Breville the Smart Grinder Pro BCG820BSS
VerifiedMPNs: BCG820, BCG820BSS and BCG820SST4IAN125 reviews
- See all
The unit was purchased as a 2nd grinder as we have a grinder in our coffee machine. This grinder was used for Decaffeinated Coffee Bean only and stop working after 13 months. It was only used a maximum of 30 times. Breville's solution is to pay to have it repaired but my concern is do I repair it and find the same thing happens again. My recommendation would not buy this product. Show details
No more coffee waste and always a perfect grind. I used to think 'grind size' was just a suggestion. I was wrong. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro has shown me the light. It’s reliable, it doesn’t argue with me in the morning, and it gives me exactly what I ask for every single time. It’s officially the hardest-working member of this household. Show details
Baby, Grind With Me – When I tell people how many dudes I've pleased with my Grinder they immediately think of the app. That is until I whip up the freshest most finely ground coffee brew they've ever had. Legend has it that this kitchen utensil was the influence behind Pretty Ricky's hit song 'Grind With Me'. Furthermore the coffee made from this machine is rumoured… Read more
to have unlocked his star power. If you like it rough or delicate this machine does it all from extra course grinds to super fine. Back to the app, if you keep striking out don't worry as this machine will offer you the best cup of Joe you've ever had!
Mechanically well designed, but the control system is primitive – Great mechanically, but oh dear, the electronics lets it down. After 18 months of daily use, we found it produced consistent results from a well designed unit with good reserves of coffee beans and containing the dust from grinding. The grounds are captured by a plastic container which is however prone to not to dissipate the electrostatic charge… Read more
so after the grind some of the grounds stick to the sides and some is dispersed onto the surrounds needing cleaning up. A metal container would help. This unit is let down by the electronics. 1. Let's say you select a six second grind for one cup. One would have thought that if then two cups is selected, it would present 12 seconds. Nope! do your multiplication and select the 12, or 18 or 24 etc. A bit primitive. Imagine you're asked for two cups of strong coffee and you have to reset the two cup setting to 16. Seems trivial but imagine next time you get asked for one cup. Did I remember to reset the one cup setting. Oh and there are 12 settings, so when going from a two cup to a one cup setting, you have to go through all cup settings and take care getting close to twelve as you'll have to do it all again. Oh and where is the start stop button, there are two identical buttons differentiated by some letters - where are my glasses?. A little change to the circuit board iand design s called for. 2. Whatever setting is selected, after a power failure it has to be reset. Why not an internal backup battery?
Love this such a good grinder – Love this such a good grinder. Does a great job and I find its easy to clean and doesn't spill coffee everywhere where in operation. Show details
Great grinder – Had this for about a year now, no issues so far - great grinder. Lots of settings for the coffee connoisseur and very easy to use, by keeping the default settings, for someone like me who isn't one. Product feels well made and easy to clean, magnetic clips for tray and the portafilter holder. Show details
It started off well – Bought it, brought it home, started the grind on the presets for espresso and it was near perfect. I was very happy for three weeks, raved about it to everyone, then I had a friend come and stay who wanted French press, she had forgotten her own coffee so, no problem I have this amazing grinder. Well it was, till it came to dialling it back in. 4… Read more
months later it’s still struggling or rather I am! It has missed a couple of starts, the grind is inconsistent I couldn’t take it anywhere near the original settings. Plus the holder is too low down for a single pour basket. Now I would never recommend it. Breville offered a new grinder which I accepted. Still not 100% happy with having to tinker with its settings internally to get a decent espresso grind. But for now it will suffice. It’s easy to use apart from the lack of basket height for my particular semi professional machine (works if I slide the magnetic grounds catcher out and don’t use it! Which negates the functionality of an easier clean up.
- +1
For what I want, can't fault it – Purchased this from a need to have a grinder that produced a much finer grind than my current grinder. Chose the Breville after seeing my sister’s Breville grinder along with a number of favourable online reviews. Out of the box, the unit came with a removable grind tray, a grinds storage container, a cleaning brush and two portafilter cradles.… Read more
It stands around 39cm tall with a width of 15cm and depth of 22cm. For the two cradles supplied, one is for 58mm portafilters while the other is suited to 50 – 54mm portafilters. You can also grind into gold tone filter baskets as well as paper filters. The beans hopper can hold 450gm of beans and seals with an airtight lid. The unit is mostly brushed stainless steel with black accents and there is an illuminated blue tinged LCD screen displaying grind size, number of shots/cups and grind time (0.2 second increments). These settings are controlled by a large knob on the right hand side (grind size), dial on the left front (grind amount/program) and middle front positioned push button (shots/cups). Holding in the “grind amount/program” button for a few seconds will store the time you have set as the new default. Otherwise, it will return to the factory default each time the unit is removed from the wall outlet. The conical burrs are stainless steel and the upper burr is adjustable for coffee’s requiring a wider range of adjustment than those available through the front controls. There is just under one metre of power cord length and no onboard storage available. After 5 minutes on non-use, the device switches itself off.
