Every coffee lover and professional barista knows that the secret behind a rich and flavorful coffee lies in the consistent grinding of the coffee bean. For this reason, people are always on the lookout for the most efficient and budget-friendly coffee burr grinder in the market.
Breville is a name that has outshined in this category for a long time and continues to do so with the introduction of the most reliable and convenient kitchen appliances. With over twenty years of experience under its belt, Breville has become one of the most trusted brands for coffee grinding machines.
Today, we will review two of its most notable products, the Smart Grinder Pro and Dose Control Pro models, based on various features and decide which grinder is the best for making the most mouth-watering cup of Joe.
Related Reading: Breville Smart Grinder Pro vs Baratza Virtuosa – Which Is Better?
So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Breville Smart Grinder Pro Review
Breville BCG820BSS Smart Grinder Pro Coffee Bean Grinder
Discover complete control over your coffee with Breville’s Smart Grinder Pro. Choose from 60 grind settings, adjust grind time in 0.2 sec increments, and achieve consistent doses every time.
Material:
Stainless Steel
Weight:
6.4 Pounds
Dimensions:
8.5 x 6 x 15.5 inches
Color:
Stainless Steel
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08/20/2023 08:51 pm GMT
If we were to describe Breville Smart Grinder Pro in three words, they would be smart, user-friendly, and versatile. It is an advanced home espresso grinder suitable for brewing French press and other types of coffee, all thanks to its 60 precise grind setting options.
Design and Durability
It is no secret that coffee grinders have a wide range of prices. Therefore, when looking for a machine, it is crucial to ensure that the appliance is equipped with durable and long-lasting components. For this reason, Breville uses a stainless steel housing and conical burrs in its innovative grinder pro model.
Its sturdy steel body not only makes the appliance resistant to impacts but also complements the theme of most kitchens.
On the flip side, with a weight of 6.4 pounds and a large body, Breville’s pro grinder might be difficult to fit inside packed cabinets and needs to improve in portability.
Ease of Use
The most stellar feature of Breville’s coffee grinder is its user-friendly controls. As its name states, this smart burr grinder contains the most intelligent technology, including a blue LCD panel. This screen displays essential information such as the grind size, timer, number of cups, and a few buttons for easy and quick control.
The Breville Smart Pro grinder has four adjustable grind settings of espresso, filter, plunger, and percolator. You can either set a value for the number of cups needed and have the machine provide you with an estimated grinding time or manually use the manual-grind button. In addition, the start/pause button on the panel comes handy if you want to settle grinds in the portafilter during the dose.
Grinding Power
Since the sole purpose of buying a coffee grinder is to press espresso beans, let us now look at the grinding capabilities of the Breville Smart Pro machine.
The model supports 60 precise grind setting options for preparing everything from pour-over to Moka pots. It promises to grind the coffee beans consistently and has ten micro-adjustments to decide between a finer or coarser grind.
Additional Features
Another feature of this espresso machine is its programmable settings which easily remember and repeat frequently used grind choices. In addition, the unit has a removable top burr and magnetic base plate for collecting spilled coffee debris and easy grinder cleaning. Yet, despite these extraordinary attributes, the Breville Smart Grinder is still sold for an unbelievably low price!
What We Like:
- 60+ adjustable grind settings
- Versatile and suitable for espressos, French press, and Moka pots
- Sturdy and durable stainless steel body
- User-friendly controls with simple dials on the LCD
- Consistent and above-average grind quality
What We Don’t Like:
- It takes some time to get used to its controls
- Limited grind range for espresso
Breville Dose Control Pro Review
Breville BCG600SIL Dose Control Pro Coffee Bean Grinder
The BCG600SIL is a semi-automatic coffee grinder featuring 60 grind settings, conical stainless steel burrs, a 1 lb removable bean hopper, and BPA-free components. Hands-free grinding and an interchangeable razor for porta filter baskets make brewing your perfect cup easy.
Material:
Plastic
Weight:
4.5 Pounds
Dimensions:
8 x 6 x 13.5 inches
Color:
Silver
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If you thought that the Smart Grinder Pro Breville grinder was good value for money, wait until you hear about the price and features of the Breville Dose Control Pro grinder. This Breville grinder model offers almost everything the smart grinder does but for a cheaper rate.
Design and Durability
Breville is famous for producing appliances that pair well with kitchen interiors. Living up to this promise, they have designed the Dose Control Pro model in an excellent streamlined shape. However, in contrast to the more durable steel housing, this coffee grinder has a much cheaper and unreliable plastic housing.
Ease of Use
Since the Breville Dose Control is a semi-automatic kitchen appliance, it lacks certain advanced functionality a coffee drinker may want. But on the contrary, this makes it much easier for you to learn and control it quickly. For example, the grinder features a single central dial to start or pause the grinding process and adjust the grind duration to one-second increments. Alternatively, you can press the button and release it to grind the beans without a timer.
Grinding Power
Does your home-prepared coffee not taste the same as one from your favorite barista? If so, you might not be using the right grinder while brewing your espresso.
