Coffee & Espresso review
Breville Precision Brewer Review: 195.6°F Average, Half a Degree Apart
TechGearLab measured under half a degree of variation between back-to-back brews. Only the thermal carafe version carries the SCA certification, and the pour-over adapter is sold separately.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Breville
Breville Precision Brewer
Good · researched from 3 sources
The most adjustable drip machine here, with a PID holding temperature to under half a degree between brews. Buy the thermal carafe version, because the glass one is not SCA certified and sits on a hotplate.
- Buy if
- Anyone who wants to control bloom time, temperature and flow rate · Households brewing anything from one cup to twelve · Light roasts, which HomeGrounds singles out
- Skip if
- Small worktops, at 15.7 inches tall with a fixed tank · Anyone who just wants coffee without settings · Pour-over use out of the box, since the adapter costs extra
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
Half a degree
TechGearLab measured an average brew temperature of 195.6°F and, more usefully, less than half a degree of variation between back-to-back brews.
The first number says the machine is inside the SCA window. The second says it will be there again tomorrow, which is the harder thing and the reason the brew quality score is 9.4 out of 10.
The mechanism is a PID controller, the same closed-loop temperature control that espresso machines use and that almost no drip machine bothers with. HomeGrounds gives the adjustable range as 197 to 204°F.
Coffeeness describes what that looks like in the basket: water spread evenly across the bed, no craters dug into the grounds.
The mode that justifies the price
My Brew sets the temperature, the bloom time from zero to five minutes, and the flow rate.
Those are the three variables a manual pour-over gives you and a drip machine normally takes away. Having them on a timer is genuinely unusual.
Around it sit five presets: Fast, Strong, Over Ice, Gold and Cold Brew. Gold follows the SCA Golden Cup specification and adjusts to the batch size on its own.
Coffeeness is blunt about two of them, calling the cold brew and iced modes marketing, while rating Gold and My Brew highly.
Buy the thermal carafe
HomeGrounds states it plainly: only the thermal carafe version is SCA certified. The glass version with the hotplate is not.
Coffeeness reaches the same place by a different route, pointing out that a hotplate slowly cooks the coffee standing on it and produces burnt flavours, and recommending the thermal model without qualification.
Two sources, one conclusion, and it is a decision made at the point of purchase rather than fixable afterwards.
Where it sits on taste
TechGearLab: taste 7.0 out of 10, flavourful and consistent, smooth and balanced on dark roast, and behind both the Ratio Six Series 2 and the Technivorm Moccamaster on flavour extraction.
HomeGrounds: every cup at least good and most outstanding, once the variables were dialled in, with light roasts the strong suit.
Coffeeness: pour-over quality, followed immediately by the question of whether it actually beats a Moccamaster at comparable money.
Note the shape of that. Two of three independently reach for the Moccamaster as the comparison, which is reviewed elsewhere in this catalogue and does one thing without any settings at all.
The four irritations
The pour-over adapter is sold separately. Coffeeness calls that a significant omission on a machine partly marketed on the capability.
Nothing goes in the dishwasher, and TechGearLab found single-cup brewing splashes enough to need extra cleaning.
The water tank does not come out, so filling it needs clear space above a machine already 15.7 inches tall.
And on noise the sources simply disagree: TechGearLab lists it as a drawback, Coffeeness calls the machine extremely quiet with a gentle gurgling sound. Stand next to one before deciding whether that matters to you.
How it scored
The overall 8.2 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Performance
TechGearLab scored brew quality 9.4 out of 10, measured an average of 195.6°F and found less than half a degree of variation across back-to-back brews.
Value
TechGearLab ranked it third of eleven at 79 out of 100 while naming the price. HomeGrounds scored 4.4 out of 5. Coffeeness questions whether it beats a Moccamaster at similar money.
Build quality
A PID controller of the kind normally found on espresso machines, in a 12.4 by 6.7 by 15.7 inch body that HomeGrounds calls large and heavy with a non-removable tank.
Ease of use
TechGearLab scored ease of use 8.8 out of 10. Nothing is dishwasher safe, and TechGearLab reports single-cup brewing producing backsplash that takes extra effort to clean.
Versatility
Six presets plus a My Brew mode controlling temperature, bloom time from zero to five minutes and flow rate. Coffeeness dismisses the cold brew and iced modes as marketing.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- TechGearLab measured an average brew temperature of 195.6°F, inside the SCA range
- Less than half a degree of variation between back-to-back brews per TechGearLab
- TechGearLab scored brew quality 9.4 out of 10 and ranked it third of eleven
- A My Brew mode setting temperature, bloom from zero to five minutes and flow rate
- HomeGrounds reports Fast mode brewing twelve cups in under eight minutes
- Coffeeness found water distributed evenly with no craters left in the coffee bed
What we didn’t
- Only the thermal carafe version is SCA certified, per HomeGrounds
- The pour-over adapter is sold separately, which Coffeeness calls a significant omission
- TechGearLab scored taste 7.0 and ranks it below a Moccamaster on flavour
- Nothing is dishwasher safe, and single-cup brewing splashes
- HomeGrounds notes the water tank is not removable
- TechGearLab lists noise as a drawback, though Coffeeness calls it extremely quiet
Specifications
| Brew temperature | 195.6°F average measured by TechGearLab; 197 to 204°F range per HomeGrounds |
|---|---|
| Temperature stability | Less than half a degree of variation across back-to-back brews per TechGearLab |
| Brew time | 5 min 54 s for six cups per TechGearLab; under 8 min for twelve on Fast and about 11 on Strong per HomeGrounds |
| Capacity | 1 to 12 cups, 60 oz |
| Presets | Fast, Strong, Over Ice, Gold and Cold Brew, plus My Brew |
| My Brew controls | Temperature, bloom from 0 to 5 minutes, and flow rate |
| Carafe | Thermal, SCA certified; a glass and hotplate version is not certified per HomeGrounds |
| Dimensions | 12.4 x 6.7 x 15.7 in per HomeGrounds |
| Descaling | About 27 min per TechGearLab; about 15 min per HomeGrounds |
| Water tank | Not removable |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
TechGearLab tested it against ten other drip coffee makers and supplies the measured average brew temperature, the back-to-back variation figure, the timed brew, the category scores and weights, the descaling duration and the cleaning criticisms, ranking it third of eleven at 79 out of 100. HomeGrounds supplies the adjustable temperature range, brew times by mode, the capacity behaviour below four cups, the My Brew parameters, the dimensions, the carafe certification distinction and a second descaling figure, scoring 4.4 out of 5. Coffeeness supplies the water distribution observation, the carafe recommendation, the pour-over adapter criticism and the noise assessment. The two descaling durations and the two noise assessments conflict and both are reported.
What we read
Common questions
How accurate is the Breville Precision Brewer's temperature?
What does the My Brew mode actually let you change?
Which carafe should I buy?
How does it taste compared with the alternatives?
What are the drawbacks?
The bottom line on the Breville Precision Brewer
The most adjustable drip machine here, with a PID holding temperature to under half a degree between brews. Buy the thermal carafe version, because the glass one is not SCA certified and sits on a hotplate.
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