Customer Reviews

Cuisinart CBM-18N Programmable Conical Burr Mill

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Original Review:
I've been looking for a replacement to my "Lello 45800/3006 Ariete Burr Coffee Grinder" for at least a year. I've probably read a good portion of the reviews for every burr grinder sold by Amazon, and the combined reviews in general left much to be desired for every single one. Finally a few weeks ago I noticed this unit in my search results, and from what I could tell, it was a new release! There were no reviews at all at the time, so frankly there was nothing to dissuade me from purchasing this one. I couldn't even compare prices, because it seemed Amazon was the only one selling it at the time. In addition, the black/stainless styling matched my new coffee maker (Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Brew Central Coffeemaker). So I ordered it, received it today, and I just had my first cup of coffee using its coffee grinds.

I'm no expert on coffee. But I must say this is the easiest coffee grinder I have ever used. There is an LED display alongside a button allowing me to select number of cups. The LED display also shows the selected grind setting dialed on the hopper. First I pressed the button to select number of cups, then I adjusted the dial to select the grind setting. Finally, I pushed Start and let it go. I think the noise level is about half that of my previous grinder, but that's not saying much. The LED display counted down the seconds until completed. I was surprised by the amount of output, which seemed much greater than from my old grinder. But in retrospect I don't think this was due to this unit using more beans. I noticed when I poured the grinds into my coffee filter that the grinds were much looser than I'm accustomed to. I think my previous grinder had been compressing the grinds and there were always clumps. I did not notice any clumps in the output from this unit, and the grinds seemed very even and loose.

Now that I've used the grinder several times, I must say it does spill some grinds onto the base when I remove the bin unless I work the grinds out somehow. I now gently lift the entire unit about an inch off the counter and gently tap it down to release the remaining grinds into the bin. I then remove the bin and tap the lid of the bin a few times before removing the lid. This just minimizes mess and waste.

The grind setting of 6 seems perfect for the relatively dry beans I used this time, even though I used it for auto-drip coffee, not espresso. For oily beans such as Starbucks, 7 might be the optimum grind setting.

Two other differences between this grinder and my previous one were the lids, one for the hopper and one for the grinds bin. In both cases, the lids for this unit snap shut, whereas the ones for my previous unit just nestled precariously on top of the respective containers.

One curious note: there is no way to turn the LED off, which concerned me because it is very bright and I don't want the display to burn out and quit working any time soon. But I think this is why there is no switch: within the entire (tiny-but-informative) manual for this unit, there is only one sentence in all caps: "UNPLUG FROM OUTLET WHEN NOT IN USE...". So there we have it -- that is why there is no on/off switch; the manufacturer expects us to keep the unit unplugged when we aren't actively using it. In response to the other reviewer's comment on needing to reprogram the number of cups after plugging the unit back in, it takes about 4 or 5 seconds to cycle through the number of cups (the default is 12 cups) until the desired selection is displayed, an extremely minor issue.

In spite of it's brevity, the manual is very descriptive and I found it sufficient. It provides a very detailed set of instructions for cleaning. The bean hopper, hopper lid, grind chamber, and grind chamber lid are all dishwasher-proof (top shelf). Then it also provides instructions for removing and cleaning the burr unit.

A dual-purpose scoop/stiff brush is provided.

Regarding it's appearance, it actually looks even nicer in my opinion than my new coffee maker. The body has a sleek, brushed stainless steel appearance, and the blue LED is very attractive when it is on.

The grind chamber is not made of glass, but I live in a humid climate; dry air here is almost a luxury and I rarely have problems with static anyway. Problems with static are dealt with the same as with any other grinder. I personally minimize loose grinds spilling everywhere by the following method. First I remove the hopper lid, then I cover the top of the hopper with the filter (opened wide, placed top down), then I turn the filter/hopper over and place it into the cup, keeping hold of the hopper which is now upside down. Then I tap the bottom of the hopper and remove it from the filter. Finally, I remove the filter from the cup and place it in the appropriate area of the coffee machine. I do this on top of a full sized paper towel, and clean up merely involves folding up the paper towel afterwards to contain the few stray grinds. However this method probably only works well for me because I rarely make more than 4-5 cups of coffee at a time and I always use paper filters.

I didn't find cleaning the unit difficult at all. Dump the beans into another bowl, twist the hopper hard right twice until the arrows align and then lift up, lift up the burr sleeve using a combination of the handle and grasping the sides (if the handle pops off, just pop it back on), and brush, brush, brush. Then twist the sleeve back on, twist the hopper back on, clean up the mess, and you are back in business.

