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Breville the Smart Grinder Pro Review

This grinder provides top-notch performance in every category except for the coarsest of grinds
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Breville the Smart Grinder Pro Review (We were impressed with the Smart Grinder Pro across all our tests.)
We were impressed with the Smart Grinder Pro across all our tests.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Price:  $200 List
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Manufacturer:   Breville
By Genaveve Bradshaw and Michelle Powell  ⋅  Dec 21, 2022
85
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#1 of 16
  • Grind Consistency - 35% 7.8
  • Cleanliness - 25% 8.7
  • Ease of Use - 25% 9.4
  • Noise - 15% 8.0

Our Verdict

Offering field-leading performance in every one of our tests, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro is our top recommendation for those willing to spend a bit extra for top-shelf results. It really endeared itself to us with grind consistency, excelling in every grind size except for the coarsest sizes. While this alone is reason enough to adorn your counter with this grinder, it backs that up with a streamlined user experience, relatively quiet operation, and a proclivity to keep things neat and tidy when grinding your coffee beans. If you can stomach the above-average price, we think this well-designed grinder will brighten up your mornings. See it ranked against other top products in our review of coffee grinders.
REASONS TO BUY
Great grind consistency
Intuitive interface
Relatively clean and quiet
REASONS TO AVOID
Not ideal for coarser grinds
Expensive

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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line One of the best overall models on the market, though it doesn't excel with very coarse grindsImpressive performance at a reasonably low priceAn economy burr grinder that earned average scores across all metrics save cleanlinessThis small, simple, and inexpensive blade grinder gets the job done for most styles of coffee, excelling in the pour over grind rangeA standard blade model that may be a bit more expensive than many are hoping
Rating Categories Breville the Smart Pro Bodum Bistro Cuisinart Supreme G... Hamilton Beach Fres... KitchenAid Blade
Grind Consistency (35%)
7.8
6.9
5.9
6.3
3.2
Cleanliness (25%)
8.7
5.8
4.0
4.1
6.2
Ease of Use (25%)
9.4
7.0
6.7
5.9
6.1
Noise (15%)
8.0
3.5
5.0
4.0
4.5
Specs Breville the Smart Pro Bodum Bistro Cuisinart Supreme G... Hamilton Beach Fres... KitchenAid Blade
Grinding Mechanism Conical burr Conical burr Flat burr Blade Blade
Burr/Blade Material Stainless steel Stainless steel Stainless steel Stainless steel Stainless steel
Dosing Mechanism Timer Timer Timer Manual Manual
Best Brew Application Pour over, espresso Pour over, espresso Pour over, espresso Pour over Pour over, espresso
Dimensions 12.5" x 8.5" x 16.3" 7.6" x 7.1" x 12.5" 7" x 6" x 10.75" 3.7" x 3.5" x 7" 7.1" x 4.1" x 3.7"
Weight 6.0 lbs 3.2 lbs 3.6 Ibs 1.3 Ibs 2.6 lbs
Cup Material Plastic Glass Plastic Plastic Metal
Warranty One year limited Two year limited 18 month limited One year limited One year full

Our Analysis and Test Results

Sitting at or near the front of the pack in all of our tests, the Smart Grinder Pro is an excellent choice for the most discerning coffee aficionados that don't mind spending a bit more to ensure their coffee receives the best expression possible in their cup. Really the only weak point of this machine is that it creates a little more fine coffee dust than other models when grinding at coarser sizes, but from pour-over to Turkish coffee, it's hard to beat.

Performance Comparison


breville the smart grinder pro - we were impressed with the smart grinder pro across all our tests.
We were impressed with the Smart Grinder Pro across all our tests.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Grind Consistency


The Smart Pro was exceptional in all of our grind consistency tests, with coarse grinds being the one area where it showed some minor weaknesses.


When we ground 21 grams of coffee at a pour-over-appropriate grind size and ran it through a series of sieves to analyze the distribution of grind sizes in the sample, the Smart Pro got approximately 83% into the desired range. The distribution is much tighter than the vast majority of consumer models that we've tested and sets you up with a great chance of getting a good extraction from your coffee brewing.

breville the smart grinder pro - the smart pro produced some of the most consistent grinds in our...
The Smart Pro produced some of the most consistent grinds in our testing.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Speaking of good extraction, the ideal extraction time (time from the water hitting the grinds to all of it making its way through the filter) for a cup of coffee made via pour-over is 3 minutes. When we made multiple cups in this fashion with grinds from the Smart Pro, the extraction times ranged from 2:46 to 2:59. Not only is that incredibly close to the ideal, but it is also a very tight grouping, indicating the grinder can produce the same results time and time again.

breville the smart grinder pro - the smart pro produces an impressively consistent pourover grind.
The Smart Pro produces an impressively consistent pourover grind.
Credit: Michelle Powell

This is further evidenced by the fact that we saw only a 1-gram variation in the amount of coffee ground when prepping all of those pour-overs. This may not seem that impressive, but even with some other high-end machines, we saw them grind out 23 grams of coffee when set to 21 grams and then spit out just 19 grams the next time around.

