I've used cheap coffee makers my whole life. Decided to take a chance on a higher end brewer after hearing so many people say my morning cup could be so much better. After some research, decided to go with Breville. My only regret is not trying one years ago. My daily good cup of coffee is now great coffee with this machine. I have since invested in a better coffee grinder too. Very high quality machine and happy with it 1 month in. Hope this helps others who are on the fence or considering an upgrade!

Who loves "coffee shop" brews? Who loves paying $4-5 per cup? This coffee maker is the Gold standard, seriously. After our Ninja coffee maker bit the dust, in our search to find a suitable replacement, we came across this one. The great reviews got our attention. We generally use Dunkin Donuts Coffee"¦this machine takes it to a new level! It has plenty of features, but not so many that one could get overwhelmed. RUN, don't walk, and put this in your cart!

Yes, this is an expensive coffee maker. Yes, it is worth the pricetag. This is going to be lengthy review, but I really had to dig deep to decide to spend $300 on a coffee maker and wanted to weigh my options with you. For me, I only seriously considered 3 makers: the Breville (which I bought), the Technivorm Moccamaster, and the Bona Vita.

I love coffee, and several other makers (french press, espresso machine, etc.) this is hands down the best maker. I had gotten really mad with drip brew makers over the years. I had 2 Mr. Coffee in college, since have used two different Cuisinart makers. This maker has restored my faith in good drip-brew coffee. I recommend 2 different sources to help you shop for a coffee maker. James Hoffman on YouTube did a review of this maker that really persuaded me to get this particular maker. America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Country Gearheads reviewed their coffee makers (although a year or so before this particular product was launched). Between those 2 sources I was in between the Technivorm Mocca and the Breville Precision Brewer. The America's Test Kitchen Review of drip brew coffee makers is what inspired me to look at a higher end product, as they identified so many of my issues with previous makers that I have used. America's Test Kitchen also cited the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) and their "Golden Cup" standards for a good cup of coffee, these include consistency of temperature of brew water and ground coffee to water ratios. My big issue with the Mr. Coffee and Cuisinart products is that they just do not hold enough grounds to make a great pot of coffee (our Cuisinarts had to be loaded lightly to avoid having the grounds spill over into the pot and water tank). America's Test Kitchen identified the ground capacity along with water temperature issues as a key in making a consistently good cup of coffee. Again, even though they did not review this specific coffee maker, the details of their segment on this helped me with the decision process, especially pointing me towards the SCAA Golden Cup info.

Without getting into a deep comparison, here is why I chose the Breville over the Technivorm and Bona Vita. The primary factor was the volume of brewed coffee. The Moccamaster and Bona Vita make 40oz of coffee. I live by myself now, and 40oz is a perfect amount for me, but should I have guests over, 40oz could go pretty quick, and who have to make multiple pots of coffee... The Breville will make up to 60oz at a time and has the option to make less coffee that is still of high quality for 40oz. So this was the biggest draw for me. I personally drink 2-3 12-14 oz cups a morning, so any of these makers would be enough, but I wanted the extra capacity. I mentioned that Breville has an option to make more volume of coffee or less. This is achieved with a cone filter insert (that is included) that fits a standard #4 cone filter paper. Breville recommends this insert for 40oz (8 cups) or less of coffee, and you simply remove the cone filter holder insert and use either the included gold mesh basket filter or large basket filters.
Breville also offered an option that the Moccamaster did not (unsure of BonaVita) and that was the option to do a delayed brew, I can load the grounds before bed and wake to freshly brewed coffee (I have used this feature once, but it is nice). The Breville adds a little more options and customization to the mix compared to the Technivorm. The Breville offers 5 preset brew options: FAST, GOLD, STRONG, OVER ICE, COLD BREW. It also offers the option to tweak and adjust and create a personalized brew setting manually adjusting temperature, speed of brew, soak time, etc. The GOLD Brew Setting meets the parameters set forth by the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America), the Technivorm meets these standards as well. The Technivorm has an on/off switch. The friend who owns one has attached a timer to the machine so he can load it at bedtime.

Having had hands on both the Technivorm and the Breville, there is a good build quality on both products, neither feels cheap. The Technivorm is more solid, and I would expect that it will last much longer due to the simplicity and quality. The warranty is also better for the Technivorm. Ultimately the ability to adjust the settings and the 20oz of extra brew capacity sold me on the Breville.

I have had this product for a month and a half and still love it. I don't think that I will ever be able to go back to a cheap coffee maker. I have used this with my favorite variety, some local varieties, but I have also used my favorite cheap coffee (Wholefoods 365 Pacific Rim $11 for 1.5lbs). This really does elevate coffee. I previously had only used the hot plate and glass carafe brewers, and I do think the insulated carafe helps significantly.

