Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew Review: Is This Grinding Thriller Worth It? 2023

Last updated on January 25th, 2024 by Garret Jacob

If coffee is your jam, then a nice hot fresh brewed cup every morning is something you can get excited about. And the best way to get it is to grind your own coffee beans. What’s more thrilling than the fresh aroma of ground coffee beans?!

One of the most popular coffee machines on the market right now for coffee enthusiasts is the Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew. The two-in-one grinder and coffee maker can be the perfect answer to delicious coffee without the hassle of grinding yourself. But is it right for you?

In this quick straight to the gist Cuisinart DGB-900BC review, we answer the question and give our overall rating to help you decide.

Last update on 2024-04-18

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Cuisinart DGB-900BC Review and Rating

Build/Quality

What is it made of? 

Both the coffee machine and carafe are made almost entirely of stainless steel. There are some small parts that are constructed of hard and durable BPA free plastic.

How durable is it?

The coffee machine, built-in grinder, and carafe are incredibly durable. There have been some customer complaints of the seal in the carafe being weak and eventually, it will leak some coffee when pouring a cup. 

But for the most part, you can get at least 5 years from this Cuisinart machine if cared for properly.

Built/Quality rating: 8.6

Performance

What brew modes does it have?

• You can brew drip coffee with either coffee beans or coffee grounds. There is a brew now mode and a brew later mode for each. You can set up the brew later mode by using the convenient 24-hour programmable digital timer.
• Also comes with a 2-4 cup brew option when its just you drinking coffee.
• The grinder is preset to grind coffee beans with a medium coarseness for maximum flavor without bitterness.

Strength control?

• Three settings: strong, medium, and mild.

Temperature control?

• There is no temperature control feature for the Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew.

How many cups does it make?

• Brew anywhere from 2 to 12 five-ounce cups of coffee. Which is pretty standard for a 12 cup machine.

How fast does it brew?

• About 10 minutes to brew a pot

How quiet is it?

• While the majority of users never mentioned the noise of the grinder being a problem, some have reported they find the grinder noise unsettling.
• However, if you have the timer set to grind and brew early in the morning before you wake up and the kitchen is far enough away from the bedrooms in your home, it should not be an issue.

How is the taste and flavor?

The nice thing about the Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew is it is preset to medium coarseness to ensure whole beans are ground not too fine where the coffee can be overly bitter, and not too loose where the coffee has no flavor.

Combined with the three brew strengths, most coffee drinkers were satisfied with the taste, aroma and flavor of their coffee. However, some coffee drinkers who may be used to using an Italian or French press may find that the strong setting is not strong enough.

Performance rating: 8.3

Ease of use/Maintenance

How big is it?

• Dimensions: 32.27 x 19.96 x 40.28 inches
• Some users reported that the machine is quite tall. When it is placed under a kitchen cabinet, often it is difficult to open the water reservoir to pour water into the machine. You likely will have to pull it out from under the cabinet. 

How heavy? Portable?

• This machine weighs close to 15 pounds making it not very portable.

LCD display or push buttons or both?

• LCD display for time and settings. Push buttons and a dial knob for adjusting settings and programming the machine.

How easy is it to use?

For the most part, most users who have purchased the Cuisinart DGB-900BC find the push buttons and dial knob easy to use and simple for programming the machine to brew a nice pot of coffee.

The grinder profile is not adjustable, so you simply pour in your coffee beans, fill the water reservoir, set your cups to brew and let it run.

Maintenance reminders?

• No maintenance reminders. But the machine, filter, and grinder need to be cleaned every other day and it should be de-limed about once a month.
• You can de-lime your machine by purchasing a descaling solution, mixing it with water, and then running it through the machine with a brew cycle.
• Or, some users prefer to use white vinegar because it is chemically less harsh. 

How easy is it to clean?

The jury is still out on how easy the Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew is to clean. Some users had no issues at all removing the filter and grinder and rinsing it under warm water while others found it to be a chore.

Also, many users did not like the fact they had to clean the machine so often to help preserve the integrity of the coffee flavor. It’s about 50/50.

Ease of use/Maintenance rating: 7.5

Design & Features

Does it use pods or ground coffee or both?

• The Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew allows users to grind fresh beans or use already ground coffee to brew their favorite blends of coffee. 

Built-in grinder?

• The built-in burr coffee grinder automatically grinds coffee beans immediately before it is time to brew a pot of coffee. The grinder comes preset to a medium coarseness with no option to change it.
• However, you can set exactly how many cups of coffee you want the grinder to prepare by selecting anywhere from 2 to 12 cups.

Coffee bean hopper

• Half a pound (8 oz) of your favorite coffee bean blends.

Permanent coffee filter included?

