the Breville Grind Control BDC650. The oils from the coffee beans tend to build up on the machine’s parts, requiring regular grinder cleaning. Also if you don’t wash and dry the metal disk around the brew basket daily, it will get clogged. It could also negatively affect the taste of the coffee. 

However, the machine was designed to make cleaning as easy as possible. It has a swing out door that provides easy access to the removable coffee basket. The company also offers an easy-to-follow cleaning protocol that you can check out. 

Overall Ease of Use Rating: 7.9

Design & Features

Pods or Grounds?

• You can use the machine for grinding beans or set it to brew pre-ground coffee. 

Coffee Filters

• The machine comes with a permanent gold tone coffee filter for the strongest coffee. You can also use your own paper filters. 

Water reservoir

• Comes in at about 60 oz, which is a decent size depending on how much coffee you drink
• Big downside is that its not removable so filling and cleaning can be challenging

Programmable

• The Breville lets you program for a cup or carafe, and you can use the auto-start mode. The auto start mode means you can always wake up in the morning to a fresh cup of coffee! 
• You can also pause the brew for the carafe mode if you want a cup before the cycle is done.

Coffee bean hopper

• With an 8 oz. capacity, thats a decent size to accommodate several cups of coffee at a time.

Does it Come with a Carafe or Mug?

• The machine comes with a 12-cup thermal carafe. This means hotter fresh coffee for longer. About 2-3 hours hot, 4-6 hours warm.
• You can also replace the carafe with a cup and set the brew mode accordingly. You can even adjust the machine, so it accommodates larger mugs. 

Pricing

• The Breville Grind Control BDC650 is pricier than most other coffee machines. Amazon lists it at $320+. However, it may be worth it as it offers both high end brewing and grinding features. 
• On the other hand, the grinder may not be worth the money if you are considering investing in a manual brewer at some point in the future. 

Overall Design Features Rating: 8.3

User Satisfaction

Warranty

• The product is covered by a one-year limited warranty. Not that long, but standard.

Customer Feedback

The Breville Grind Control BDC650 has racked up generally good reviews. 3 out of 5 customers have given it a good review on Amazon. 

People like it because it makes a hot, flavorful cup of coffee. They also like the AutoStart feature. 

Those with complaints mentioned the machine’s large size. It is also high maintenance, and you may waste coffee finding the perfect grind size for your brew. 

Overall User Satisfaction Rating: 7

Overall Rating: 8.3

Pros and Cons

Things We Like:

• Makes a great cup of coffee fairly fast
• Has a convenient auto-start mode
• Easy to use
• Makes carafes and single cups of coffee

Things We Don’t Like:

• Machine is quite large
• High maintenance, especially with the grinder
• Grinder settings are not easy to keep track of with lack of markings
• No brew pause feature
• Carafe design makes it difficult to pour out the last cup
• Expensive

How Does it Compare

Breville Grind Control BDC650 vs. Cuisinart DGB-900BC

So how does the Breville Grind Control compare to other products? Let’s see how it holds up to the Cuisinart DGB-900BC.

Both machines:

• Will brew up a 12-cup carafe of delicious fresh coffee
• Feature automations like brew pause and a grind off settings
• Have a burr grinder and settings that allow you to select the grind profile. 
• Come with a gold tone commercial style filter and allow you to use paper filters as well. 

But there are a number of differences to consider:

• The Cuisinart features an auto shut-off whereas the Breville has an auto-start mode.

• Cup/Carafe: The Breville gives you the option of making a single cup of coffee or a carafe. The Cuisinart does not. 

• Noise Factor: People complain that the Cuisinart is loud. There are few, if any, Brevile noise complaints.

• Size: The Cuisinart measures 32.27 x 19.96 x 40.28” making it considerably larger than the Breville which measures 8.5” D x 12.5” W x 16.3” H. However, at 14.96 pounds, it is slightly lighter than the 16 lb. Breville. 

• Easy to Clean: Many people who bought the Breville said it was difficult to clean, while the Cuisinart is easy to clean unless you use oily coffee. 

• Price: The Cuisinart is slightly less expensive than the Breville

• Customer Reviews: The Cuisinart did slightly better with customer reviews.

Both machines have many comparable features. However, the Cuisinart stands out as it is easier to clean, lower in price, and has better customer reviews. 

On the other hand, you may prefer the Breville if you are looking for a machine that’s a little smaller or if you enjoy the convenience of it brewing just a single cup of coffee. 

Final Verdict

The Breville BDC650 is a grind and brew coffee maker thats easy to use with nice customizable features like grind profile and steep settings. We like it as a good choice if you are looking for a fresh tasty brew with the versatility of both single cup and carafe options. 

On the other hand, it can be challenging to meet the regular grinder and coffee basket cleaning requirements necessary, and it is pricey compared to other coffee makers with grinders on the market.

If full bodied flavor is absolutely what you care about the most, then the Breville BDC650 is perfect for you. If you need something more affordable and less maintenance, then I would say consider other options.

Last update on 2024-03-27

For more of our favorite grind and brew coffee machines, check out these reviews:

• Cuisinart Grind & Brew DGB-550
• Cuisinart Grind & Brew DGB-900BC
• Black+Decker Mill and Brew CM5000
• Gevi Grind and Brew

For more quality Breville machines to consider, check out the reviews on our favorites here:

• For your drip coffee enthusiasts:
  • Breville Precision Brewer
• For more espresso maker options:
  • Breville Barista Express
  • Breville Barista Pro
  • Breville Bambino vs Bambino Plus
  • Breville Cafe Roma

FAQs

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