By the way, contrary to the product description, there is no true cord storage; but one can wrap the cord around knobs underside the base.

This product has a 3-year limited warranty.

UPDATE APRIL 30, 2010: I've had this unit for about 15 months and all of a sudden it started whining a high pitched noise and almost no grinds were coming out. I called customer service and they are going to ship me an entirely new unit -- they specified "NEW"; they only asked that I return the old unit in the same box the new one comes in, when I receive it. They said there is a 4.00 shipping charge but they waived it. At this moment I am very impressed with Cuisinart. They surprised me.

UPDATE JULY 18, 2010: The brand new (2-month old) replacement grinder is now doing the same thing my original one started doing after 15 months; after grinding for 14-cups, I'm lucky to get a tablespoon of grinds from this nearly new one. The grinder can work for 20 or more seconds without a single grind coming out, and then I hear it finally grab a bean and a few sparse grinds fall out. Getting enough grinds to make a cup of coffee really heats up the unit. Apparently this is going to happen to these grinders sooner or later. I had one that went bad "later", and one "sooner".

After considering my options, I decided to see if Cuisinart would honor their warranty yet again. Surprisingly, they did! This time they sent UPS to pick up the old (second) one and sent me a third one, brand new. I haven't yet used this third one, but even if it turns out to be as good as the first (lasting more than a year, the duration of my original warranty), I can no longer endorse this product. Even so, I can say this: Cuisinart does honor their warranties!

UPDATE NOVEMBER 7, 2011: The third grinder is still working great, no problems at all. Getting a unit that works and lasts took some time and effort, but it did pay off in my case.

Excellent coffee mill! Much quiter than any of my previous 4 mills/grinders. Also works faster and less "burn" taste from grounds. Very concsistent grinding. Also the top lid with the fill slot make pouring into filter easier versus my other mills had the window or slot on the side of the bin. Nice improvement

2 comments that are not issues but to be aware of. As it has an Blue LCD display there is always a blue light on, so for some this could be good and others a nuisance. Also you must keept the bin and slots clean as any slight grounds in the bin area will cause some minor leakage

I recently had to replace my Capresso Burr grinder (which I had had for over 5 years) and wanted to make sure the replacement would make me as happy, if not happier, than my old grinder.

The Cuisinart Programmable Conical Burr grinder was my ultimate choice, after reading several reviews and doing plenty of research. I love the light-up LCD display, the start/stop switch (for those mornings when I'm not quite awake and start the grinder before I realize there's not enough beans in the hopper), the ease of adjusting the grind, and the overall design. While I had considered purchasing a cheaper product, (my Capresso was only around $40 afterall) I am very glad I went with this product. We grind our coffee fresh every morning, and thus far have been very pleased with how this unit performs.

The only reason I did not give this unit 5 stars is b/c it, like other Burr grinders, has a problem with static. I live in Houston, a VERY humid climate, but even the moisture in the air doesn't keep the static down enough, which can be bothersome. It means a bit of clean-up after every use, but the extent of the static is SIGNIFICANTLY less with this unit than my Capresso grinder, and the clean-up on this unit is far easier.

I highly recommend this product to anyone who wants something more reliable and consistent than a simple grinder, but doesn't want to spend a million dollars on a burr grinder.

I am NOT an aficionado - i love coffee though. i am not the guy that is going to check that all of the grounds are uniform - what i see when i pour them into the coffee maker look uniform to me. The coffee that i make using this grinder make better coffee than i have ever made. Prior to this though i just had a little blade grinder though. there are still issues with grounds sticking to the plastic holder but i don't' think you can get away from that - there is a static issue and i don't know how one would get around that.

i dig this purchase - i have had the grinder for 4 or 5 months now and still dig it - it is easy to use and like i said it make YUMMY coffee.

July 2010 - it pooped out! i am calling Cuisinart today. They are really good about their warranties and i have no doubt they will send me a new grinder. will update after that!
Didn't get around to calling Cuisinart until August found out that it only carries an 18 month warranty - guess what? that was August 2nd - they won't do anything for me. I was once a huge fan of Cuisinart - recommended their products - was impressed with their warranties - they replaced a coffee maker for me - anyway - after looking on the website and seeing that it carried a 3 year warranty i didn't think i had to get right on it. . . i guess i did - they claim that is a misprint - and i guess they expect a $100 coffee grinder to poop out after 18 months (or right about that). too bad - i guess they aren't as great as i thought. I wouldn't buy this again. wish i could remove stars. . .