Bottom line: do you spend $300 on this coffee maker? Yes, if you drink and use your coffee maker almost daily, I think that this is worth the investment. Especially if you are a bit of a coffee snob. If you simply want coffee to taste warm and brown or use Folgers, I would look at a less expensive machine. If you do not need timed brew, and more than 40oz capacity, I would choose the Technivorm over this product. If you just cannot spend 300 on a brewer, the Bona Vita is good option.

I previously purchased this identical, coffee maker with the glass decanter. The decanter broke, and I did not like the coffee being heated and becoming burnt over time, so I re-ordered the coffee maker with the thermal carafe instead. This is the coffee maker that satisfies all my needs. I was worried that the carafe would not keep the coffee, warm enough, after all, Some of the evaluation's talk about that, but I have found that the insulated carafe does an excellent job of keeping the coffee hot without the burning taste of an external heater and a glass carafe. There's a lot of choices on how to do your coffee here, from single cup to ice tea to adjust thing the bloom and taste.

The media could not be loaded. I've put the Breville Precision Automatic Coffeemaker to the test!
What I discovered was amazing coffee in every batch! I was very hesitant to spend $300 on a coffeemaker. I was hoping that for that price, it would also wash, dry and fold my laundry, but no such luck. Instead, I settled for a perfect cup of coffee, which I think is a pretty good trade-off if you ask me.

This well-made brewer impressed me at almost every step. I fell like the price is worth the money for this coffeemaker. I'll give you a simple run down and you can decide for yourself!

Sturdy design

The water reservoir and body are hard sturdy plastic.
The thermal carafe is large with a large opening for easy cleaning
The lid is very sturdy and very easy to use with a flow-through brew and no adjustments before pouring.
The filter basket is deep, wide and sturdy and moves in and out of the machine as smooth as butter.
Options

This baby has all the options you could ever want! Seriously, there is something for EVERYONE.

You like a mesh filter - comes with one
You like a cone filter - comes with one
You like cold brew - does it
You like iced coffee - done
You like strong coffee - there's a setting for that
You like your coffee exactly as it's recommended by the SCA - yeah, you guessed it, there's a setting for that!
You like it hotter, cooler, faster, slower, longer bloom time, no bloom time - you can you the "My Brew" settings and get EXACTLY what you want! I LOVE THIS.
Oh did I mention that it's also got an auto-start?
Do you think the only way to brew perfect coffee is a pour-over method? Well, my friend, it can do that too! (but this does require additional equipment)
Features worth mentioning:

Due to the unique water boiler design, the water remains at a steady temperature throughout the brewing cycle so all of your coffee is perfectly extracted, and you CAN tell a difference.

The fact that the brewer gets the water to 195 - 205 is another reason the coffee turns out so amazing.

The water reservoir has lines that are easy to read, so you know exactly how much coffee you're about to brew. This tells you how much ground coffee to add to the filter.

It comes with a scoop that coincides with the number of cups that are marked on the water reservoir. You are brewing 4 cups, use 4 scoops... 6 cups, 6 scoops and so on.

Selecting the options using the dial are very intuitive and easy to use.

What it's missing from this machine:

The maid/butler to deliver you a hot cup of coffee in bed.
A telepathic genie that will push the button for you.
A grinder to grind the beans.
Someone to sit with you and chat while you're enjoying an amazing cup of coffee.
A coffee subscription to Bean Hoppers coffee (that would be a perfect world).

My personal cons (but are really small gripes):

The water reservoir does not come off for filling up the water to your desired level, and it would really make it easier to clean the reservoir. But since the opening is really wide, it's easy to wipe out from time to time, plus I could descale it.
The lines on the reservoir are in 5 or 10-ounce increments. In the USA, 6 ounces is considered a cup and we're used to measuring 2 TBSP of coffee per 6 oz of water, but in the UK, 5 oz. is a cup. But they do provide you with a scoop that holds less than 2 TBSP and I've used it (heaping) and it really does taste great using their measurements too!
The lid to the carafe gets water stuck inside it and potentially it may not dry out.
Cost - very expensive, but I also think it's very well made and the cost is justified by the experience and the quality of the brewer and the amazing coffee it makes.
It doesn't wash my laundry... just sayin.

MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THIS MACHINE:

The water temperature is perfect and EASY to adjust.
The settings are intuitive and easy to figure out and navigate.
The water reservoir is easy to open, easy to see and has multiple methods of measure. (which is amazing!)
The carafe is easy to clean.
The filter basket is easy to clean.
It really makes amazing coffee.
It literally has something for everyone, no matter how you like your coffee.

Overall I highly recommend the Breville Precision Brewer and would rate it a 9 out of 10 even at this price.
Only because I haven't tried some other really nice brewers on the market that I'm still going to try. But I'm not sure how it could get much better.