Bought the Encore from ya'll 4 years ago after seeing your video reviews of it and couldn't be happier! It's such a simple little machine. It's small enough I can take it with me when I go on vacation and still have good coffee, and it handles what I need it to handle. The only things I don't like about the Encore are the placement of the on/off knob, which means I have to have clearance on the right side of it to be able to get to the control, the lack of any kind of timer, and the lack of a hopper gate. These are small issues for me, however, and not worth the extra I would have to spend on the Virtuoso+ and the Filtro. I mostly weigh out the beans for my brew and put them in the hopper rather than filling the hopper, so having no gate isn't a big deal, but it would be nice. Having no timer is an annoyance, I would love to set it to grind for 30 seconds so I could walk away and do something else while it grinds. And the placement of the control knob is an annoyance--I don't have a lot of space in my coffee prep area and it's annoying to get to the side of the grinder, but I can live with it!
I have seen several videos describing how, with adjusting and calibrating the burr set, espresso shots can be reliably and consistently pulled using the Encore. Might not be bad, if a new grinder isn’t in your budget right now! Paying rent is pretty important too 😂
1:15--"These are all designed to do a drip / pour over; in that middle range. They're not designed to go up to a french press or down to espresso." Gail please explain why these grinders with numerous grind settings are only gauged for a specific type of brew.
It's just 'You get what you pay for' kind of thing. Normally, it is more difficult to get even and consistent (= higher quality) grinds for very fine (ie. espresso) or coarse (ie. french press) settings. More even and consistent grind leads to more consistent extraction which means better coffee. You can still use these grinders in the video for your espresso (with pressurized filter) / french press but you have to be aware that these machines are basic/entry-level burr grinders.
I used my Virtuoso to get press grind all the time, and perc and cold. I even use my Sette 270wi (with the BG burrs) to get press grind. Granted, they are on the finer side of acceptable, but Gail is so particular.
@@zacherz13 I'm looking for something for cold brew and press grinds. I've tried looking into higher up, expensive grinders, but they seem to be more focused on finer grinds. Anyway, I'm happy to hear someone out there that uses the Virtuoso on coarser grinds. Thanks
You said they are not really made for French press? What are some good grinders for French press/cold brew in the $150 or less range. I was always under the impression that the encore was the way to go. Thanks
I've been doing a lot of research and the Encore & Virtuoso + have consistent positive reviews for coarse grinds. I just bought the Virtuoso + and I'm excited to get started.
mike bellamy just do the water trick. Run a fork under a little water and shake off excess. Take fork and move around in beans prior to putting in hopper. Takes off the static.
Quietest of the three? Been stuck on picking one of them for a while and I've decided it's really gonna come down to noise. Lots of sleepers in the morning don't wanna wake them up.
Depends on how quiet of sleepers they are; an electric grinder is going to make noise. Typically the more expensive, the quieter it is but not the case. I can tell you one thing though, I've got the Encore and it is quite loud.
@@theperfecttoolmk Nope, cheaper for a reason and that reason is noise. Now, don't get me wrong I love my Encore and it is a great entry level, budget tier conical burr grinder. I have had great cups of brew with it but no, it's noisy as heck.
Tests of coffee grinders are quite superficial. Tests are done in a few minutes, do not show how the machine works when it has been in use for a while. One machine that gets good reviews is the Baratza Encore. It grinds just fine, but surprisingly rotates with the coffee, both in front of and behind the machine. After let's say 8-10 times it is also full of coffee inside that has not come out. If you knock out the residual coffee, you should have plenty of space, because here the coffee bounces out everywhere. The plastic cup, which is claimed to be antistatic, is probably not completely anistatic after all. If you are considering this coffee grinder, be prepared for a lot of coffee grains on the kitchen counter
At 1:30 Gail says that these aren’t for French press coffee - can you tell me which grinder in the $0-300 range actually IS designed for making French press coffee? Thank you!
I’m not a coffee drinker but I do bring lentils and beans to powder in my blender for easier cooking. Will a coffee grinder work for beans and lentils? I need fine powder like flour.
It could work...but I don't think you need precise grind settings for it, which means that a regular mill (maybe as an attachment for any kitchen gadget) could be better from a price perspective
Why is it your top pic? Is it the taste of the coffe, buildquality or what? I have a Baratza Virtuoso, and i am not hapoy wuth it. I had a Solis scala before and i must say, that even if it was cheaper, the grind and coffe flavour was way better. The coffee grind on the Solis was much fluffyer and the aroma if the grounds and tge taste if the coffee was much better than the Baratza virtuoso. The vurtuoso have a better buildquality, but the grindquality and the taste of the coffee was nuch better on the Solis. The coffe from the virtuoso tastes very "flat" in comparison. Too my Solis broke some years ago and i have not seen them on sale after that
years ago you did a video on the kalita pour over,comparing pouring directly in center against pouring in circular motion,is that video still on line? thanks,Bruce
I am looking for a burr grinder to grind 2 cups at a time, for my cold brew pitcher. Therefore I only care about very course grinding. Which model would you recommend for a price under $140?
