Review of Cuisinart DGB-550BK Coffeemaker

When my old Cuisinart Grind & Brew coffee maker finally died I was forced into making my decision on what I was replacing it with. I wanted to replace it with the newer model but really didn’t have $100 to spend. When I received a 20% off coupon from Bed Bath and Beyond I splurged and got the unit I wanted, the Cuisinart Grind & Brew DGB-550BK.

Above is a picture of the DGB-550BK. The black and silver coffeemaker has a sort of modern European appearance and looks very sleek. It’s a 12 cup coffee pot and it also has a 1-4 cup setting. The built in grinder can be turned off so you can use ground coffee (but who’d want to do that). The machine is programmable and automatically shuts off after 4 hours.  Now many of those features were in my last Cuisinart coffee pot, so let me tell you what’s different. The bean grinding area and the coffee filter area are now separate compartments, making the entire unit much easier to clean. It’s sleeker and nicer looking than its predecessor. It’s easier to clean. It came with a gold tone filter basket. It’s easier to clean.

Above is a picture of the top of the coffeemaker while open. Using this coffee pot is very easy. If you’re wondering what sort of sound it makes, picture a coffee bean grinder. Now picture a coffee pot making coffee. Those are the two sounds it makes. Beans grinding and coffee brewing. To use it you first need to open the top and pour water into the reserve. You can see the water reserve on the right side of the picture. The single thing I don’t like about this machine is the water reserve. It’s hard to see what you’ve poured in there because it’s black inside. I liked the last model better because it had a water level window on the outside. I’d love to see that brought back. Onward. The next step is to put coffee beans into the bean cup. (The bean cup is on the left side where you see that brown stuff. I didn’t think to take these pictures until after starting the pot of coffee.) Some people might want to use a filter in the goldtone filter basket and some might not, that’s personal preference. Press the start button and you’re on your way to fresh ground, hot, delicious coffee. If you can’t wait for the pot to finish brewing, the Brew Pause feature lets you get a cup of coffee while the pot is still brewing.

When you’re finished it’s easy to clean. First open the front and take out the filter basket. I rinse that and let it air dry. Then open the top and remove the grinder and lid. I rinse them out and air dry them. I run the coffee pot through the dishwasher.

Some people feel that making coffee from coffee beans is too expensive. It may be a bit more expensive than the cans of coffee you can get from the grocery store but consider the advantages. There are many flavors of beans so you can change your taste as often as you like. You know the coffee is fresh ground because you’re grinding it yourself. And last but far from least, fresh ground coffee just tastes better than pre-ground canned coffee.

The coffee that this machine makes is absolutely delicious. I recommend it highly for anyone that likes to grind their own beans, or anyone that just likes a fresh cup of tasty coffee. The Cuisinart DGB-550BK Coffeemaker is currently selling for approximately $99.99 and is available to purchase nationwide in many mass retail stores and online.