I’m pretty much a novice (apart from knowing I needed a finer grind) when it comes to coffee grinding and generally the main type of coffee we have here are cappuccino's. However, I have found the Breville Smart Grinder Pro brilliant at meeting my needs. Firstly, the range of adjustments available are more than adequate along with producing a grind that doesn’t end up all over the kitchen bench. After a few uses, I only need to tap on the portafilter holder to “shake” excess grinds into the tray then the tray pulls out easily (held in place with a magnet) for cleaning. It would be extremely rare to find excess grinds on the counter top. Secondly, making adjustments is easy and I am able to dial in a grind size without having to have the machine simultaneously grinding coffee ...as was required with my previous grinder. I’ve always experienced consistent grind settings and only find I need to vary this setting when switching between different types of beans. There are 60 grind settings available and noise while grinding is not excessive and certainly no more than you would expect from any grinder.
Breville supplies the grinder with a decent Instruction Manual that has clear wordage and diagrams explaining all features and how best to use them along with a Troubleshooting Guide. There are also comprehensive instructions on producing grinds for a variety of coffee. Commencing grinding (at least with my usage) requires no more than putting the portafilter into the cradle (this action turns the machine on) followed by another gentle push for grinding to commence. After the preset time grinding ceases immediately. You can also pause the machine during grinding which is handy when experimenting with grind time. Whilst somewhat expensive (seems to have gone up markedly since I purchased it), the entire unit feels solid and constructed from quality materials. Overall, after over 8 months of use, I have found this to be the perfect solution for my coffee grinding needs.
What I liked… * Solid and quality feel * Consistent grinds * 2 year full replacement warranty * Variety of settings (and range of) available * Just gets the job done with minimal fuss!
What I didn’t like so much… * Unfortunately, seems to have increased markedly in price recently
Three Year Summary – Having had the Breville for three years now, I've been relatively pleased with this purchase as it was a huge step up from my Hario hand grinder which wasn't capable of grinding for Espresso. The Breville is a good entry level grinder and can easily grind Espresso and slightly toward Turkish coffee, but how long it will last, only time will tell. … Read more
The burr-set seem to be pretty good but being set in plastic, over time this is apparently a weak point with this machine. The burrs are easy enough to pull out to clean and should be done every month. The biggest problem is how it retains the ground coffee in the machine, but I did a work around by grinding some coffee for a few seconds to throw away and then grind some more for my coffee (otherwise you can get 'old' grounds coming out). If you've never own a grinder, the Breville is a pretty good choice, but for only $100 more you can but something far better and doesn't have any of the "bells and wistles" the Breville has. It's worth it in the end.
Does exactly what we want – We've moved to pour over coffee using the excellent De'Longhi Clessidra Drip Coffee Machine (which does both pour over and drip) so the Espresso machines and their built in grinders are in retirement at the moment and we'd just been using pre-ground coffee until the better half found some beans she really liked so we needed a grinder. It's early… Read more
days yet but we chose this one from the array of entry level grinders on the market because it has a reasonable capacity output container and can grind the equivalent of 12 standard cups at a time which is enough for 3 days of use and the grounds are fine stored in something like the De'Longhi Vacuum Coffee Canister (DLSC068) reviewed here as well.
Set-up took 5 minutes and a quick read of the QSG showed the ideal grind size for our use and as it was a fairly wide range (46-54), we'll keep experimenting for awhile yet. It does the job reasonably quietly and quickly and the grind is consistent in size across the entire 12 cup cycle.
Great product just purchased another one – I bought the Breville twin boiler espresso machine with a separate coffee bean grinder ,the Breville Smart Grinder ,9 years ago . Last week the smart grinder gave up .Within 3 hours I had purchased another one . I was delighted with 9 years of great performance from the grinder . Well constructed and plenty of adjustments available to cater for… Read more
different beans , different grind needs , dosing etc .A very well designed machine that has stood the test of time because the new one just a couple of weeks old is virtually identical to the older one . I couldn't get by without another one .
A disappointing grinder with a lack of support from Breville – This grinder seemed good and was well priced, but jammed within 4 months of ownership when i put some lesser roasted beans (you know the ones with extra flavour) and thereafter jammed even on darker roasts. A complainyt to Breville took months and then all they offered was a repair. Wont be going back to Breville. Show details
Ok for the price – This is a good grinder for entry level and for people (like me) who don't want to spend 1k on a grinder. But as usual you get what you pay for . The grind is ok but inconsistent (really inconsistent) and extremely slow. EG a high end coffee grinder will put out a double shot in around 5 to 7 seconds, the Breville is 24 seconds! It is over 2 years old and hasn't missed a beat but I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a grinder in the 700$ region. Show details
Find out how Breville the Smart Grinder Pro BCG820BSS compares to other Coffee Grinders / Roasters
Know better, choose better.
