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Breville — Precision Brewer Thermal

My go-to when I need to make a big batch. A 60oz drip brewer with real control over bloom, flow rate and temperature, and it's been easy to use and dependable for years.

Breville Precision Brewer Thermal in brushed stainless steel, with a water tank on the left and a thermal carafe under the brew basket
Photo: Breville

What it is

The Precision Brewer (model BDC450) is Breville’s high-end drip machine. It looks like an ordinary coffee maker, but a PID-controlled Thermocoil heater keeps the water temperature steady, and you can change the bloom time and flow rate yourself.

  • Capacity: 60oz, brewing into a brushed stainless thermal carafe (no hot plate)
  • Presets: Gold (built around the SCA’s Gold Cup standard), Fast, Strong, Over Ice and Cold Brew
  • My Brew: your own settings for bloom time, flow rate and temperature
  • Baskets: both a flat-bottom basket and a cone insert, and it works with Breville’s pour-over adapter
  • Speed: a full 12 cups in under 7 minutes on Fast

Breville has since discontinued this model. There’s more on its replacement at the end of this review.

How I use it

This is my go-to coffee maker whenever I need to make a larger amount: when people are over, or when I want coffee for the whole morning. For one cup I’ll reach for pour-over, but when it’s time for a full pot, this is the one I use.

Most of the time I just use the Gold setting and press start. The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot without cooking it on a burner, so the last cup tastes nearly as good as the first.

The good and the bad

The best thing I can say about it is that it’s been easy to use and dependable for me for many years. It’s never let me down, and I haven’t had to think about it beyond descaling now and then.

The extra settings are there if you want to play with them. You don’t need them to get a good pot. It’s big, though, at almost 16” tall, so measure under your cabinets first.

Would I buy it again?

Yes. It’s the one machine in my kitchen I don’t think about anymore, and for a coffee maker, that’s the highest praise I can give.

If you’re buying one now

Since the Precision Brewer is discontinued, the closest thing you can buy new is Breville’s Luxe Brewer Thermal (BDC465, $349.95). I haven’t used the Luxe myself, so I can’t vouch for it the way I can for mine. On paper it’s the same kind of machine: a 60oz thermal carafe, brewing to the SCA Golden Cup standard, with adjustable bloom, flow rate and temperature.

It also adds a few things mine doesn’t have:

  • a water filter built into a removable tank
  • a delayed start, up to 24 hours ahead
  • a carafe Breville says keeps coffee above 150°F for up to 4 hours

In exchange, it trades my machine’s Fast, Strong and Over Ice presets for a simpler One Touch and Custom Brew setup.