Product Description

Elegant SS styling

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #282 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Cuisinart
• Model: DBM-8
• Dimensions: 7.60" h x 8.70" w x 12.40" l, 5.26 pounds

Features

• Elegantly styled, heavy-duty, automatic coffee mill
• Burr grinding mechanism for uniform grounds and optimum flavor
• 18-position grind selector, from ultra fine to coarse
• Slide dial from 4 to 18 cups; capacious grounds chamber with lid
• Measures 6-3/4 by 9-3/4 by 5 inches; 18-month warranty

Amazon.com Review
A stylish grinder for the serious coffee buff, this Cuisinart Supreme Grind automatic burr mill provides plenty of options and good results in an attractive and tidy structure. This makes it a great appliance for houses where coffee is a steady dietary staple and preferences vary from espresso to French drip. Outfitted with a heavy-duty motor, the machine has 18 grind settings ranging from fine to extra-coarse, which are controlled by a clearly marked, pleasantly clicking dial. Rotate the hopper to personal preference, and the machine does the rest, using burr plates for a highly uniform grind that protects bean oils and releases more flavor. Automatic operation in this grinder covers quantity as well--simply set the amount slide control anywhere from 4 to 18 cups. The grinder shuts off when the desired level is reached. Transfer of ready grounds to a coffee pot or espresso group is quick and tidy, because the grind chamber slides out with its clever lid in place.

Smart and elegant, the grinder has brushed stainless steel housing and black accents in durable plastic. The hopper, hopper lid, grinding burr, and grind chamber all remove easily for cleanup, and a safety feature keeps the grinder from operating without the hopper and chamber in place. Standing 6-3/4 by 9-3/4 by 5 inches, the unit has built-in power cord storage at its base. Cuisinart includes a coffee scoop/cleaning brush in one and covers the machine with an 18-month warranty. --Emily Bedard

Customer Reviews

Almost as good as I expected
First off, the grind you get from a burr grinder is superior to a blade, hands down. This grinder makes a superbly uniform grind, and the fineness/coarseness is easily adjustable. For the price, this is an excellent burr grinder. Highly recommend it for your average coffee drinker. If you are grinding things finely, grinding spices or flavored coffees, or grinding lots of coffee, read on for important details.

I was a little disappointed with the plastic grind hopper. Burr grinders I have used in the past were glass, and while I didn't think plastic would be a big deal, extremely fine grinds tend to 'stick' due to static electricity.

When doing longer grinds (for larger pots of coffee, etc) the motor really starts to sound strained. I'm worried that with heavy use over a few months I might have issues with it. If I do, I'll update this review.

*most* of the grinder is very easy to clean... however, inside the base there are a couple of pieces out of reach, and really fine grinds tend to collect just inside the chute that dumps the grinds into the hopper. If you grind flavored coffees (or, in my case, fresh seed spices) and need to clean it, you might be a little frustrated.

An attractive, efficient, and competent grinder
This is the second automatic hopper-type burr grinder that I've owned. The first was the similarly-priced Capresso 551.01, which died after a couple years of use. I don't know what the lifespan of this Cuisinart grinder will be yet, but so far I'm extremely impressed with the comparison between the two. Start with the weight, at nearly 4 pounds--it simply feels more substantial. (The Capresso is a comparatively diminutive 2 lb. 9 oz.) The casing is an attractive stainless steel (which may just be a veneer over plastic, but it certainly looks nicer than the Capresso's black plastic) and the hopper and grind chamber are of thick, good-quality acrylic.

The Capresso had to be emptied before changing the grind coarseness, and had a small, finger-bruising wheel with which to adjust it, but the Cuisinart's entire hopper turns freely to adjust the grind, filled or not. I'm also very pleased to find that the Cuisinart doesn't dust the countertop with a sprinkling of coffee after use, as the Capresso did. The motor isn't whisper-quiet by any stretch, but it's not as noisy as many home grinders.

There are only two disadvantages of this grinder, in my opinion. First, the timer can only be adjusted in two-cup increments (minimum of 4 cups). It does this with a satisfying click, but still, I'd like to nudge the slider a bit for a weaker morning brew or a stronger nighttime one. Second, the hopper contains almost four cups' worth of coffee below the visible area, inside the machine. That, combined with the grinder's heftier weight, makes it a chore to empty it if you want to change coffees (say, if a guest requests decaf). Not only do you have to turn this brute upside-down, but you also have to turn it every which way so that all the coffee inside the machine works its way out.

But these are minor quibbles. Overall, this is an excellent machine.

Good buy for the Price
Don't believe that ANY grinder in this price range will be the ultimate grinder for all your grinding needs. I read with amusement as some reviewers slammed this grinder for not grinding well enough to use with their espresso machines. I own this machine for use with my drip coffee maker only. I own a $500+ Mazzer Grinder for my espresso machine. The point being, that for the absolute consistent grind needed for use with espresso, you better be willing to step up significantly in price. That said, on to this grinder review.

Considering there are no decent blade grinders on the market - including those in the $25 price range, the best grinder to have is a burr grinder. Burr grinders do not create the heat that destroys the flavor of your beans and creates a more uniformed grind. Burr grinders do not produce the large "chunks" of beans in varying size that a blade grinder does. I have yet to see any missed "untouched" beans find their way past the burrs (as one reviewer claimed) and find that hard to believe, considering beans can only pass through the small space between the burrs and would thus be ground on their way through. You may get some bean smaller than your setting, but will not get anything larger than your setting.

As with any burr grinder under $200 this grinder does create some powder. It creates a lot of powder if you attempt to grind at its' finest setting (called Turkish Coffee). For drip coffee makers though, a mid-range toward coarse setting doesn't produce enough powder to be a concern when using paper filters in your coffee maker and a GOOD bean to start with. I sometimes wonder if the complaints of "bitterness" from some reviewers isn't a problem with their bean choice or their water temperature. As a drinker of 100% Kona in my drip maker, I have yet to taste a bitter cup of coffee, even with the less than a tsp. of powder that is present in my freshly ground coffee.

Noisy? Yes, but no more noisy than some and less noisy than most in this price range. A grinder of this size will create noise, but unless you plan on grinding 24/7 that is to be expected. My guests are actually enthralled by the noise and the ability to watch fresh beans meet their demise (I hang with a morbid crowd) as the beans slowly disappear down the hopper. The timer is a nice touch if noise is a concern. The fact that you can turn it on, leave the room and return in a minute or two (avoiding the noise) to find the unit automatically shut off should make those with sensitive hearing happy.

This grinder has a decent weight to it, making it feel sturdy on your countertop. The S/S body also gives the appearance of a well built machine and makes it more stylish than your standard black plastic neoprene models being produced by other manufacturers. This is a solid, sturdy, and well built machine for this price.

If there are complaints that you should be warned about, it is the age old problem of static cling caused by the use of plastic for the grounds receiver. Cuisinart should have used glass to receive the grounds. I would have gladly paid an extra $3 on the final price in order to avoid dealing with the static cling found in every machine that uses plastic for this purpose. The other is the clean-up, if you are as anal as I am about coffee equipment. Again, the static cling is annoying, but I keep a slim painters brush nearby for the purpose of brushing out the chute and receiver which makes the task quick and easy. It loses a star for the static cling issues, but I guess every grinder in this price range has the same problem because they use plastic.

Overall, for under $50 this is a very good machine for the price.