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Introductory Burr Grinders
Introductory Burr Grinders
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There are very few grinders that are good across the whole range from press to espresso. There are exactly zero at this price point. Each of the grinders here has strengths and weaknesses, and yes, I've used most of them myself.
First, you need to identify what your needs are. Espresso? Drip? Press?
The Rocky is an entry level espresso grinder and, while it may be adjusted to grind for drip, going back to your espresso grind will waste a lot of coffee. I'd only consider the Rocky if I were shopping for a dedicated espresso grinder, and then I'd buy something else.
The Virtuoso is probably the closest to a do-it-all, I don't have first hand experience with the Sette's but my understanding is that they are essentially bigger, faster cousins to the Virtuoso so I'll lump them together as being great for drip or press and marginal for espresso. That's about it for espresso from the grinders on this list, but for non-Espresso there are a couple good choices.
The Encore is a great grinder for press or drip, it isn't up to the task for espresso unless you're using a pressurized portafilter. The Infinity is about the same but I'd pick the Baratza over the Capresso, it's built like a tank. (Full disclosure: I have a Baratza Maestro next to my Technivorm that has served me well, every day for 7-8 years)
The Bodum doesn't impress me, it strikes me as a cheap knockoff of the Encore or Infinity. The Breville impresses me even less, it tries to look high tech like the Sette, but the functionality isn't even close.
11
Summary: If you want an introducotry grinder that also produces a good grind, skip the Baratza Encore. For a full range of grind from french press to espresso, get the Viruoso. If you are just doing pourovers and espresso, by all means buy the Sette 70.
More: I noticed that the Baratza Encore is running away in the votes. Baratza is an excellent company. I've used all of their grinders that cost $500 or less. You should avoid the Encore. It's grind is not very uniform, especially at the coarse end of things, and it has a manual shutoff. For a bit more money, the Virtuoso has a better grind and auto shutoff. The Sette 30, only slightly more than the Virtuoso, has a new grinding system that is much faster than the Virtuoso, and a general improvement in other areas as well, as you would expect from new technology. The downside to the Sette series is that they are designed as espresso grinders, and do not deliver the full range of grinding as does the virtuoso. It will not grind coarse enough for a French press pot. So if you use both French Press and espresso, pick the virtuoso.
More: I noticed that the Baratza Encore is running away in the votes. Baratza is an excellent company. I've used all of their grinders that cost $500 or less. You should avoid the Encore. It's grind is not very uniform, especially at the coarse end of things, and it has a manual shutoff. For a bit more money, the Virtuoso has a better grind and auto shutoff. The Sette 30, only slightly more than the Virtuoso, has a new grinding system that is much faster than the Virtuoso, and a general improvement in other areas as well, as you would expect from new technology. The downside to the Sette series is that they are designed as espresso grinders, and do not deliver the full range of grinding as does the virtuoso. It will not grind coarse enough for a French press pot. So if you use both French Press and espresso, pick the virtuoso.
11
Yes, I agree about the caibration. I didn't use the Sette W for a long time, but it might drift over time.
I do not believe that Baratza is offering the BG burr set any longer for the Sette line. From my own experience, it didn't make enough difference to make the grinder usable for a French press.
I do not believe that Baratza is offering the BG burr set any longer for the Sette line. From my own experience, it didn't make enough difference to make the grinder usable for a French press.
dmm108
Good to know!
Fingers crossed on a grinder drop soon. I'm getting tired of hand grinding, especially when I go on a binge :D
Fingers crossed on a grinder drop soon. I'm getting tired of hand grinding, especially when I go on a binge :D
If you want to go full Pro think about Mahlkönig Vario Home.
For Coffe as well as for Espresso. The perfect choice for homebarista.
By the way Mahlkönig is German for Grinderking. :)
Greetings
MG
Greetings
MG
23
MisterCrunch
You realize, of course, that this is a rebranded Baratza Vario? I suspect that the Sette is intended to replace the Vario in Baratza's product line up.
Hello! First time making a poll so sorry if I managed to screw up.
While I notice a lot of polls for brewing equipment and kettles for brewing coffee, what I'm not seeing is any polls or drops for electric burr grinders.
While I love having a single arm jacked from using my manual skerton grinder every morning for the past year or so, I'm getting sick of using valuable "5 more minute" time grinding coffee by hand that I could be using for sleeping.
I'm not exactly rolling in dough and these three seem to be the most popular beginner recommendations. Not looking for something espresso quality, just looking for a consistent grind to dump into my french press every morning.
While I notice a lot of polls for brewing equipment and kettles for brewing coffee, what I'm not seeing is any polls or drops for electric burr grinders.
While I love having a single arm jacked from using my manual skerton grinder every morning for the past year or so, I'm getting sick of using valuable "5 more minute" time grinding coffee by hand that I could be using for sleeping.
I'm not exactly rolling in dough and these three seem to be the most popular beginner recommendations. Not looking for something espresso quality, just looking for a consistent grind to dump into my french press every morning.
Short of a full blown commercial grinder or a high quality hand grinder (the Hario Skerton is one,) then a Baratza product is the best bet. Hands down.
Spydercake
Baratza would probably be the best to chat with and get a Massdrop from also. Kyle & the team are great and the products are excellent. I own two and bought into their offer when they first launched... 7-8 years ago? Heck, I can't remember, but I love my Vario. I use a Malkhonig-WBC/K30 as my grinder at home now, but the Vario sits in my office as I type this and everyone raves how the coffee is better here than anywhere else.
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