I was reasonably pleased with this grinder as far as performance; only complaint was major static issues with ground coffee in the plastic cup, which made the process pretty messy. I was figuring that was a minor trade-off for the excellent grind. However, after something shortly over 18 months,(length of warranty!) it started to produce less and less coffee, and as another reviewed mentioned, a high pitched sound. It is now to the point where you have to manually grind for a long time to get enough. I expect shortly it won't grind at all. I called Cuisinart Customer Support and was told it was beyond the 18 mo. warranty and so they were unable to do anything. Personally I don't think you should have to purchase a new grinder every 2 years at this price. Needless to say I will NOT be buying another Cuisinart coffee grinder and would not recommend this grinder to anyone else.

I enjoy whole bean coffee. I replaced a blade type grinder with this one and am VERY happy with the taste of the brewed coffee. I use drip grind. I have had my best ever cup of coffee this morning with the same beans that I have been using for months on the other grinder.
ken

Edit added 15 FEB 2011: Loving it more
Since I purchased this device, I also acquired a stove top espresso maker and an old fashioned stove top coffee percolator. I have experimented with different grinds and mostly use the setting #3 'espresso' for both my drip and espresso brewers. I weigh (ounces) rather than measure (spoons) of the coffee and have found about 1.4 ounces of #3 grind will make a very good 10 cup pot of drip coffee. The percolator still needs a coarse grind, I use #12 setting for that. I first tasted coffee before drip coffee makers were widely available and sometimes miss the taste of old fashioned percolated. You cannot hardly purchase coarse ground coffee any more, I find the selectable grind settings a big plus.

k

I've used the grinder almost every day since I received it over six weeks ago. I use a stove top espresso maker and a French press, and the grinds for both seem pretty consistent. It's easy to use, easy to clean, and I haven't had any problems with jamming. Static is a very minor nuisance, but it is probably inherent with any device that creates small particles and has a plastic container and electric motor.

We grind our own beans because, although we both drink coffee every day, we have to limit ourselves to 1-2 cups a day. Since we don't go through it as quickly as we used to, we love the freshness guaranteed by grinding it daily.
This grinder is easy to use, easy to clean. It does a very good job and is very flexible for when you want to change the grind setting. Most days, though, you just want the same grind and amount each time. That's the real beauty of it. In the morning, getting ready for work, time is of the essence. All it takes is a button press and there's the ground coffee. It's quick and relatively quiet compared to my old grinder.

March 20, 2011
I'm giving up on this grinder. It's been a pain lately and now we have come to grips with the fact that it's not grinding properly anymore. It quits long before the set amount of coffee is ground, which means that we have to babysit it and keep hitting the grind button until we get the amount we need. We bought this because we DIDN'T want to have to do that.

I bought this grinder to replace a Capresso 565 which broke after a few months(bean hopper snapped off at base when I adjusted the grind setting) After about two months the LED setting no longer matched the setting indicated by the bean hopper. Cuisinart replaced the unit. The second one gave up the ghost after about three months-it just refused to grind,period. Even after cleaning it would not grind. It, too has been returned and am now awaiting a replacement. In the meantime I have purchased a Kitchenaid Pro Line grinder. I will give away or sell the replacement Cuisinart. Incidentally, the warranty is very misleading. It states that they will replace the unit with no cost other than a $4 expediting charge. HOWEVER, they do not pay the cost of shipping it back to them, which can be close to $30.

Over the years this is the forth coffee grinder I have bought. It took a long time to pick this one out out of a lot of different grinders, and reading all of the reviews left me hanging just a bit. It always seems that some people just have problems with machines, so leave a nasty review because of it.
The Cuisinart CBM-18 is one of the better coffee grinders I have had, and it was a lot less money than my last grinder. The 18 different grind levels are great, and I found one that did what I wanted. It is really very easy to clean, and I haven't had any of the problems listed in the other reviews.
The only reason I didn't give this grinder a 5 star rating is due to the one problem this grinder does have. After grinding your coffee you will find the plastic cup that catches your ground coffee is full of static, and with that dumping it into your filter allows ground coffee to fly around. It sticks to the outside of the plastic cup, and some ends up on the counter. If it wasn't for all the static electricity in the plastic holding cup this would be a 5 star grinder.