Over the past three years I have been using the Cuisinart "professional" grinder to try and make espresso - the longevity of its use serves more to highlight my lack of research into proper espresso brewing. Simply put, if you want to drink espresso, do not use this machine to grind your coffee beans.
Professional in all but name
Cuisinart label this product as a professional grinder simply on the basis that is uses a burr mechanism. Indeed a burr grinder is used by "professional" machines (machines such as those made by Mazzer et al.) but the biggest difference between those 500 quid (or more) machines is the ability to adjust the coarseness of the grind. The Cuisinart grinder simply does not grind coffee beans fine enough for espresso, resulting in under extraction which can be seen through a lack of crema (the thick "cream"/oil that should be on top of an espresso).
Amazon, among many other retailers, sell the Cuisinart "professional" grinder at a price that suggests it is a bargain compared to other units that cost hundreds of pounds. I bought mine from Amazon and for three years it gave reliable, but sub-standard service.
There are a few reviewers on Amazon that say the same comment regarding grind granularity but it is outweighed by the very many who seem to think it is perfectly fine. This could be for many reasons; like me they were ignorant to what good espresso should look and taste like, but more likely it is that they are not using it in an espresso machine, rather a French press or worse still, a filter coffee machine.
If you intend to use this machine to grind beans for a French press or a filter coffee machine then it is fine, the coarser grounds will suffice. However if you want espresso, it is simply not worth buying this machine.
In the last week I replaced both my Cuisinart grinder and my cheapo Krups espresso machine with a Racilio Rocky (without doser) and an Isomac Tea II. Needless to say the espresso I drink now is significantly better.
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