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Café Specialty Grind and Brew review: Is this buzzy coffee maker worth it?
This drip coffee maker with a grinder has gotten lots of attention for its sleek design and customizable functions. But how well does it really work?
When Café launched its Specialty Grind and Brew coffee maker with grinder last year, it made a big splash. The machine promises barista-level java that you can customize in various ways, plus it has a built-in grinder to make your mornings fuss-free. All you have to do is fill the water tank, add beans to the hopper and tap a few buttons on the machine's touch screen to get brewing. Sounds like a coffee lover's dream, right?
I did, in fact, find elements of this machine dreamy. First off, it looks cool, with a sleek shape and gleaming copper accents. I loved all the ways you could customize your brew, including the grind size and water temperature (though you can opt to automate some of those functions if you want to keep things simple). I also was impressed to learn that this drip coffee maker is one of only 23 home brewers certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), meaning it meets specific requirements for quality. Alas, not everything about this appliance was perfect — and considering it costs about $300, that put a damper on my caffeine high. Here's my Café Specialty Grind and Brew review.
This drip coffee maker with a grinder promises a lot — and mostly delivers.
- Built-in grinder
- Easy-to-use touchscreen
- Good coffee quality
- Programmable
- Stylish design — this will be the star of your kitchen!
- Quiet, even when grinding
- Expensive
- Takes up a ton of counterspace
- Prone to dripping ...
- ... and cleanup is a pain
Café Specialty Grind and Brew: What I loved
I tested this machine for several weeks as part of our guide to the best drip coffee makers of 2024, and was most impressed with its interface. The buttons on the touchscreen are self-explanatory and intuitive, and they respond to a light touch. It took some playing around because you can adjust so many settings, but the manual gives helpful guidelines.
The display is also very instructional (for example, it reminds you to adjust the slider on the brew basket if you're brewing a mug versus a pot of coffee). I loved that it has a countdown timer so you know when your coffee will be ready. And unlike many other drip coffee makers, the water tank is removable, so you can fill it up directly in the sink.
Finally, this machine works quickly. Even with grinding, it produced a full pot (10 cups) in about eight-and-a-half minutes. For comparison, many of the other drip coffee machines I tested took 11 to 12 minutes to brew a 12-cup pot, and they didn't have a built-in grinder. If you're rushing to get your caffeine fix in the morning, you won't be disappointed.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew: What I liked
I mentioned this above, but the machine looks fantastic, with an almost space-age design and a pearlized finish (the company describes it as matte, but I beg to differ). The copper accents add a luxe touch. I'd be proud to keep this coffee maker on my counter — but at 14 inches wide and 17 inches tall, it's too big for my kitchen! This thing truly is massive and is probably better suited for a coffee station or bar area if you have the space. Sadly, I also noticed some scratches marring the finish, and I don't know how they got there.
I appreciate that you can easily make different size servings, including a single mug's worth of joe. To do so, you swap in a smaller single-serve filter. It took about three-and-a-half minutes to make an 8-ounce cup of coffee. I didn't think the brew tasted as good as when I made a full pot — it was a bit watery — but overall, the coffee was flavorful and smooth.
If you're worried about waking up to the sound of loud grinding, rest assured that this machine is fairly quiet. It does emit high-pitched beeps while you're programming the touchscreen, which I found annoying. But you can turn them off by holding down the "strength" button on the panel.
Tech nerds, this final point is for you: The machine offers Wi-Fi connectivity to an app that lets you create custom brew settings and program the machine for a specific time; it also sends you alerts when it's time to descale. It's a nice bonus if you like that kind of thing; otherwise, you can skip the app and the machine still works great.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew: What I didn't like
The machine comes with a charcoal filter for your water, which is a nice touch, but I found it impossible to fit into the water tank. You're supposed to be able to unscrew the filter holder, and I simply could not do it — it felt like it was welded to the tank. This isn't a huge deal, but it frustrated me at the get-go because it's part of the initial setup.
I also did not love the level of cleaning this coffee maker requires. Fine grinds from the burr grinder collect inside the filter basket and on the showerhead (where the water comes out to soak the grinds during brewing), so you'll have to rinse/wipe down these pieces often. Some reviewers on Amazon also complained about this. I tested the white version of this machine (it also comes in black and stainless), and it showed every stain and drip. And there were a lot of them — expect splashing, especially when you're making a single mug.
Drip coffee makers come with either a glass or thermal carafe. Generally, the latter is better because it keeps the coffee uniformly hot without relying on a warming plate, which can scorch your brew. The Grind and Brew has a thermal carafe (yay!), but it did not keep the coffee as warm after an hour as many of the other machines I tested (boo). You can read more details about this in the best drip coffee makers of 2024.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew: The final verdict
At about $300 (it retails for $329 but is occasionally on sale for less), this coffee maker is a splurge, but if you have the budget and like a machine with lots of bells and whistles, it's a worthwhile buy. Although it's not perfect, the plusses outweigh the minuses, especially because it's so easy to use.
The matte black finish looks so sophisticated!
