Breville BKC700XL Coffee Brewer Review

Introduction

Design Overview

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A solid design with numerous controls and large reservoir will help the {{product.name}} stand out.

Brewing Chamber

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The {{product.name}}'s brewing chamber is fairly standard for a Keurig brewer. You need to flip up the silver arm and the the K-Cup tray will pop out of the machine. This is also where you place the My K-Cup filter.

Controls

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On the right side of the {{product.name}} is an LCD screen with "brew", "menu", "ok", and vertical arrow buttons beneath it. With the menu button, you can select from a stronger small cup (5.25 ounce serving), small mug (7.25 ounce serving), a large mug (9.25 ounce serving), a travel mug (11.25 ounce serving), or iced beverage setting (3.25 ounce serving).

Users should note that if the brew button is not pressed in 60 seconds, the LCD screen will read "open head" and the brew button will be disabled to prevent accidental activation. To re-activate the brew sequence, open the brewing chamber by raising and lowering the arm completely.

Reservoir

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Users will be able to drink about 10 cups before having to refill the 1.7 liter reservoir.

In the Box

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As is the case with most Keurig brewers, the {{product.name}} comes with the standard yellow box full of 12 K-Cups. It comes with a charcoal water filter and filter holder—both of which you place inside the water reservoir. Breville recommends that you clean the water filter regularly and replace the charcoal filter about every two months. There is also the My K-Cup filter and the coffee scooper located inside the brewer on the top right.

Brewing

Using a refractometer to calculate the total dissolved solids (TDS) of each cup, we determined the {{product.name}}'s brew strength. We put the brewer through two brewing trials - the strongest K-Cup that came in the box in a small cup and the weakest in a large cup. For the BKC700XL, we used the Breakfast Blend K-Cup for the large cup and Dark Magic for the small cup.

The {{product.name}} struggled in our large cup test with just 0.48% TDS, but was good in our small cup test with a 1.12%. While the small cup percentage is certainly a competitive number, customers spending $250 on a brewer may be looking for stronger brews. More on how we test the brewing process.

Time to Brew

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The {{product.name}} is right in the middle of the pack when it comes to brew time. It took 36 seconds to brew a small cup and 1:08 to brew a large cup.

Quantity

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A great aspect of the {{product.name}} is that customers can choose from a stronger, small cup (5.25 ounce serving), small mug (7.25 ounce serving), a large mug (9.25 ounce serving), a travel mug (11.25 ounce serving), or iced beverage setting (3.25 ounce serving). Many pod brewers don't give you these types of options.

Brewing Process

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Depending on how much you want to customize your coffee, there may be only a few steps in brewing. For some specific cups, there may be a longer list of required steps.

Step 1

You need to prime your {{product.name}} by holding down the two arrow buttons and letting the water run through the machine. After that, make sure the water reservoir is refilled.

Step 2

Next, open the brewing chamber by lifting the metallic arm and place the K-Cup inside the tray.

Step 3

After closing the brewing chamber, you can select your brew size and temperature via the menu on the LCD screen on the right.

Step 4

Next, press the brew button and your coffee should start brewing.

Cleaning & Maintenance

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Users should hand wash the brewer itself and the My K-Cup feature (use needle attached to unplug clogs). The Brewer should be descaled every 3-6 months to ensure optimal performance. Keep an eye on it for calcium deposits, though.

Other Features

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A great feature on the {{product.name}} is the My K-Cup filter and measuring spoon, which both reside in the compartment at the top right of the machine. The filter allows you to use your own grains when brewing coffee. You can use this filter if the K-Cups aren’t quite strong enough for you or if you prefer another brand. Breville says that one level scoop equals two tablespoons and works well with the 7.25 ounce serving for a mild brew and 5.25 ounce setting for a strong brew.

Comparison Overview

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There are many physical similarities between the {{product.name}} (MSRP $250) and Cuisinart SS-700 (MSRP $200), but they are also comparable in usability.. In addition to brewing Keurig coffee, they both have the My K-Cup filter that allows users to brew their own coffee and have cup size and temperature controls on the right side. From a customer's perspective, however, the SS-700 has two significant advantages. It topped the {{product.name}} in our TDS test (brewing much better coffee) and costs $50 less than its $250 competitor.

Comparison Overview

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At their core, both the {{product.name}} ($249.99 MSRP) and Keurig Platinum B70 ($179.95 MSRP) are easily-customizable brewers that offer mid-range coffee strength and large water reservoirs. The BKC700XL had the edge in TDS percentage, an indicator of coffee strength, 1.12% to 0.90%. The Breville also has the My K-Cup filter included that fits inside the brewer itself. With that said, the B70 costs about $70 less than the {{product.name}} and for most customers, the slight difference in coffee strength likely won't be enough to pick the Breville.

Comparison Overview

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The Flavia Fusion ($124.99 MSRP) was one of the highest-performing brewers in our TDS tests with 1.75% TDS and offers many of the same control options as the {{product.name}} ($249.99 MSRP). Both brewers allow you to choose cup size, but the Fusion also gives you the option to pick between drink frothy and normal cups of coffee. The BKC700XL (only a 1.12% TDS), on the other hand, has an elegant design that may win some customers over. Furthermore, it lets you choose brew temperature and has My K-Cup filters that let you use your own ground beans.

The choice between these two brewers comes down to what customers value, coffee strength or customization. The Breville costs $125 more than the Fusion, but may be worth it to those who want to use the My K-Cup feature. Others may value coffee strength at a reasonable cost and the Flavia fits into that category.

Conclusion

The {{product.name}} is among the priciest brewers we've tested to date at $250 and it didn't do poorly in our tests. The issue is that customers will find it hard to justify forking over $50-100 more for the {{product.name}} when really doesn't have many unique qualities beyond its internal My K-Cup bin. The Breville does offer a wide range of customization controls, such as size and temperature settings.

When placed side by side, it's almost a facsimile of the Cuisinart SS-700 ($200). Some customers may not see a reason to spend that extra $50. We don't have much negative feedback for the {{product.name}} and like its customization options. But we also don't recommend spending $250 on a machine if you can get the same desired features and better TDS performance on a less-expensive machine.