Breville’s Coffee Maker: The Precision Brewer Thermal Review

The Breville Precision Brewer Thermal is a higher end coffee pot with some impressive features. If you are a reader of this site, you already know that I am not a fan of using coffee pots in general. Most coffee pots lack control over the brewing cycle and impart unpleasant tastes into your cup. The Breville Precision Brewer, on the other hand, offers unparalleled control over your brew and the coffee is fantastic.

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The Breville Precision Brewer Thermal

The Breville Precision Brewer BDC450BSS (view on Amazon) is Breville’s beautiful new premium coffee maker which automates and replicates the experience of brewing coffee by hand. Additionally, the Precision Brewer offers pourover, iced coffee, and cold brew functionality in addition to excellent drip coffee.

I have used this coffee pot for the past several months, with remarkable success. Although I am not a professional barista, I have been roasting my own coffee for years. I have tested the Breville Precision Brewer using many different roasts and styles and have come to rely on it daily. I am even starting to notice some dust collecting on my Chemex and the various other brewing methods I have laying around.

One of the reasons I love manual coffee methods is that you get awesome coffee without spending a lot of money. With these methods, you must do the work yourself. The Precision Brewer offers a similar result at the press of a button. The automation and consistency of this product is precisely what you are paying for, along with the reputation and beautiful styling associated with Breville products.

Additionally, the Breville Precision Brewer allows you to adjust all the parameters of the brewing cycle. This includes pre-infusion (blooming), flow rate, and water temperature. However, if you don’t feel like messing with these settings, you can simply use the “Gold” setting, which optimally configures everything.

Features of the Precision Brewer Thermal

• 60oz capacity
• Thermo-coil Heating and Pump System
• Precise and Adjustable Temperature Control
• Dual Filter Baskets
• 6 Different Brewing Modes (see below)
• Pour Adapter Compatible
• Thermal Carafe with an opening large enough to clean easily
• Auto Start functionality
• Small Cup Detection and ‘Steep & Release’ function

Included Accessories

• Cone filter basket insert
• Reusable mesh basket filter
• Breville coffee measuring scoop
• Flat bottom basket filter paper pack (10 pieces)
• Water hardness test strip

Breville Precision Brewer Brewing Modes

The Precision Brewer is not just a normal coffee pot. There are a variety of different settings to create diverse types of drinks. Here is a list of the different brewing options, as explained in the manual:

• Fast: Brew up to 12 cups (60oz) in less than 7 minutes.
• Gold: Brew up to 8 cups (40oz) with all the brew settings automatically adjusted to meet the Specialty Coffee Association “Gold Cup” standard.
• Strong: Brew settings are automatically adjusted so you get a stronger cup of coffee.
• Over Ice: Brew up to 4 cups (20 oz) of stronger coffee that tastes great when poured over ice and garnished any way you like.
• My Brew: Brew up to 12 cups (60oz) having total control over all the variables, brew water temperature, bloom time, water delivery speed, so you get coffee just the way you like it.
• Cold Brew: Brew up to 20oz of Cold Brew coffee with the flexibility to adjust steeping time between 0-24 hours and have the coffee automatically delivered into your favorite vessel.

Things I like about the Breville Precision Brewer

Breville’s styling and design is beautiful and sleek. The components feel substantial and durable. This brewer matches the clean stainless-steel elements of the other Breville products.

The Precision Brewer uses a thermo-coil rather than a traditional heating element. This is the main feature that sets this brewer apart from others. The Thermo-coil comprises of stainless steel tubing that heats water as it passes through. This allows for instant heating at precise temperatures and is much more advanced than competing machines.

You can use cone style filters with an included adapter as well as basket filters. Cone filters allow for better immersion up to 40 ounces, but basket filters are better suited to full pots of coffee. The dual basket system allows for versatility in brewing modes including cold brewed coffee.

The “Steep and Release Valve” is an excellent feature for small serving sizes. When the Precision Brewer senses that you are brewing under 20 ounces of coffee, it adjusts the brewing parameters accordingly. The water is held back for a short while (allowing the coffee to steep) to help achieve that full-bodied taste. When using this setting, you can use your cup of choice, rather than the carafe.