The Smart Pro also produced very consistent and close-to-ideal extraction times when making espresso. Very few countertop grinders that can handle pour-over-sized grinds can function well in the very fine espresso range as well, but the Smart Pro is certainly one of them.

breville the smart grinder pro - you can open the machine up and physically adjust the burrs...
You can open the machine up and physically adjust the burrs depending on whether you tend to grind at the finer or coarser end of the spectrum.
Credit: Michelle Powell

The one area where the Smart Pro didn't fare well in this metric was in producing coarse-sized grounds. Our sieve test revealed that it produced noticeably more coffee dust (fines) than other grinders, which can result in a muddy, oily, and over-extracted brew. You can open the machine up and physically adjust the burrs to be more optimized for coarse or fine grind sizes, which we found to reduce the amount of fines by about half (and this didn't affect the grind range too much either). However, even with that reduction, we still think there are more fines than a French press or cold brew devotee would want from a high-quality grinder.

Cleanliness


Grinding is by definition a messy business, but the Smart Pro keeps things about as neat as possible.


For the most part, the Smart Pro checks all of the cleanliness boxes. It creates a minimal amount of static, so the grind cup doesn't hang onto many grinds. The cup itself makes for an easy and smooth pour of the grinds into your coffee-making apparatus of choice. The chute doesn't hang onto many grinds either, so there is minimal spillage when removing the grind cup or moving the machine. Finally, it has a removable catch tray for easy cleaning when spills occur.

The one cleanliness annoyance we found with this machine is that it can spit grinds onto the counter because the opening on the cover of the grind cup is just a bit too small. However, this problem is mostly resolved if you leave the lid off and grind directly into the open grind cup.

breville the smart grinder pro - the opening on the grind cup is a bit too small, leading to spilled...
The opening on the grind cup is a bit too small, leading to spilled grounds, but if you remove the cover this problem mostly goes away.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Ease of Use


The Smart Pro provides a great user experience, offering just about every bell and whistle you could want, yet keeping general operation streamlined and simple. The machine itself is also quite easy to take apart in order to clean and/or adjust the burrs. A safety mechanism disables the grinder when the hopper is removed to access the burrs, which is a nice touch.


The nicest feature of the interface on the Smart Pro is the large LCD screen, which clearly displays what settings are selected. Those settings are also incredibly easy to select, as there are dedicated knobs for both grind size and grind amount (seconds). There is also a cups/shots button, which you can program yourself. For instance, if after some experimentation you find that grinding for 18 seconds produces the perfect amount of grinds for your preferred brewing method, you can program the “1-cup” setting to be 18 seconds. You can also easily pause the grinding halfway through, which is great if you're grinding into a portafilter that needs a little shake midway through filling up.

breville the smart grinder pro - it's quite easy to access the burrs if you need to do some deeper...
It's quite easy to access the burrs if you need to do some deeper cleaning, or if you want to adjust them.
Credit: Michelle Powell

Noise


Though not the quietest, the Smart Pro produces a less offensive noise than most grinders on the market. This machine emits a relatively high-pitched noise, but that noise stays consistent and isn't particularly whiny. This results in a sound that we found to be quite bearable, even when grinding coffee for multiple cups in a row. There's even a chance it won't annoy light sleepers in the next room, provided your walls aren't too thin.


Should You Buy the Breville Smart Grinder Pro?


The price of the Smart Grinder Pro is not insubstantial, but when you consider what good burr grinders cost, it's wildly fair. Its overall performance is well above average, but the price isn't. If you don't mind paying a bit of a premium for great grind consistency and a streamlined user experience, we think this device is well worth the price and will last you a long time and through all different kinds of coffee preferences.

What Other Coffee Grinders Should You Consider?


There are only two reasons not to get the Breville Smart Grinder Pro — if the price tag feels too high or if you're focused on being able to grind very coarse. Outside of that, it's hard to beat. If you'd like to save some money and get a good coarse grind to boot, check out the Cuisinart Supreme Grind. The Bodum Bistro is also a great grinder for a very approachable price. If you think you'll mostly be grinding for espresso, the Baratza Sette 270 is also one to have on your short list.

Genaveve Bradshaw and Michelle Powell