Breville Precision Brewer Review: Is It Worth Its Price Tag?

Ever dreamt of combining the endless possibilities offered by manual pour-overs with the irresistible practicality of automatic drippers? 

With the Breville BDC450BSS, this dream will turn into reality every single morning.

Delve into our Breville Precision Brewer review to discover whether or not this impressive but quite pricey coffee maker is worth your money.

What can you actually expect from this customizable machine?

Here’s exactly what makes the Breville Precision Brewer stand out.

Impeccable precision

No, its name isn’t just a buzzword! 

The Breville Precision Brewer stays true to it by featuring PID temperature control (proportional, integral, derivative) which is literally what you can find in high-end espresso machines or commercial models.

By being adjustable as well as precise, it translates into your final water temperature being exactly how you want it, giving you full control over coffee extraction.

But the Breville BDC450BSS takes this element of precision even further by letting you tweak the water’s flow rate (fast, medium, slow) to optimize its contact time with your grounds, too.

A pour-over comparison wouldn’t be complete without the bloom that characterizes this brewing method, and, luckily, the Breville BDC450BSS includes the sought-after pre-infusion function: adjust it between 0 and 5 minutes to make the most of your fresh grounds by letting them degas.

While the right settings and coffee are obviously key, there’s another element that we often overlook (1):

“Did you know 98% of your cup of coffee is water? Subsequently, the quality of your coffee is directly linked to the water used to brew it.” Kicking Horse Coffee Roasters 

Thanks to the professional Thermocoil Heating System that the Breville Precision Brewer relies on, your water will be even purer than with traditional aluminum-based models. They really have thought of everything!

Customizability

With the Breville Precision Brewer, you can tweak every possible variable, and this coffee maker includes 6 different presets: Gold, Fast, Strong, Iced, Cold Brew, and My Brew.

You can play with them through the user-friendly LCD screen and the straightforward three-button interface.

If you want to take the pour-over element to the next level, you can even purchase the separate Breville Precision adapter to integrate your automatic experience with a traditional manual dripper like the Hario V60 or Kalita Wave.

As for quantities, Breville really gets it: sometimes you might want to brew coffee for two or your entire household, whereas some other mornings call for a single cup ASAP before rushing to work. 

With the Breville Precision coffee maker, you’ll never have to compromise! You can brew anything from a single mug to 60 oz of coffee. In fact, Breville’s patent-pending Steep & Release valve (2) keeps the water in contact with the grounds whenever you haven’t got the carafe in place, optimizing its brew cycle for smaller quantities.

Another way to customize your brew is by choosing between two different filter baskets, both included.

PRO TIP: the flat-bottom model lets you use paper filters for a smoother coffee that’s even more similar to traditional pour-overs, whereas the reusable gold-tone option lets the coffee oils into your mug for some bolder French press-style joe.

Should you wish to wake up to the smell of coffee and find a fully brewed carafe waiting for you downstairs (who wouldn’t?!), you can program your Breville Precision coffee maker up to 24 h in advance.

SCAA-certified quality

So far, only a handful of coffee makers have met the strict requirements needed to receive this prestigious certification from the Specialty Coffee Association (3):

“The SCA acts as a unifying force within the specialty coffee industry and works to make coffee better by raising standards worldwide through a collaborative and progressive approach.” Specialty Coffee Association

The Gold Cup preset of the Breville Precision Brewer automatically adjusts both your water temperature and brew time to meet these standards and ensure the perfect joe.

No wonder this is one of the best SCAA-certified coffee makers as well as one of the best drip coffee makers overall!

Design

Boasting a sleek, brushed stainless steel finish, the Breville Precision Brewer is guaranteed to look stylish on your countertop and match your other kitchen appliances.

Its stainless steel design also translates into a reliable thermal carafe that will keep your coffee hot for longer than glass models without running the risk of stewing and over-extracting it. In fact, the Breville Precision Brewer is one of the best thermal carafe coffee makers, too.

However, keep in mind that it’s rather bulky and heavy (3.15 lbs). On top of that, its water reservoir isn’t removable: since the Breville Precision Brewer measures 15.7 inches in height, you need to be sure to either have high cupboards or enough room to pull it forward whenever you want to fill it up.

Who should buy the Breville Precision Brewer

The Breville Precision Brewer is guaranteed to become your favorite toy if you love experimenting with different variables and, while you sometimes prefer traditional manual drippers, you could do with a quicker, hassle-free coffee most days.

We also recommend it to households with coffee preferences that don’t always match and/or where different quantities are sometimes needed.

Who should NOT buy the Breville Precision Brewer

If you’re on a budget, the Breville Precision Brewer might not be the best choice for you. Instead, consider checking out the best cheap coffee makers currently on the market. 

We believe the Breville BDC450BSS can be considered a good-value-for-money model if you actually plan on making the most of its features. However, if you’re only going to use it as a traditional one-button brewer, this probably wouldn’t justify the price tag.

Because it doesn’t include a frother, we also don’t recommend it if you’d like to be able to enjoy an occasional milky drink, too. Unless you already own a separate milk frother, the Ninja Coffee Bar might be a wiser choice.

FAQs

1. How do you use a Breville Precision Brewer?

To use a Breville Precision Brewer you must simply choose between its reusable basket or paper filters, add grounds and water, select your brewing mode, and press the magic button.

If you want to be fully in charge of the extraction process, you can tweak all of its variables (from infusion time to water flow rate and much more) through the My Brew preset.

2. Is the Breville Precision Brewer BPA-free?

Yes, even though it contains some plastic elements, the Breville Precision Brewer is entirely BPA-free.

3. How do I descale my Breville coffee machine?

To descale your Breville coffee machine, you must pour a descaling solution into the water tank, position both your brewing basket and carafe correctly, and press the SELECT button for 3 seconds to activate the descaling mode. Don’t forget to rinse it and run a couple of cycles with fresh water before brewing your next coffee!

References 

1. Maddie. (2015, August 19). The Importance of Water Quality in Coffee Preparation. Retrieved from https://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/our-coffee 
2. (n.d.). (2017, October 25). Breville Announces Launch of the Precision Brewer™. Retrieved from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171025005207/en/Breville-Announces-Launch-of-the-Precision-Brewer%E2%84%A2 
3. (n.d.). About SCA. Retrieved from https://sca.coffee/about