The ‘Gold’ setting brews a great cup with no tinkering. This setting automatically adjusts the pre-infusion, flow rate, and water temperature to meet the SCAA Gold Cup standard. This is the setting that I mainly use when brewing 40 ounces or less. This setting makes much of this Brewer’s complexity optional.

The thermal carafe is insulated, durable, and easy to clean. I am no fan of glass carafes and I think the insulated design is superior to the use of heating units (which can cook your coffee after half an hour or so). Be sure to preheat the carafe before brewing to ensure your coffee stays hot longer.

The manual is concise and well organized. It includes tips on how to brew using all the brewing modes as well as proper coffee to water ratios and tips to get the best tasting coffee.

The cord is long enough to reach the floor from standard counter height. I use the Precision Brewer as part of a coffee bar setup and I require the cords to be long enough to reach a power strip on the floor behind the coffee bar. This is not possible with most other coffee pots, grinders, and many other devices I have tested due to very short power cords. The other Breville products in the picture below also feature power cords of similar length.

I am somewhat of a Breville Fan.

What I don’t like about the Breville Precision Brewer

The Precision Brewer sometimes leaves a small amount of water at the bottom of the reservoir. If I am brewing coffee every day, I simply ignore it. Otherwise, I take the lid off and set it inside the tank. This might be a design decision intended to protect the machine from ever running dry, but I can only speculate.

The Precision Brewer is an expensive coffee pot. There are other somewhat less expensive options that also brew great coffee. If you are only looking to have a high-end version of a standard coffee pot, this brewer might be overkill.

The Pourover adapter is not included. I have not tested the adapter, primarily because I must order it separately. I am pleased with how the Precision handles lesser amounts of coffee, so I don’t feel very incentivized to purchase the adapter for my own use. For this price, it probably should be included in the box.

The machine can sometimes be a bit on the noisy side. This brewer uses a similar heating system to espresso machines, but the brewer itself doesn’t weigh quite as much. Because of this, the brewer vibrates around a bit and can be somewhat noisy while brewing. The pump itself isn’t very loud at all.

My Experience with the Breville Precision Brewer

I mostly use the Precision Brewer to brew 10-20 ounces of coffee every morning. A few times per week, I will make a larger pot with it. I especially enjoy the “steep and release feature” and the ability to brew straight into my cup. The machine brews very quickly and sounds very similar to my Barista Express espresso machine while brewing.

The Precision Brewer allows for a short pre-infusion time to allow the coffee a chance to bloom. This feature is adjustable through the ‘My Brew’ setting. I mostly use the ‘Gold’ setting and let the machine optimize itself, which is working well so far. If I needed to, I could adjust the individual brewing parameters to achieve that perfect cup. This is a major strength of this machine.

This is a very fast brewing coffee pot. The thermo-coil heating system passes precisely heated water into the grounds shortly after starting the machine. In fact, I can brew 10 ounces of coffee in under three minutes with a single button press, which includes heating and blooming time. Combined with the Breville Smart Grinder Pro, the entire process of making coffee requires very little time and involvement from me (more on this later).

The resulting coffee is bright and smooth with no bitterness. Admittedly, much of this has to do with my grind setting and choice of coffee, but it’s important for any coffee pot to not stand as an obstacle to good coffee. This pot imparts no additional flavors into the brew and the coffee tastes very similar to a pourover or other handcrafted coffee. Since I only drink black coffee, I am quite sensitive to imperfections in the brewing process, and I am pleased with the coffee this machine produces.

Read More: How to Train Yourself to Drink Black Coffee Everyday

Using the Cold Brew Feature

The cold brew function will brew up to 20 ounces for a much longer infusion (10-16 hours or so). The result is a smooth concentrated brew which can be stored for a week in your fridge. When brewing coffee this way, ideally you will want to use 2-3x the amount of coffee (you can dilute it later with water or milk), coarsely ground.

Once you start the cycle, the Precision Brewer will begin infusing the coffee and water without heat. The mix will remain undisturbed for the amount of time you desire. In my experience, I found 14-16 hours to be long enough for the flavors to become fully developed. Afterwards, the coffee is released into the carafe or a vessel of your choice. If you decide to use the carafe for the brew, be sure to remove the lid.

