Does anyone make one that actually works at least passably well? I would like to put beans in at night and have freshly ground and brewed coffee in the morning.
I have one of these. It makes a decent cup. I will admit that I use the included whirly blade grinder in the machine if I am feeling lazy, but I still prefer to use one of my good burr grinders. It will do what you are looking for, but is certainly not the best option out there. Mine has the thermal caraffe which does a great job keeping the coffee hot without giving it the tast you get from a hotplate type coffee pot.
You do not want to use anything called a grinder that has a spinning blade in it, it is a masher and a beater but it is not a grinder. You need to have consistent size grinds to get good coffee and that requires a good burr grinder.
What is your budget? Along with a good grinder, you need a brewer that brews at the proper temp. This is 195 to 205 F and there are darn few machines under $200 that both has a good grinder and brews at the proper temp.
The problem with a lot of grind then brew machines is that there are grounds that sit between the grinder and the brew basket so every time you brew you are getting some stale grounds along with the nice fresh ones.
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Melitta doesn't make them anymore, I think they were made by Capresso though. they did not leave grinds in like some of the others do and the filter basket was removed and changed every brew. Although mine is ancient and a blade grinder, it was much better than the one by Krups or was it Braun? or the one by Cuisinart.
If I were to get another, I would get the Capresso.
I bought a Cuisinart (don't remember the model) with a built in grinder/timer for "convenience". I figured I put in my coffee, set my timer, and wake up with good coffee.
What I noticed was that the coffee maker totally gummed up the grinder and made cleaning the grinder portion a chore. Moisture would go up into the grinder and make everything stick to the sides. You would have to totally disassemble it each time you wanted to make a pot or the chute would clog up and you'd make a pot of tea.
The grinder on mine went out within about a year of purchase. The part the spins the blade had seized up and wouldn't turn the grinder. I attempted to fix it but could never get it working again.
Although it doesn't have much to do with the actual grinder portion- I also noticed that the way the carafe fit into the machine was poorly designed. I can't tell you how many times I came downstairs to find a flood of coffee grounds and coffee on my floor and counter because the carafe wasn't positioned exactly right under the filter so the filter just overflowed all over the kitchen.
Lastly, the carafe almost always dribble coffee onto the counter because of the crummy spout design.
In short- I would never buy another machine like this again. It was a mess and turned out to be more work than just using a separate grinder/machine.
Melitta doesn't make them anymore, I think they were made by Capresso though. they did not leave grinds in like some of the others do and the filter basket was removed and changed every brew. Although mine is ancient and a blade grinder, it was much better than the one by Krups or was it Braun? or the one by Cuisinart.
I had several of the Krups with a blade grinder that I got off Ebay. It worked great when it worked, but I remember it didn't work for quite a year. What I did like about it was how it cleaned the grinder either during or after it brewed coffee.
I still have my first Melitta I bought and it is years old. We have one at work (bought new on eBay), and had one at the place I worked before. I even have a few spare parts. Grinder still works and it makes better coffee than the Mr Coffee with the free standing blade grinder for those who want that sort of brewed coffee.
Blade is in the filter basket, so comes out and is washed between uses.
I don't know how the current Capresso's work but they are burr grinders.
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