To resolve this problem and fill your beverages with flavor, the Breville Dose Control Pro operates on unique 60-grind settings. Along with this, it allows you to adjust the fineness of the beans with its ten additional buttons located under the bean hopper.
Additional Features
Breville has undoubtedly outdone itself with the Dose Control Pro model and brings much more to the plate than expected from a product with a cheap price tag.
Firstly, the bean hopper has a generous capacity to hold up to 12 oz of coffee beans. Secondly, it has an efficient mechanism that doesn’t hog static electricity, unlike other models that lead to the coffee debris sticking to the grinder’s body and are a nuisance to clean afterward.
Additionally, the unit includes a removable grinding drawer that collects and quickly disposes of coffee debris after use.
Another problem with most coffee grinders is how they can scrape off essential oils from the coffee beans. But this is not something you will have to worry about with the Dose Control Pro. The conical grinding mechanism of this coffee grinder is designed to minimize overheating of the machine. This helps protect the nutrients of the beans and prevent them from over-drying.
What We Like:
- 60 adjustable grind settings
- Simple and easy-to-use central dial
- Good value for money
- Stainless steel burs for good grind consistency
What We Don’t Like:
- Less precise dosing
- Unreliable plastic housing and components
- Lacks preset programmable settings
Breville Smart Grinder Pro vs Dose Control Pro
Having talked about the general features and construction of Breville’s best two coffee burr grinders, let’s compare them with respect to their featured burrs, grind settings, and other prominent differences.
Burrs
There is not much difference between the grinding quality of these espresso machines since both of them use an identical pair of burrs. These conical burrs are made from durable stainless steel and have a small diameter that smashes the beans at high speed and is resistant to jams.
Moreover, the top burr contains ten stepped settings which change the spacing between the top and bottom part of the burr, thereby changing the grind range. Following its adjustable grind range, these grinders allow you to choose between fine or coarse settings.
Dose Control
Contrary to its name, Breville’s Dose Control Pro needs to improve in terms of dose control when compared to the smart pro grinder. The main reason is that the dose control unit lacks an easy-to-use monitor and uses an LCD panel instead. With a simple click, this panel can adjust the timer and number of cups but falls behind on other smart settings.
Not only this, but the timer of these grinders also has different increment values. While the Dose Control Pro operates on a one-second increment, the Smart Pro has much more precise and defined 0.2-second increment values.
Housing
As we mentioned before, the housing of the grinder plays a vital role in estimating its lifetime. With the Breville Smart Grinder Pro, you get sturdy and durable stainless steel housing. Although this construction makes the kitchen appliance heavier and about two inches taller than Dose Control, it is also more resistant to impacts and falls.
On the other hand, Dose Control has a cheaper plastic housing, which can wear down quickly, making this model more portable than the smart pro grinder. In addition, the motor power of the Dose Control is also less than that of the Smart Pro, reducing its grinding speed and increasing the grinding time.
Maintenance
Suppose you have accomplished making the most mouth-watering cup of coffee, but what about the mess you have created during the process?
Many people find cleaning a bigger chore than brewing coffee, and there is no shame in admitting this. Fortunately, Breville’s Smart and Dose Control grinders have the right tools to help you clean and maintain the espresso machine after use.
These appliances include removable hoppers and top burrs that are easy to detach without needing professional tools. They help collect coffee spills during the process and discard them right away. You can also use a toothbrush to clean the chamber or use the cleaning brush in the package.
Accessories
Apart from these significant aspects, there are also slight discrepancies in the build and accessories of Breville’s coffee grinders.
Firstly, the Smart Pro has a more generous hopper with an 18-ounce bean capacity as opposed to the 12-ounce limit of Dose Control. Also, the Smart Grinder includes a small bristle brush and magnetic grinding container when cleaning up after grinding significant quantities of coffee beans. Meanwhile, with Dose Control, you get an unconventional scraping accessory that smoothes out the coffee grinds in the portafilter basket.
Regarding the portafilter baskets, both grinders use detachable cradles of different sizes that are covered with a rubber rim lid to seal the coffee beans’ freshness and fill them with rich flavor.
Final Verdict
Considering the details mentioned above about each Breville coffee grinder, there is no argument that Breville’s Smart Grinder Pro and Dose Control Pro are incredibly efficient and remarkable machines for grinding all sorts of beans and brewing different styles of coffee. However, the Smart Grinder Pro does a far better job with its more durable body, powerful motor, and intuitive LCD panel.
With only a slight difference between their prices, we prefer to go with Breville Smart Grinder Pro for espresso. However, both of these appliances have identical burrs and grind quality, so if you are on a tight budget and willing to learn the manual controls, there is no harm in the Breville Dose Control Pro model.
After all, the final decision on which Breville coffee grinder to purchase entirely depends on you, your priorities, and the type of coffee you find the easiest and tastiest to have in the morning. We hope that whatever grinder you select helps kickstart your day with a strong, flavorful, refreshing beverage!
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