Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)**See July 18 update below.
Original Review:
I've been looking for a replacement to my "Lello 45800/3006 Ariete Burr Coffee Grinder" for at least a year. I've probably read a good portion of the reviews for every burr grinder sold by Amazon, and the combined reviews in general left much to be desired for every single one. Finally a few weeks ago I noticed this unit in my search results, and from what I could tell, it was a new release! There were no reviews at all at the time, so frankly there was nothing to dissuade me from purchasing this one. I couldn't even compare prices, because it seemed Amazon was the only one selling it at the time. In addition, the black/stainless styling matched my new coffee maker (Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Brew Central Coffeemaker). So I ordered it, received it today, and I just had my first cup of coffee using its coffee grinds.
I'm no expert on coffee. But I must say this is the easiest coffee grinder I have ever used. There is an LED display alongside a button allowing me to select number of cups. The LED display also shows the selected grind setting dialed on the hopper. First I pressed the button to select number of cups, then I adjusted the dial to select the grind setting. Finally, I pushed Start and let it go. I think the noise level is about half that of my previous grinder, but that's not saying much. The LED display counted down the seconds until completed. I was surprised by the amount of output, which seemed much greater than from my old grinder. But in retrospect I don't think this was due to this unit using more beans. I noticed when I poured the grinds into my coffee filter that the grinds were much looser than I'm accustomed to. I think my previous grinder had been compressing the grinds and there were always clumps. I did not notice any clumps in the output from this unit, and the grinds seemed very even and loose.
Now that I've used the grinder several times, I must say it does spill some grinds onto the base when I remove the bin unless I work the grinds out somehow. I now gently lift the entire unit about an inch off the counter and gently tap it down to release the remaining grinds into the bin. I then remove the bin and tap the lid of the bin a few times before removing the lid. This just minimizes mess and waste.
The grind setting of 6 seems perfect for the relatively dry beans I used this time, even though I used it for auto-drip coffee, not espresso. For oily beans such as Starbucks, 7 might be the optimum grind setting.
Two other differences between this grinder and my previous one were the lids, one for the hopper and one for the grinds bin. In both cases, the lids for this unit snap shut, whereas the ones for my previous unit just nestled precariously on top of the respective containers.
One curious note: there is no way to turn the LED off, which concerned me because it is very bright and I don't want the display to burn out and quit working any time soon. But I think this is why there is no switch: within the entire (tiny-but-informative) manual for this unit, there is only one sentence in all caps: "UNPLUG FROM OUTLET WHEN NOT IN USE...". So there we have it -- that is why there is no on/off switch; the manufacturer expects us to keep the unit unplugged when we aren't actively using it. In response to the other reviewer's comment on needing to reprogram the number of cups after plugging the unit back in, it takes about 4 or 5 seconds to cycle through the number of cups (the default is 12 cups) until the desired selection is displayed, an extremely minor issue.
In spite of it's brevity, the manual is very descriptive and I found it sufficient. It provides a very detailed set of instructions for cleaning. The bean hopper, hopper lid, grind chamber, and grind chamber lid are all dishwasher-proof (top shelf). Then it also provides instructions for removing and cleaning the burr unit.
A dual-purpose scoop/stiff brush is provided.
Regarding it's appearance, it actually looks even nicer in my opinion than my new coffee maker. The body has a sleek, brushed stainless steel appearance, and the blue LED is very attractive when it is on.
The grind chamber is not made of glass, but I live in a humid climate; dry air here is almost a luxury and I rarely have problems with static anyway. Problems with static are dealt with the same as with any other grinder. I personally minimize loose grinds spilling everywhere by the following method. First I remove the hopper lid, then I cover the top of the hopper with the filter (opened wide, placed top down), then I turn the filter/hopper over and place it into the cup, keeping hold of the hopper which is now upside down. Then I tap the bottom of the hopper and remove it from the filter. Finally, I remove the filter from the cup and place it in the appropriate area of the coffee machine. I do this on top of a full sized paper towel, and clean up merely involves folding up the paper towel afterwards to contain the few stray grinds. However this method probably only works well for me because I rarely make more than 4-5 cups of coffee at a time and I always use paper filters.
I didn't find cleaning the unit difficult at all. Dump the beans into another bowl, twist the hopper hard right twice until the arrows align and then lift up, lift up the burr sleeve using a combination of the handle and grasping the sides (if the handle pops off, just pop it back on), and brush, brush, brush. Then twist the sleeve back on, twist the hopper back on, clean up the mess, and you are back in business.
By the way, contrary to the product description, there is no true cord storage; but one can wrap the cord around knobs underside the base.
This product has a 3-year limited warranty.
UPDATE APRIL 30, 2010: I've had this unit for about 15 months and all of a sudden it started whining a high pitched noise and almost no grinds were coming out. I called customer service and they are going to ship me an entirely new unit -- they specified "NEW"; they only asked that I return the old unit in the same box the new one comes in, when I receive it. They said there is a 4.00 shipping charge but they waived it. At this moment I am very impressed with Cuisinart. They surprised me.
UPDATE JULY 18, 2010: The brand new (2-month old) replacement grinder is now doing the same thing my original one started doing after 15 months; after grinding for 14-cups, I'm lucky to get a tablespoon of grinds from this nearly new one. The grinder can work for 20 or more seconds without a single grind coming out, and then I hear it finally grab a bean and a few sparse grinds fall out. Getting enough grinds to make a cup of coffee really heats up the unit. Apparently this is going to happen to these grinders sooner or later. I had one that went bad "later", and one "sooner".
After considering my options, I decided to see if Cuisinart would honor their warranty yet again. Surprisingly, they did! This time they sent UPS to pick up the old (second) one and sent me a third one, brand new. I haven't yet used this third one, but even if it turns out to be as good as the first (lasting more than a year, the duration of my original warranty), I can no longer endorse this product. Even so, I can say this: Cuisinart does honor their warranties!
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