Baratza Encore Electric Burr Coffee Grinder

Product Information

If it really bothers you, you can always sift it out from the grinds, but this really isn’t necessary. This is an area where the Encore really shines. Even though most of its parts are made of plastic, they’re all high-quality. In addition, there’s a heavy metal ballast that stabilizes the whole thing. That’s the reason why this machine is so hefty, especially for its small size. Baratza has an excellent reputation for customer care, so if anything goes wrong with your Encore ESP, you can expect prompt service. It is easy to buy replacement parts. The trade-off between build quality and low price is appropriate here. Ease of Use – 4/5

The obvious downside is that making grind adjustment steps smaller in the espresso range requires larger ones in the filter range. As you can see in the graph below, once you pass the 0-20 range for espresso, and enter the drip ranges, you get less adjustability. So, you can’t dial your drip brews as precisely, which may or may not be a big deal depending on your brewing style. The company’s customer service is generally awesome. If you have a problem they will fix it. It’s actually a part of Baratza’s philosophy to design their grinders so they can easily be repaired. That’s pretty rare among appliance manufacturers. The Encore is ideal for pour over. Baratza Encore Grinder Review If you’re like me, you started grinding manually. It eventually becomes an annoying experience unless you have a good one. My first manual grinder was slow, with cheap ceramic burrs. So, if you have one of those, I can tell you from first-hand experience that it’s a day-night difference. Speed Control: With unique speed control, the Encore uses a combination of gear and electronic speed reduction to control the rotation of the burr to 450 RPM. The electronic speed controller is adjustable from 405 to 495 RPM in the event that specific user conditions require modification of the speed. This slow speed reduces heat, noise, and static generation in the grinder. It also ensures that the beans feed smoothly into the burrs. This clever tactic expands the functionality of the original Encore while maintaining its simplicity and ease of use.A final benefit (that I kind of expected because I’m a nerd, but you might not) is that you’ll see reference to Baratza’s Encore coffee grinder all over the coffee world. Lots of directions for different brewers (either online or with the included manual) will actually specify grind sizes for the Baratza Encore. When you’re weighing the Baratza Encore vs. the Virtuoso, you are starting with two solid performers for home specialty coffee. They differ primarily in ways that reflect their respective market positions as entry-level and mid-range grinders. Grind quality So , if you’re tired of cranking slowly every morning, the Baratza Encore is an excellent option, mainly if you are on a budget. You want to upgrade from a blade grinder

Motor: A powerful, high torque DC motor effortlessly drives the burrs. This motor turns slowly resulting in cool, quiet operation and permits long grinding duty-cycles. The circuitry is equipped with an automatically resetting, thermal cut-off switch. A powerful, high torque DC motor effortlessly drives the burrs. This motor turns slowly resulting in cool, quieter operation, and permits long grinding duty cycles. The circuitry is equipped with an automatically resetting, thermal cutoff switch. CALIBRATION An innovative burr calibration system ensures that each grinder comes ready to grind for most home espresso machine portafilter baskets. If necessary, the grinders can be user-calibrated. SPEED CONTROLA common misconception among coffee novices is that an espresso grinder just needs to grind fine enough. Not so! That’s only half the battle. You also need fine adjustments for dialling in and consistent grind distribution. This is where the Baratza Encore ESP shines. Cleaning Was it worth it? Fifty quid does seem a lot for a small piece of plastic with a little metal sieve, however, it does it's job very well and if it improves my brew then it's actually a cheaper upgrade than just about anything else.

Grind adjustment settings: Both units have 40 steps from coarse to fine, although they differ slightly in range. Baratza is a highly respected manufacturer of top burr coffee grinders, and this is a well-made grinder. However, an affordable all-purpose grinder inevitably requires some sacrifices – in this case, plastic rather than metal in the build. The outer case, bean hopper, grounds catch bin, and dosing cup are all plastic. Notably, the Encore ESP has a metal adjustment collar, while it’s plastic on the Encore original.The Encore has a clear grounds bin with a horizontal line marking the optimal fill height. The Virtuoso+, which dispenses coffee much faster, has a lighted bin to help you monitor the amount. Both designs help prevent overfilling, which can push coffee into the unit and potentially damage the motor. Build quality The Virtuoso+ has 40 degrees of grind adjustment and a range of 200–1200 microns. As with the Encore, you choose your setting by rotating the hopper. It has an upgraded M2 burr that produces a more uniform grind, especially at coarse and espresso settings. Like the Encore, this model is versatile enough for most home methods such as manual pour-over, automatic drip, AeroPress, and cold brew. The more consistent grind does justice to espresso, although you can’t fine-tune between settings.