Cuisinart has been at the forefront of making modern kitchen appliances for the past 40 years, and are still going strong as a company today. But are they still a trusted brand you can rely on in 2016? That is the question we hope to answer in this article, as we take a look at two of the most popular Cuisinart burr grinders.
Can these two particular models provide you with an affordable and easy means to get that unmissable fresh brew throughout the day?
Let’s take a closer look at them below to see if we can find out.
Cuisinart DBM 8 Burr Grinder
We are going to begin by taking a look at the more affordable option, which is the DBM 8 grinder. However, affordability does not necessarily mean bad, as this model was the #1 seller in the Burr Coffee Grinder category on Amazon at the time of writing!
Design
With a very attractive retail price of around $50, it is easy to see why this is such a popular choice. The design is a modern looking black & stainless steel combination, which looks fantastic in our opinion. The Cuisinart logo is engraved above the grounds chamber, which provides a subtle yet refined look.
Features
In terms of features, this Cuisinart burr grinder has a few different options worth mentioning. It has 18 different settings to pick from, ranging from fine to coarse. These options are easily changed by twisting the head of the unit either left or right towards each setting. This is an oddly satisfying task, as the machine provides a pronounced click as it moves between each setting. Once you have your selected your desired setting, you then choose how many cups you want ranging from 4 to 18 and hit the start button. The machine is configured to use the medium setting, and is fairly accurate when it comes to the cup measurements in this setting.
In other words if you choose 4 cups on the medium setting, you will get 4 cups. However if you want a fine grind, you will need to increase the estimated the cup quantity a little, and if you choose a coarse grind you will need to reduce the quantity a bit. The Cuisinart DBM 8 operates at a decent speed, and grinding 12 cups of coffee takes around 45 seconds. Once it has ground your selected number of cups, the machine will switch off. It is a bit on the noisy side, but no more so than some of the competing products.
The hopper can hold a generous 1/2 lbs of beans at a time, and these are ground into the removable chamber below. This is a flat style burr grinder, which is expected due to the price.
Flaws
So it sounds promising so far, but are there any obvious issues or design flaws with this Cuisinart burr grinder? If you grind a lot of fine coffee, then this can build up and accumulate in the chamber which houses the switch. This area is between the grinding mechanism and the outlet that connects to the grind chamber. This can lead to the switch becoming clogged up, and can stop it working. The easiest way to avoid this is to clean it out once a year, assuming you use it on a daily basis to make finer grinds. Cleaning it involves removing the rubber feet, and 8 or 9 screws that hold it in place. A small paintbrush is the easiest way to remove all the buildup, and this should keep it in full working order. If you stick to coarser grinds, then this should not be an issue for you. Aside from that, there don’t seem to be any major design issues.
With an affordable retail price, and a huge number of positive reviews, this model is a good affordable choice. You can find out more about it and read some of the thousands of user reviews over on the Amazon page.
Cuisinart Conical Burr Grinder CBM-18N
For those of you looking for something a bit more durable, the CBM-18N might be the answer. This is a conical burr grinder, and thus costs a little more at around $80.
Design
The design is quite similar to the DBM-8 above, although the base is more of a triangular shape instead of square. Black is featured a bit more prominently in this design, but it looks just as good as the DBM-8, if not better.
These two models share other similarities, such as the 18 different grind settings, and the hopper which can hold up to 1/2 lbs.
The control panel on this Cuisinart conical burr grinder is different to the DBM 8, as it has a small little blue lcd screen in front of the hopper. There are three buttons around the lcd screen including the # of cups, the start/stop button, and the manual button. The screen shows you the amount of cups selected, and the current chosen grind setting. The manual button is used if you want to have control over exactly how much is ground, and can also be used to clear out the chute area if any beans are stuck in there.
Conical Burrs
The conical burrs are made out of stainless steel, so should last a long time. These do a great job of crushing the beans, and produce a very evenly sized grain. It is noisy when in use, but again this is nothing unusual for anyone who has owned one before. Once it is done, you can use the included cleaning brush to give it a wipe, and use the cord storage area to keep the cord out of the way.
Now we’ve talked about the good bits, but are there any negatives worth discussing?
Flaws
There are some complaints about leftover beans falling out of the chute when the grinds chamber is removed, and making a mess below. A small tap or two on the side of the machine before removing the grind chamber is enough to fix this though, so it’s not a major problem. Another issue is that there is a switch that is activated when the grinds chamber is inserted into the machine, which tells the machine the chamber is in place.
This switch ensures the machine won’t start grinding unless the chamber is present, so it doesn’t start by mistake and make a mess. This switch can be a little sensitive, and only works when the chamber is correctly inserted. It takes a little practice to figure out when it is properly inserted, but it doesn’t seem to be an issue any longer once you figure out the correct placement. So apart from those two issues, there aren’t any other glaringly obvious flaws to mention.
With other conical burrs being priced in the $100+ range, the CBM-18N is great value for money. It has a good amount of positive user ratings, and comes with a number of nice features. You can find out more about this Cuisinart conical burr grinder and read some of those many positive reviews on the Amazon product page.
Summary
That is a look at two of the most popular Cuisinart burr grinders current for sale. The more affordable Cuisinart DBM 8 is the popular choice, and does a decent enough job for most folks. The Cuisinart CBM-18N grinder is a better choice in our opinion, but it does cost a little more. Both of these models are good options, and should give you many years of service.
