If you’re looking for a coffee maker and a coffee bean grinder, did you know you can get them both in the same machine? Having a coffee maker with a built-in grinder will save you countertop space and be of benefit in other ways.

Drinking coffee first thing in the morning for the past 50 or so years has taught me that if I wanted coffee with the best flavor, I would be sure to grind the coffee beans right before brewing the coffee.

There is no other way to do the grinding immediately before brewing that works better than having a built-in grinder.

Like all other coffeemakers, the coffee makers with built-in grinder (also known as self-grind coffee maker) come in several brands. It was difficult to choose the best since many are very similar but there is one we feel is better than all other models. For the best coffee maker with built-in grinder we chose the Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew Thermal 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker.

Besides being very programmable, it is good looking made of state-of-the-art brushed stainless steel with a built-in burr grinder that will grind your favorite coffee beans to perfection before automatically brewing a pot of one of the best tasting coffee.

One feature that makes it the best is the charcoal water filter. If you use tap water for making coffee and you don’t like how that water tastes, your coffee is not going to taste as good as it could when using a water filter. The water quality is as important as the coffee quality and the Cuisinart DGB-900BC will remove chlorine and any other bad tastes for a pure cup of coffee every time.

The Cuisinart DGB-900BC is programmable with the control panel that has a backlit digital display that highlights the time and program that you set. It has a 24-hour timer for automatic brewing so you can wake up to a fresh pot of coffee. You can program it to be customized to your liking of strong, medium, or mild.

This fully automatic and 24-hour programmable coffee maker is versatile in many ways. You can use pre-ground coffee or fill it with your favorite coffee beans and within minutes have a very fresh cup of delicious coffee filling your kitchen with the aroma you love. To use the pre-ground coffee you can turn off the grinder by pressing the Grind Off button before turning on the unit. The maximum amount of ground coffee is 16 level scoops and exceeding the amount could cause an overflow. Instead of needing to buy coffee filters, there is a gold tone permanent filter and it has a filter basket cover. It can be removed for easy cleaning and is safe to be put in the top rack of the dishwasher.

The Cuisinart DGB-900BC has a grind-control function to make it easy to set the amount of coffee you want to grind from 2 to 12 cups. The bean hopper holds one half pound of beans and has a sealed air-tight lid to keep the beans fresh and is equipped with a safety lock. It works best when the hopper is filled at lease half way so that you will have enough to grind and brew a full pot of coffee.

The thermal double-wall insulated carafe is made of stainless steel and holds 12 cups of 5 ounces each. It will keep the coffee hot for hours so the last cup is as good as the first. There is an brew-pause that stops the flow of coffee for up to 20 seconds so you can fill up a cup before the carafe is filled completely. The carafe is easy to pour, has an ergonomic handle, brewed coffee markings for two to twelve cups and is drip free. The non-stick hot plate will stay warm until it shuts off automatically, which can be set from one to four hours.

Features

Here are some of the features of the Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew Thermal 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker:

• Burr grinder is automatic and grinds beans before brewing coffee
• Charcoal water filter to make tap water taste great
• The carafe is thermal double-wall insulated to keep 12 cups hot
• Programmable with backlit digital display is easy to read
• Customize for strong, medium, or mild strength
• The pause-brew feature is great when in a hurry
• 24-hour programmable timer to preset time to start
• Clock and LCD display of auto on and other programs
• The grinder can be turned off if using pre-ground coffee
• It has a gold-tone permanent filter and no need for paper filters
• Most coffeemakers that can be programmed to grind and brew before you get up in the morning cost more than $150
• Dimensions are 7.9 inches wide x 12.7 inches deep x 15.9 inches high
• Coffee scoop, brush, and instruction manual are included
• Limited three-year warranty

Advantages

• Tastes better with a water filter
• Just one machine instead of having two
• Attractive design that looks good on the countertop
• Permanent filter instead of buying filters
• Ability to use a grinder or pre-ground coffee
• More compact than others and will fit under most kitchen cabinets
• The thermal carafe keeps coffee hot longer than glass
• Price is not as high as similar models

Disadvantages

• Cover may become warped and it won’t start
• If a return is needed, you pay for shipping

Verdict

For all that this coffeemaker does it seems like it should cost more. Just the water filter feature was enough to convince me that it would be worth having. We hope our choice of the Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew Thermal 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker is the best coffee maker with a built-in grinder that will help you decide if it is the one for you.