Mr. Coffee 12 Cup Electric Review
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
If you're okay with the inconsistent grinds that will come out of any blade grinder, we think the Mr. Coffee 12 Cup Electric is a great choice. It outdid many of its blade-equipped siblings in our testing lab.
Performance Comparison
Likes
By far, the most enticing aspect of the 12 Cup Electric is its price --even in the world of inexpensive blade grinders, it is quite cheap. In fact, it's not hard to find a bag of artisanal coffee beans that cost more than this grinder.
Beyond the low price, our favorite thing about this grinder is that it generally outperforms other blade grinders on the market. Its grind consistency is still beholden to the intrinsic randomness of a blade spinning through a chamber full of coffee beans. Still, in our tests, it was able to produce considerably more consistent extraction times than the other blade models. It still has that fork stuck in the garbage disposal sound of all blade grinders but manages to keep the pitch a bit lower, making the sound slightly less startling. It also produces less static than most other blade models, meaning far fewer grinds stick to the grind cup and make a mess when you try to tap them loose.
Dislikes
We don't mean to sound pedantic here, but our biggest complaint about the 12 Cup Electric is the fact that it's a blade grinder. Yes, blade grinders are very inexpensive and quite compact when compared to burr models, but their grind quality is lightyears behind. Because the blade grinds the beans randomly, you're almost inevitably going to end up with some fine coffee dust, as well as some large, barely ground chunks. That means the extraction you get from your coffee will likely be different each day you use the grinder. Sure, the 12 Cup Electric does better than most in this regard, but it is still quite inconsistent.
Value
Like most blade options out there, the 12 Cup Electric is inexpensive. If you're aware of and are okay with the inherent disadvantages of a blade grinder, we think this model represents a fairly good value.
Conclusion
If you don't mind the shortcomings of a blade grinder and are just looking for a relatively inexpensive way to access the whole bean shelf of the coffee aisle, we think the Mr. Coffee 12 Cup Electric is one of the best options out there.