Café is known for its premium coffee and some of the best espresso machines – and each one is more gasp-worthy than its predecessor. That’s definitely the case with the new Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker. A few years ago, I thought the Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker (in the matte black finish) was the sleekest coffee maker that I’d ever tested, and it was also loaded with features. However, the Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker is even more of a stunner and has even more features.
For starters, it has a built-in grinder – and that alone is a game-changer. Fresher coffee always results in better-tasting coffee, and the ability to pour coffee beans in a hopper and grind them on demand is a feature I don’t take lightly. The grinder also has 6 grind sizes, so I can select the right grind for the right beans. However, when I want to brew pre-ground coffee, it’s as simple as pressing the Grind Off button.
The single-serve function is another feature that I appreciate. When I’m on the move, the single-serve selection (6 to 24 ounces) lets brew directly into a travel mug - which I can grab when running out the door and place in my car’s cup holder.
For those times when I’m staying at home, my preference is to brew into the thermal carafe, which keeps coffee hot for hours. The coffee maker is programmable and has several adjustable features. For example, in addition to adjusting the grind size, I can adjust the brew strength, brew temperature, and brew volume and program it to start brewing at a certain time.
The Café Specialty Grind and Brew is $329, so it’s not an economical choice. However, it is SCA Gold Cup-certified, includes a built-in grinder, and brews both single-serve and 10-cup carafes of coffee. It’s actually less expensive than some models on our best coffee makers list and comparable to others we’ve selected for inclusion. Keep scrolling to see how I fared with the Café Specialty Grind and Brew.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker: Key specs
Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker: Price & availability
The Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker is priced at $329. It’s available at Amazon, and also at Williams Sonoma and other retailers. Sometimes, the machine is on sale for $299.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker: First impressions
I’ve had the Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker for four months, but I no longer have the shipping materials. However, the coffee maker was well-packed and arrived securely in a large cardboard box. All of the components were also packaged firmly and thoroughly to ensure they were protected from breakage, scratches, and other damage.
I love the look and feel of this coffee maker, and it certainly elicits comments from visitors. The design is one of the best that I’ve seen - and I’ve tested several dozen higher-end coffee makers; in terms of looks, the Ratio Eight is probably the nearest competitor, although I also love the OXO 9-Cup.
The separation of the water tank from the rest of the coffee maker creates an elegant machine that’s a pleasure to look at – and that’s why I tested it off and on for four months! When I would finish testing another coffee maker, I would go back to the Café Specialty Grind and Brew. However, the design is also functional. Since the water tank is removable, it’s easy to fill and empty. In addition, the water tank can hold up to 75 ounces of water, which, technically, allows me to brew a carafe and a half of coffee before the reservoir needs to be refilled. However, I tend to only fill the tank with as much water as I plan to use in one brewing cycle.
The coffee maker includes a charcoal water filter in addition to a charcoal water filter cage and cartridge. This is designed to remove any deposits, like calcium and magnesium, from the water so the coffee performs optimally. There’s also a descaling function to remove mineral deposits further, along with a descaling alert to indicate when it’s time to descale the machine.
I love the controls because they’re so simple that I almost didn’t need a manual. In addition to the power button, there are Hour and Minute buttons to set the time, a Brew button, and a Delay Brew button for programming the coffee maker to start at a future time. I can also select a Mug for 6 to 24 ounces of coffee or a Carafe for 4 to 10 cups. The Temperature button lets me increase or decrease the temperature (from 185 to 205 degrees F), and the Strength button provides 4 options: light, medium, bold, and gold (which is the SCA-certified strength setting).
The coffee maker beeps when the brew cycle is over, but the Strength button (when pressed and held) can turn the sound off if you don’t like audible alerts. There’s also a button to toggle to turn the grinder on or off.
On top of the coffee maker is the hopper with a grinder. There’s a knob that can be turned to adjust the grind size from 1 (for fine) to 6 (for coarse) – although Café recommends a setting of 3 to 4 since these two settings will balance flavor and extraction.
The brew basket, mesh filter basket, carafe, and carafe lid can be rinsed under running water and also washed in soapy water. However, the parts are not dishwasher safe. One reason I prefer ground coffee most of the time is to avoid cleaning the grinder. It’s not difficult, but it requires a brush to clean out the grounds in the chute and then removing the burr to clean it with a brush as well.
The Café Specialty Grind and Brew also has WiFi capabilities. Downloading the SmartHQ mobile app provides the ability to remotely customize the bloom time and start or schedule a brew time.