• Yes, this Cuisinart Grind & Brew includes a permanent gold tone filter, a built-in charcoal water filter, and a measuring spoon.

Programmable autostart?

• Yes, there is a 24-hour programmable timer that is easy to set. 

Auto pause?

• Yes, there is a brew pause feature that allows you to pour a cup of coffee and place the carafe back onto the hot plate to continue the brew cycle.
• Do not remove the carafe for more than 20 seconds to prevent overflow.

Auto shut off, energy saving mode?

• When the brewing process is complete, you should hear five beeps before the machine automatically steams the coffee for several seconds. Once the steaming is complete, the coffee machine will automatically turn off.

Removable water reservoir? How big?

• The 60 oz water reservoir is not removable.

Comes with a carafe? 

• Yes, one of the highlights of the Cuisinart DGB-900BC is the double-walled stainless steel thermal carafe that can keep coffee hot for hours at a time.
• This may help you resolve the fact there is no heat plate.

Can it dispense hot water?

• No, there is no hot water spigot.

Come in different colors?

• Only comes in silver metallic color.

Pricing

• Currently retails at $250, which is a little pricier compared to other grind and brew machines.

Design/Features rating: 8.5

User satisfaction

Warranty?

• Comes with a 3-year limited warranty.

Specific customer feedback

For the most part, the majority of coffee drinkers were completely happy with the flavor, ease of use and maintenance of the Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew. On Amazon, over 62% of users gave the machine a 5-star rating.

The biggest complaints that customers had were how difficult the water reservoir was to fill because of the machine’s height, how loud the grinder could be, and that after some time of use, the seal on the carafe can start to leak coffee.

Also, a few different people reported that right after the warranty expired, the machine stopped heating the water properly when it was in the brew cycle. 

User Satisfaction rating: 8.1

Pros and Cons

• Things we like
  • Two-in-one coffee grinder and grinder make the freshest pots of coffee every time.
  • Plus you save space and time having the grinder and machine as one
  • Simple and easy to use
  • The built-in charcoal water filter removes any impurities that may alter the flavor of the coffee.
  • Holds up to half a pound of fresh coffee beans and the grinder can be set to grind only what is needed to brew between 2 and 12 cups of coffee.

• Things we don’t like
  • Some users report that the grinder can be quite loud at times.
  • You can’t adjust the grind profile settings
  • Can be difficult to clean for some. Also needs to be cleaned frequently.
  • Expensive retail price of $250.

How Does it Compare?

Cuisinart DGB-900BC vs Gevi 10-Cup Grind & Brew

To get an idea of how worthy the DGB-900BC is, let’s compare it to a highly rated grind and brew machine like the Gevi 10-Cup Grind & Brew.

• Both machines: 
  • Brew a delicious flavorful hot pot of coffee.
  • Are built with a burr coffee grinder that can be set to brew a specific amount of beans for a specific amount of coffee.
  • Both machines are easy to use and have a 24-hour timer brew later feature that is simple.

• But the differences are:
  • The Cuisinart DGB-900BC comes with a thermal carafe that keeps coffee hot while the Gevi has a glass carafe.
  • The Gevi Grind & Brew comes with 8 different grind settings to get the level of coarseness that you would like whereas the Cuisinart has only one coarseness setting.
  • The Gevi is made of mostly plastic vs Cuisinart made with stainless steel.
  • The Gevi brews a mx of 10 cups vs Cuisinart’s 12 cups
  • The Gevi retails at $100 less than the Cuisinart DGB-900BC.

•  Which is better?
  • Over 85% of Amazon customers who have purchased left the Gevi machine with a 5-star rating whereas only 62% of customers who purchased the Cuisinart machine left a 5-star rating.
  • If you value better ratings, more choices in grind profile and an affordable price, then the Gevi is probably the better option.
  • If you really want a 12 cup machine and don’t like the idea of a glass carafe, then the Cuisinart may be the better fit for you.

Final Verdict

Overall, the Cuisinart DGB-900BC is a solid machine that automatically grinds your coffee beans and brews fresh hot coffee. It’s simple to use, built well with stainless steel construction and sleek design, and has nice features like auto programming.

While many users were happy with their Cuisinart DGB-900BC, there were issues of maintenance we didn’t like, and we feel $250 is too expensive for a machine of this moderate quality.

And even though it has nice features as part of Cuisinart’s latest addition to its grind and brew series, when we compared it to other grind and brew machines and considered the coffee drinkers feedback, we think you may be better off saving your money and buying a cheaper machine that can do the same job just as effectively.

Last update on 2024-04-18

For more quality grind and brew coffee makers, check out a few of our favorites:

• Breville Grind Control
• Cuisinart DGB550
• Black+Decker Mill&Brew
• Gevi Grind and Brew

Chief Editor