Cold brew coffee is super smooth and refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. Since it keeps for much longer, you’ll always have coffee ready to go. I am unaware of any other coffee makers that offer this feature.

Compatibility with the Breville Smart Grinder Pro

For those of you who enjoy matching products across one brand, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro (view on Amazon) compliments this machine rather nicely. I am perfectly willing to measure my coffee and water when using a Chemex or a pourover. However, if I find myself using a coffee pot, I am already going for convenience over these other methods. For this reason, I appreciate the convenience of a grinder that doses my coffee.

The Smart Grinder Pro can be programmed to deliver very precise amounts of coffee for 1-12 cups. You decide what each “cup” refers to. In my case, I like to use 5-ounce cups so that the doses match the cup markings on the Precision Brewer’s reservoir.

Before brewing, I will determine the correct dose for a 5-ounce cup using a scale, and simply let the Smart Grinder Pro calculate based on the number of cups. This way, I simply fill the reservoir in the Precision Brewer to my desired number of cups, and then select that same number on the Smart Grinder. The result is two button presses every morning for fantastic repeatable coffee (one for the grind, and one for the brewer).

I realize this won’t apply to many of you, as you likely have your own burr grinder already. That being said, I wanted to mention this little perk of going all out with the Breville stuff. For more information, read my review of the Smart Grinder Pro.

Read More: The Smart Grinder Pro Review

Consumer Feedback and Tips for Best Use

If you look for user reviews on this product, you will discover that some of the feedback is mixed. Many of these reviews are the result of user error. Considering this, here are some tips to ensure your use of the unit will be successful:

• Use the correct filter type depending on the amount of brewed coffee you desire. When brewing more than 8 cups (40oz), you must use the basket filter.
• Be sure to change the filter type in the settings menu to match what you are using.
• Don’t use more than the recommended amount of coffee for a full pot. The maximum capacity for pre-ground coffee is 12 level Breville scoops.
• Be sure to preheat the Carafe before brewing, to ensure your coffee stays hot as long as possible.
• Descale the machine regularly, especially if you notice inconsistent heating.

Shortly after the release of this brewer, there were some initial complaints of defective units. Like any other electronic gadget, if you get a bad one, send it back. You should demand quality and reliability, especially at this price level. However, no product is perfect, and no manufacturing process is without its flaws. If you discover an issue, exchange the product for another.

How to Descale the Precision Brewer Thermal

As you use the Precision Brewer, mineral deposits from the water will start building up on the internals of the machine. Although this is normal for all coffee makers, this build up will impact the performance of your coffee maker. The first thing you will probably notice is your coffee won’t be as hot. Additionally, the flow rate, taste, and general performance will become diminished. After a certain number of brewing cycles, the Precision Brewer will start displaying a message prompt to descale.

Descaling this machine is pretty straightforward. You can pick up descaling solution at your local grocer and simply follow the directions for descaling a coffee maker. Usually this will involve pouring a mix of descaling solution and water into the reservoir and running the descaling cycle. You will then follow this up by running a few brewing cycles with water only to ensure the solution is completely rinsed out. There’s really not much to it. If you use the machine everyday, you will probably need to descale it once a month or every other month.

Final Thoughts

The Breville Precision Brewer Thermal appeals to those who wish to automate their coffee brewing experience while still maintaining control over many of the variables of extraction. Automation of these parameters comes at a premium but may be well worth it for those who value a best-in-class machine. At this price level, there are a few other options, but none as fully featured as the Precision Brewer, at least that I am aware of.

If you are in the market for a high-end coffee maker, I hope you found this review useful in your consideration of the Breville Precision Brewer. I want to help manage your expectations so that you can make an informed purchase.

This coffee maker certainly has my recommendation, provided you intend to take advantage of some of the different brewing modes and other features unique to this machine. You can find a link to the Breville Precision Brewer below.

If you want to see more reviews like this or have any questions, I would be happy to hear about it in the comments below.

Happy Brewing!