Breville BDC450BSS Drip coffee maker: Full Review

The Breville BDC450BSS Precision Brewer is a high-end drip coffee maker designed for coffee enthusiasts looking to brew café-quality coffee at home. This sleek and polished stainless steel machine offers precise temperature and brewing control, allowing you to customize the brew process for optimal flavor extraction.

With its flat-bottom filter basket and combination spray head, the Precision Brewer provides even water saturation and complete immersion of the coffee grounds. The result is a smooth, balanced cup of coffee that highlights the subtle notes and aromas of your favorite beans.

One of the standout features of this Breville coffee maker is the Thermal Coil heating system that allows you to choose between three different flow rates for blooming, steeping or faster brewing. For specialty pour-over style brewing, the manual control mode gives you ultimate control over the brew process.

Overall, the Breville Precision Brewer aims to give coffee lovers the power to make coffeehouse-quality coffee at home. Keep reading for an in-depth review of the features, performance and pros/cons of this versatile and customizable drip coffee brewer.

Design & Build Quality

The Breville Precision Brewer has an attractive, modern stainless steel design that will look great in any kitchen. The metal housing feels very sturdy and durable, easily withstanding everyday use.

Breville chose high-quality materials for this coffee maker, including a stainless steel thermal carafe, metal portafilter basket, and precision brewing shower head made from stainless steel and engineered plastic. The water reservoir is constructed from BPA-free Eastman Tritan copolyester for durability.

Overall, the build quality is excellent. The brewer has a nice heft to it and doesn't feel flimsy or cheap. All parts fit together seamlessly. The buttons have a satisfying click, and the handles and knobs turn smoothly.

Little design touches like the clock display, automatic start timer, and blooming and steeping mode indicators make this feel like a premium appliance. The thermal carafe is well-insulated to keep coffee hot for hours.

In terms of aesthetics, the Precision Brewer has a clean, minimalist look. The metal housing has a brushed finish that resists fingerprints. The LCD display provides a modern touch. While not flashy, the overall design is elegant and will suit any decor.

Features

The Breville Precision Brewer has many impressive features that make it stand out among drip coffee makers.

• 12 Cup Capacity - It can brew up to 12 cups (60oz) of coffee at a time, making it great for families or entertaining.

• Dual Filter Baskets - It comes with both a flat bottom and cone filter basket to optimize extraction.

• 6 Brewing Modes - There are modes for Gold, Fast, Strong, Iced, Cold Brew, and My Brew which allows you to customize bloom time, flow rate, and temperature.

• Precision Temperature Control - You can select the exact brewing temperature between 197-204°F for optimal extraction.

• Dosing - The Precision Brewer allows you to adjust the dose or amount of coffee. More dose for stronger coffee and less for a weaker cup.

• Pre-Infusion - The Bloom setting mimics a pour over by slowly wetting the grounds to degas them before brewing.

• Flow Rate - You can control the flow or brew speed from fast to slow. Slow enhances extraction but takes longer.

• Steep & Release - This steeps the coffee then stops flow to let it steep further before releasing into the carafe.

• Auto Start - You can program it to automatically start brewing at a certain time.

Ease of Use

The Breville Precision Brewer is designed for easy, intuitive operation with its simple button controls and clear LCD display.

Setting up the brewer is straightforward - just add water to the tank, insert the filter basket, add coffee grounds, and select your brew settings. The brewer guides you through the process on the display.

Brewing coffee is as easy as pressing the "Brew" button. You can choose from various pre-programmed brew modes like Gold Cup, Fast, Strong, Cold Brew, etc. The LCD shows your selected mode, strength, size, and time remaining during the brew cycle.

Cleaning and maintenance are simple on this drip coffee maker. The water tank, filter basket, carafe, shower head, and drip tray are all removable and dishwasher safe. The LCD has a "Clean" indicator to remind you when it's time to descale the machine.

Overall, the Precision Brewer keeps brewing fuss-free with its intuitive controls, clear display, and easy to clean design. The simple process allows you to consistently brew great tasting coffee every day.

Brew Performance

The Breville BDC450BSS Precision Brewer consistently brews coffee that tastes great. The brew time is very fast at under 4 minutes for a full pot. The machine uses several advanced features to optimize extraction and flavor.

Thermal flavor extraction technology pre-wets grounds to allow bloom and degassing prior to brewing. This allows the full range of coffee flavors to be extracted. The variable water temperature control lets you customize the water temperature based on the roast you are brewing. For light roasts, the higher temperature setting extracts sweeter notes while darker roasts benefit from a lower temperature to prevent bitterness.