I am searching for a burr grinder which is relatively quiet. I looked at a review of the capresso infinity coffee grinder which I liked because apart from the noise level it ground more slowly with less burning of a bean. However reviews tell me that the resulting ground coffee has poor consistency in size. So, is there a machine out there which won’t cost enormous amounts of money? I’m in the uk by the way.
No machine grinds consistently. Not even professional machines that cost thousands. You will always get some bigger, or smaller, or powdery granules. This is why you need a sifter to help sort the batch for ultimate consistency. This is what coffee houses do.
I would never buy another baratza nor recommend it, i had one for a year and it kept killing belts like their was no tommorrow, baratza did send me a bunch of them but it just tells me that they new of the problem, i got a ceado 6p its been a year now and sob is a tank! Much quieter too
@@_multiverse_ Well then go ahead and buy one you’ll be replacing Belts two times a year like I did keep in mind cheap things at the end cost you more money
Bought the Encore from ya'll 4 years ago after seeing your video reviews of it and couldn't be happier! It's such a simple little machine. It's small enough I can take it with me when I go on vacation and still have good coffee, and it handles what I need it to handle.
The only things I don't like about the Encore are the placement of the on/off knob, which means I have to have clearance on the right side of it to be able to get to the control, the lack of any kind of timer, and the lack of a hopper gate.
These are small issues for me, however, and not worth the extra I would have to spend on the Virtuoso+ and the Filtro. I mostly weigh out the beans for my brew and put them in the hopper rather than filling the hopper, so having no gate isn't a big deal, but it would be nice. Having no timer is an annoyance, I would love to set it to grind for 30 seconds so I could walk away and do something else while it grinds. And the placement of the control knob is an annoyance--I don't have a lot of space in my coffee prep area and it's annoying to get to the side of the grinder, but I can live with it!
For drip and French press for the money the Encore is hard to beat.
I have had my Encore for about 8 years and it’s still going
Pierre P my vario sucked..0
I have seen several videos describing how, with adjusting and calibrating the burr set, espresso shots can be reliably and consistently pulled using the Encore. Might not be bad, if a new grinder isn’t in your budget right now! Paying rent is pretty important too 😂
1:15--"These are all designed to do a drip / pour over; in that middle range. They're not designed to go up to a french press or down to espresso." Gail please explain why these grinders with numerous grind settings are only gauged for a specific type of brew.
It's just 'You get what you pay for' kind of thing. Normally, it is more difficult to get even and consistent (= higher quality) grinds for very fine (ie. espresso) or coarse (ie. french press) settings. More even and consistent grind leads to more consistent extraction which means better coffee. You can still use these grinders in the video for your espresso (with pressurized filter) / french press but you have to be aware that these machines are basic/entry-level burr grinders.
I used my Virtuoso to get press grind all the time, and perc and cold. I even use my Sette 270wi (with the BG burrs) to get press grind. Granted, they are on the finer side of acceptable, but Gail is so particular.
@@zacherz13 I'm looking for something for cold brew and press grinds. I've tried looking into higher up, expensive grinders, but they seem to be more focused on finer grinds. Anyway, I'm happy to hear someone out there that uses the Virtuoso on coarser grinds. Thanks
Great job Gail. Your reviews are excellent.
Can you explain why are these not fit for French press? I've recently read many people using finer grinds for French press.
French press needs coarser grind.
What would you recommend for drip grind to French press
You said they are not really made for French press? What are some good grinders for French press/cold brew in the $150 or less range. I was always under the impression that the encore was the way to go. Thanks
I think they're all perfect for french press. If they're not out of the box then I know you can calibrate them to be.
I've been doing a lot of research and the Encore & Virtuoso + have consistent positive reviews for coarse grinds. I just bought the Virtuoso + and I'm excited to get started.
Update: The virtuoso + is working well for me as a coarse grinder. I use it everyday for either a french press, cold brew, or pour over grind.
Which one is the least messiest? I hate pulling out the bin and having ground beans all over the place. Thanks!
mike bellamy just do the water trick. Run a fork under a little water and shake off excess. Take fork and move around in beans prior to putting in hopper. Takes off the static.
