Breville Smart Grinder Coffee Machine, Black Sesame

I got this grinder 2 days ago and have found it to be exactly what I needed. I have the Capresso EC100 Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Machine and have found it to be very good as long as the grind size is just right. I imagine this is the case with other espresso makers, but this one in particular requires a lot of precision so the shot doesn't over/under extract. I toiled a lot, measuring the amount of coffee beans in grams and the duration of my grinds in seconds (using a blade grinder) to get the right size. Making a single/double espresso was very fastidious.With this machine, I filled the top with coffee (medium, non-oily roast), chose a grind size a few notches away from the finest grind, and got a near-perfect grind. I adjusted the grind size and shot amount once and am now am making perfect espressos repeatedly with no effort. The best part is that the smaller portafilter holder (the machine comes with two) works perfectly with my portafilter, so I don't even have to transfer the ground coffee from the grinder to the portafilter basket in a separate step. I feel like I could run my own shop and can't help but brag how good my espressos/lates are to anyone who'll listen.I decided to go for this machine because I needed a good grinder specifically for espresso. The grind is fine and uniform--exactly what I needed. I can't comment on other grind sizes/brew methods. I'm sure it's good for pour over and Chemex. I'm not sure how good it would be for French press or Turkish coffee (both extremes). If you are wondering whether this machine will be good enough for espressos, you won't regret it. If your portafilter has spouts (mine has only the holes), they may be too long for you to use the portafilter holder. You may still be able to hold the portafilter manually under the grinder so you don't have to transfer the ground coffee in a separate step. If you can manage this, your experience will probably still be better than whatever you are doing now.

Update 3/16/15When the grinder is clean it works well but it clogs waaaay too easily! I've been using the grinder for 6+ months and it's performance hasn't been terrible, but it hasn't been stellar either. When set to even the coarsest drip grind (about in the middle of the entire coarseness range), the coffee is very fine and the holes under the burrs through which the coffee must pass to get to the container clog very frequently, like every 3 or 4 uses. The brush supplied doesn't work well to clean them out, nor do toothpicks. The best tool I've found to clean out the grinder is a can of compressed gas used to clean out keyboards and the like. It sprays fine coffee powder everywhere, but it does open everything back up so the grinder won't stall.If I set the grinder to a coarser, french press setting, it clogs less frequently but I think I lose some of the flavor of the beans. I had to drop my review to 4-stars because of the need for very frequent cleaning.Original reviewI've been using the grinder on the weekends for the past couple of weeks and love it. It is so quiet. The other burr grinder I had and the "whirlygig" bladed chopper I had were so loud they could wake up the whole neighborhood. Not the Breville though! I'm still trying to find the optimum grind/amount settings for my coffee maker. I drink coffee, not espresso! The grinder is definitely geared toward the espresso market obviously, but I can put my filters in place and have them fill with no problems. The only minor peeve I have is that it does not remember all of the last used settings when you use it again. It seems to remember the grind setting, but the amount always starts at 1 cup. Not a big deal, just something I noticed. The hopper has a nice storage capacity and seems to seal adequately, but I haven't left any beans in it so see how they fare over a week. Maybe when I open up a new bag I'll see what happens...

[update]great service from amazon, returned the item without hiccups. re-ordered the grinder and have been using it for a couple of months now.great product, easy to maintain, easy to use, delivers as promised. highly recommend.[first review]I'm returning the item (didn't work) and wait for a replacement. hopefully the new unit will work. from what I read this grinder performs beautifully, I can't wait to test it.