The coffee maker doesn’t take up a lot of space on the countertop, and I love that it doesn’t have a bulky design. It’s available in three finishes: matte black, matte white, and stainless steel. They all include copper accents on the carafe’s handle, a single-serve switch, a grinder size selection button, and the bottom rim of the coffee maker.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker: Performance
After unpacking the coffee maker the first time, I washed all of the parts and inserted the charcoal water filter in the bottom of the water reservoir. Café recommends changing it every two months or when the Water Filter is displayed on the control panel, which occurs after 25 gallons of coffee have been brewed.
My first test was to grind some coffee beans and then make a carafe of coffee. First, I filled the water tank with water and put the lid back on it. Then, I poured some beans into the hopper, put the lid back on, and chose my settings on the display panel. (Note: in the photo above, the bean hopper lid is off, so you can see the inside of the hopper, but it should be on when using the grinder.) The lid has a vacuum seal, which helps to keep the beans fresh.
One feature I really like about this coffee maker is that the display provides real-time status updates. So, the GOLD button is displayed in large letters to confirm my selection. When the beans are being ground, GRINDING is displayed. Next, HEATING is displayed. The process continues for the other steps in the brewing cycles: INFUSING, BREWING, READY. There’s also a countdown clock that alerts me to how much time is left before the brewing cycle is over.
The noise level is around 48dB, so it’s not necessarily a quiet coffee maker, but I wouldn’t say that it was particularly loud either. (However, if you have a sleeping baby nearby while making coffee, you might disagree with me.)
My next test was to bypass the grinder function and use pre-ground coffee in the brew basket. This was as easy as opening the brew basket, inserting a filter, and then pressing the GRIND OFF button on the display before pressing the BREW button. As I mentioned earlier, notice that the brew basket opens by swinging out to the right. If you plan on using this in a tight area, make sure that you have enough space for it to fully open.
Also, if you open the brew basket immediately or even several minutes after the brew cycle has ended, the basket is going to leak on the countertop. It doesn’t leak badly, just enough to be irritating. So, you’ll need a kitchen towel or some paper towels handy. My solution to this is to just leave the basket closed and wait several hours until the filter is just slightly damp and doesn’t leak. Also, sometimes, the brew basket doesn’t close completely on the first try, and I have to swing it open, press down firmly, and attempt to close it again. Those are the only two complaints that I have with this coffee maker.
I like the other display messages that appear if there’s a problem. For example, Add Water, Empty Brew Basket, and Add Beans are just some of the messages that will display on the control panel if you forget a step.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker: Taste test
I used both coffee beans and ground coffee when testing the Café Specialty Grind and Brew, including the Bluestone Lane Barista Collection, Zend Decaffeinated Blend, Big Island Swiss Water Decaf Coffee, and Bellweather Obata Honey Coffee.
Some were light roasts, while others were medium roasts that were sweeter. Other times, I tried a dark roast. When I used coffee beans, I followed Café’s recommendation to use a medium grind size (set on 3 or 4) to avoid the grind being too coarse or too fine since either could negatively affect the taste.
I also experimented with the strengths (light, medium, and bold) and temperatures, with mixed results. That’s not a flaw of the coffee maker – it’s a personal bias since I prefer gold strength. And every time I selected gold strength, the coffee was perfect. That’s because, in that setting, everything has already been taken into account (brew ratio, strength, time, etc).
When I tested the coffee maker with the Mug quantity selected, the coffee continued to have a rich, full taste. I attribute this to the Café Specialty Grind and Brew’s ability to make adjustments depending on the amount of coffee being brewed. However, note that the container should be no taller than 7 inches to fix underneath. When I’m at home, I prefer to use the thermal carafe since I can brew more coffee, and it will stay hot for hours.
Should you buy the Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How Does the Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker Compare?
The OXO Brew 12 Cup Coffee Maker is another option that is SCA gold cup certified, and it can brew both carafe and single cups (without pods). At $299.20, it’s slightly less than the Café Specialty Grind and Brew. However, it doesn’t have a removable water tank, and it doesn’t have a built-in grinder.
On the other hand, you may prefer for your coffee maker to do even more. The Breville Barista Touch has all of the bells and whistles, including a guided menu with a touch screen, coffee bean grinder, espresso drinks, and milk frother. However, it has a bells-and-whistles price tag: $1,499.95,
How I tested the Café Specialty Grind and Brew Coffee Maker
- Tested for four months, alternating between single-serve and carafe quantities
- Also alternated between using the coffee grinder and pre-ground coffee
- Tested with a variety of coffee beans and ground coffee brands
I tested the Café Specialty Grind and Brew for several months, off and on. I have a massive kitchen island that can hold several appliances, so sometimes, I would put the Café Specialty Grind and Brew aside and then come back to test it again. When testing, I evaluated build quality, ease of use, performance, ease of cleaning, and, of course, taste.
Read more about how we test.