Hopper basket mould risk – The hopper basket can’t be pulled apart to clean. With all its inner parts at the bottom it takes ages to dry. I worry it will grow mould in the inner bottom area. Strongly recommend anyone considering this item to not buy it. Show details
Very inconsistent – Purchased the grinder new to match breville coffee machine. So disappointed by its operation. The grind was inconsistent at best, the dosage was inconsistent all the time. We could not get it to perform as it should at all, tried every setting, different beans to no avail. A friend who roasts coffee for a living tried to dial it in to make coffee consistently and even he couldn’t. Thanks to Harvey Norman who gave me a full refund. Show details
For the cost, this is brilliant! – At first, I grinded coffee beans on the cheap. From manual grinders to spice grinders to a small electric Sunbeam one. I thought they were pretty good. But an office colleague suggested this one, and yeah, no turning back. It does a brilliant job, has fine 'grinding' control and is simple to use. We have one at work also, and it grinds A LOT of… Read more
coffee - it's going strong after a year or so and it's grinding up to 10 or 12 coffees a day. I'm told the next upgrade in the coffee world would be to a machine costing nearly a thousand dollars - mmmm, not yet - this one's perfectly capable of grinding great coffee.
Simple and Perfect for home and office – Purchase for 50% off offer from DJ . Accurate dosage and need easy cleaning . Need space for a small digital weight . Simple and easy to operate. As each type of coffee needs different settings. a bit of grind dust to clean and I use rice to grind through to keep it clean after each type of coffee. Show details
Good repeatable results – I’ve been getting very good repeatable results from this grinder, fine enough for espresso with a programmable timer. Cleaning is very easy too with the magnetic removable tray. Only negative is there is a lot of static buildup if you use the container, not a big problem for me as I’m grinding into a portafilter most of the time. Show details
Rubbish – Very inconsistent grinding, I usually set it on "6" for espresso, some days the coffee is too fine thus brew doesn't 'yield' proper amount of coffee and at other times the coffee is too coarse so the 'yield' is way too much! This also results in bad tasting coffee. I don't know if I have a, faulty machine but I have emailed breville over a month… Read more
ago and I am still waiting for a response. What is worse the 'sound' of the grinder when coffee is, grinding is also inconsistent sometimes more loud sometimes less which makes me believe this is the reason of the coarseness inconsistency.
Great grinder – I’m not a pro, but an enthusiast. I’m now trying different beans every time to get my coffee right. This machine allows me to fine tune my coffee grounding process. Very sleek too. Show details
Efficient and easy to use - lots of control to produce a perfect grind – Have been a bit of a hobby home barista for about 13 years now. Have had 3 different sunbeam machines with grinders over the years. Just updated to this grinder as well as the Breville Dual Boiler coffee machine. Recently got this grinder on sale after researching my next grinder for the last 12 months or so. Had my eye on it for a while. Took a… Read more
bit of playing around to get the dose right for me. It's set for a 17.8 second grind by default. I find 20 seconds is about right for me for 25-30 second pours that taste great with a fine grind of about 5, though varies depending on bean type. It is a pleasure to use. I just put the group head in the holder, press start, and 20 seconds later it is ready to tamp. Minimal mess and great consistency in dosage. Highly recommended.
Does what it suppose to do – Great grinder. Variable speed, effective and functional. Finally a grinder that works. This replaced my kitchenaid so called coffee grinder. It’s use to use. Easy operation with the press of a button and very effective. Finally a product does what it states it does. The KitchenAid grinders in the bin!! Show details
Find out how Breville the Smart Grinder Pro BCG820BSS compares to other Coffee Grinders / Roasters
Know better, choose better.
Next model: Smart Grinder Pro is great for home use – Coffee snobs were saying you have to spend a lot more for a good grinder, but I realised that you don't have to spend thousands to make espresso at home. This is a great grinder still within a price range that is realistic for a home appliance. I got it to complement a Breville Duo Temp coffee machine. Show details
Brilliant little grinder! – Have heard a lot about this grinder and so finally took the plunge last month when it was on sale. My old grinder was a manual one with only grind size settings, and so I became accustomed to using that. The Smart Grinder Pro made things a lot more easier as I can just leave the Group Head on the bracket and walk away while preparing other things.… Read more
Just like every other machine, it takes a while to get used to the settings and find the optimum setting for your coffee grind. But once you do, it's good times. Note that it's quite loud however.
Breville Smart Grinder Pro – I had a Sunbeam Cafe Series grinder and it used to spew ground coffee powder all over the counter, the Breville seems to produce little powder, the controls are easy to use and adjust the grind to what ever you are doing your brewing, the results are consistent and I have had no problems. The noise is not too bad, what can you expect with a grinder. Show details
ProductReview.com.au has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence our content moderation policies in any way, though ProductReview.com.au may earn commissions for products/services purchased via affiliate links.