Quietest of the three? Been stuck on picking one of them for a while and I've decided it's really gonna come down to noise. Lots of sleepers in the morning don't wanna wake them up.
Depends on how quiet of sleepers they are; an electric grinder is going to make noise. Typically the more expensive, the quieter it is but not the case. I can tell you one thing though, I've got the Encore and it is quite loud.
@@Gigaheart k thanks. I was hoping that was actually gonna be the quietest of the three that's a bummer.
@@theperfecttoolmk Nope, cheaper for a reason and that reason is noise. Now, don't get me wrong I love my Encore and it is a great entry level, budget tier conical burr grinder. I have had great cups of brew with it but no, it's noisy as heck.
Virtuoso is dramatically quieter then the encore
hey Gail can you do Fellow's Ode Brew Grinder review please? thanks
Any ideas what is best for percolator
Love these videos!
Tests of coffee grinders are quite superficial. Tests are done in a few minutes, do not show how the machine works when it has been in use for a while. One machine that gets good reviews is the Baratza Encore. It grinds just fine, but surprisingly rotates with the coffee, both in front of and behind the machine. After let's say 8-10 times it is also full of coffee inside that has not come out. If you knock out the residual coffee, you should have plenty of space, because here the coffee bounces out everywhere. The plastic cup, which is claimed to be antistatic, is probably not completely anistatic after all. If you are considering this coffee grinder, be prepared for a lot of coffee grains on the kitchen counter
At 1:30 Gail says that these aren’t for French press coffee - can you tell me which grinder in the $0-300 range actually IS designed for making French press coffee? Thank you!
Are any of these a bit quieter than the Encore?
Please do another video like this for expresso grinders! Maybe another one for french press....
~Espresso~
I’m not a coffee drinker but I do bring lentils and beans to powder in my blender for easier cooking. Will a coffee grinder work for beans and lentils? I need fine powder like flour.
It could work...but I don't think you need precise grind settings for it, which means that a regular mill (maybe as an attachment for any kitchen gadget) could be better from a price perspective
I have the breville smart pro which has a wide range of settings. Love this grinder too bad you didn’t review that one.
That's exactly what I was thinking.... Isn't the Breville/Sage for everything though, espresso etc.. I think these 3 are aimed at V60/chemex users
My breville worked well until the plastic impeller wore out www.ifixit.com/Guide/BCG800XL+Grinder+Jamming+due+to+Worn+Impeller/62905
Why is it your top pic? Is it the taste of the coffe, buildquality or what? I have a Baratza Virtuoso, and i am not hapoy wuth it. I had a Solis scala before and i must say, that even if it was cheaper, the grind and coffe flavour was way better. The coffee grind on the Solis was much fluffyer and the aroma if the grounds and tge taste if the coffee was much better than the Baratza virtuoso. The vurtuoso have a better buildquality, but the grindquality and the taste of the coffee was nuch better on the Solis. The coffe from the virtuoso tastes very "flat" in comparison. Too my Solis broke some years ago and i have not seen them on sale after that
My favourite is barista express
years ago you did a video on the kalita pour over,comparing pouring directly in center against pouring in circular motion,is that video still on line? thanks,Bruce
Sam Casamassa I personally let mine go naturally. Like an open hose.
I am looking for a burr grinder to grind 2 cups at a time, for my cold brew pitcher. Therefore I only care about very course grinding. Which model would you recommend for a price under $140?
Sam Casamassa I wanna something automatic with good price any recommendations
I am searching for a burr grinder which is relatively quiet. I looked at a review of the capresso infinity coffee grinder which I liked because apart from the noise level it ground more slowly with less burning of a bean. However reviews tell me that the resulting ground coffee has poor consistency in size. So, is there a machine out there which won’t cost enormous amounts of money? I’m in the uk by the way.
No machine grinds consistently. Not even professional machines that cost thousands. You will always get some bigger, or smaller, or powdery granules. This is why you need a sifter to help sort the batch for ultimate consistency. This is what coffee houses do.
Any recommendations on a quiet grinder for espresso?
No Oxo? :(
I use the oxo for cold brew grinding! 👍👏🏻
I would never buy another baratza nor recommend it, i had one for a year and it kept killing belts like their was no tommorrow, baratza did send me a bunch of them but it just tells me that they new of the problem, i got a ceado 6p its been a year now and sob is a tank! Much quieter too
You're recommending an $800 grinder? Lol.
MawcDrums huh guess your shopping skills suck huh? Its $550...
Not exactly in the same price range there big spender.
At that price I’d rather get a used commercial grinder.
@@_multiverse_ Well then go ahead and buy one you’ll be replacing Belts two times a year like I did keep in mind cheap things at the end cost you more money