The Steady brew flow rate ensures the water distributes evenly over the coffee grounds during brewing. This prevents channeling and inconsistencies you can get with cheaper drip coffee makers. The end result is a perfectly balanced cup of coffee with rich flavor, sweetness, and complex aroma every time you brew. The flat bottom filter basket also promotes even extraction compared to cone style filters.

Overall, the precision brewing features result in a flavorful and nuanced cup of coffee with no bitter or sour notes. The brew is very consistent between cups with the optimized extraction control. This machine makes it easy to brew coffee shop quality coffee at home.

Price

The Breville BDC450BSS Precision Brewer has an MSRP of $299.95. For a high-end drip coffee maker with commercial-grade performance, this price represents solid value.

The Precision Brewer is clearly a premium product, with a brushed steel exterior and lots of advanced features. However, it is competitively priced against other comparable models in this class such as the Technivorm Moccamaster ($359) or Bonavita Connoisseur ($190).

For the capabilities it offers, including automatically achieving optimal water temperature, bloom time, and contact time for different brew methods, the Precision Brewer is very reasonably priced. The $300 MSRP is justified given the commercial-level brewing the machine can deliver. The Brewer allows home users to brew café-quality coffee that is difficult to achieve from most lower-priced models.

Although more expensive than basic drip coffee makers, the Precision Brewer provides significant added functionality and consistency to warrant the higher price tag. For coffee aficionados seeking the best possible drip brew at home without a huge outlay, the Breville offers great value for money.

Pros

The Breville BDC450BSS precision brewer has several excellent features that make it stand out:

• Precise temperature control: The BDC450BSS allows you to choose from 9 different brewing temperatures to optimize extraction for light, medium, or dark roasts. This level of temperature customization is rare among home brewers.

• Adjustable flow rate: You can slow down or speed up the rate that water passes through the grounds to influence contact time and extraction. This mimics the control of professional brewers.

• Automated brewing: Once you set the options, the coffee maker handles measuring, heating, and steeping automatically. This allows for consistent results every time.

• 60oz capacity: The BDC450BSS has a large 60oz water reservoir and can brew up to 12 cups at once. This is convenient for making coffee for groups or large families.

Cons

• The Breville Precision Brewer is on the more expensive side for drip coffee makers, usually retailing for $300 or more. While it produces excellent coffee, that may be a high price point for some buyers.

• The water tank is only 60oz, meaning you'll have to refill it fairly frequently if brewing multiple cups back to back. Some users find this inconvenient compared to models with larger tanks.

• The thermal carafe, while effective at keeping coffee hot, feels plasticky and lower quality compared to the rest of the metal construction. It also doesn't have an auto pour spout like some thermal carafes.

• The LCD screen provides a lot of information but isn't very intuitive to navigate. Some users complain about a steep learning curve to use and program the brewer's settings. It's not as straightforward as some simpler drip coffee makers.

Comparable Models

Other models to consider when shopping for a drip coffee maker include:

• Bonavita BV1900TS - Often compared head-to-head with the Breville. Bonavita offers a similar premium brewing experience and thermal carafe at a slightly lower cost. Lacks some of the advanced features and brew customization options.

• OXO Brew 9 Cup Coffee Maker - For those wanting a budget-friendly alternative. The OXO lacks high-end features but produces a good cup of coffee. More plastic components but comes with a thermal carafe.

• Technivorm Moccamaster - The gold standard for automatic drip coffee makers. Technivorm is known for its simple, yet elegant and effective design. Exceptional brewing performance and durability. Comes at a significantly higher cost.

• Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System - Offers versatility by brewing both hot and cold coffee or tea. Has multiple brew sizes and fold-away frother. Lacks the precision of a dedicated drip coffee maker.

• Behmor Brazen Plus - Highly customizable with temperature control and pre-soak options. Produces great tasting coffee but has a plastic water reservoir. More suited for coffee enthusiasts.

Conclusion

The Breville BDC450BSS Precision Brewer is an excellent drip coffee maker that delivers top-notch performance. It brews coffee incredibly fast while achieving optimal flavor extraction thanks to its precise temperature control system.

The thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for hours, allowing you to enjoy great tasting coffee all day long. The simple controls and user-friendly interface also make brewing hassle-free.

While the Breville is more expensive than typical drip coffee makers, it's a worthwhile investment for coffee aficionados or those wanting cafe-quality coffee at home. The metal housing and thoughtful design ensures it will last for years.

Overall, for those who are serious about their daily coffee ritual, the Breville Precision Brewer is highly recommended. It reliably brews delicious drip coffee with ease, achieving rich, balanced flavor in every cup.