Capresso 455 CoffeeTEAM Therm Stainless Coffeemaker/Burr Grinder Combination

Last Updated on Friday, 2 April 2010 01:43 Written by bjcoffee Thursday, 1 April 2010 04:56

The Capresso 455 CoffeeTEAM Therm Stainless Coffeemaker/Burr Grinder Combination is a study in contrasts. Our reviewers had very mixed reviews about it–ranging from “I love it” to “don’t buy it,” which is pretty rare.

The Capresso 455 comes with both a conical burr grinder and a thermal carafe, nice additions to a standard programmable coffee machine. Our reviewers generally were big fans of the flavor, but there was one thing that about one in four reviewers had trouble with–pouring. There is a small dot on the top of the carafe that helps you determine how to turn the lid to pour. A large number of us didn’t like the design and didn’t find it any easier to use after a few days. This was further complicated by needing the carafe placed in exactly the right spot before brewing to avoid overflows. A smaller percent of our reviewers got overflows on more than one occasion.

Coffee flavor is obviously very important, and the included burr grinder does an excellent job. Even those who struggled with pouring or overflowed the carafe said this was the best flavor they had found in an all-in-one coffee maker under $250. The flavor was strong but mellow, and there was no hint of bitterness.

Overall, our reviewers felt the Capresso 455 was a great deal for the cost–getting a burr conical grinder and coffee maker together is a good deal. However, they found the unit a bit hard to use. Our recommendation–if you are looking for a budget unit that is a little harder to use but produces great quality coffee, this is a good unit. If you are willing to spend a little more, or sacrifice some convenience to get a grinder and maker separately, this is not the best bang for your buck.