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Availability:
In Stock.
Arrives
Thursday, Sep 24
Color: Black
Size: 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches (Pack of 1)
Features
- Specialty Coffee Association Award Winning Grinders - Baratza grinders are preferred by coffee professionals and backed by Baratzas world class support.
- Go-To Entry Level Grinder - Baratzas best-selling grinder, with its small footprint, is THE choice for brewing coffee at home. Available in White or Black.
- User Friendly - A convenient, front-mounted pulse button, plus a simple ON/OFF switch make it easy to grind fresh coffee.
- 40 Grind Settings - Engineered with 40mm commercial-grade conical burrs that help you explore the extensive range of brew methods (espresso, Aeropress, Hario V60, Chemex, French Press, and automatic brewers).
- Warranty and Quality Parts - Hardened alloy steel burrs manufactured in Liechtenstein, Europe, plus a powerful DC motor. This combination creates a consistent grind and durability to ensure the longevity users have come to expect from the Baratza brand. The Encore is backed by Baratzas world class support and a 1 year warranty. 2020 Update has exact same trusted functionality with a sleek new exterior.
Description
Coffee grinders built with durability, longevity, and barista-quality flavor in mind. Backed by our world-class support since 1999, we are dedicated to keeping your morning routine delicious with replacement parts, a robust repair service, and professional-level brewing tips. The Encore grinds consistently for brew methods from espresso to cold brew and everything in between. Straightforward controls make your daily routine simple and easy. Simply load up the 300g capacity hopper with your favorite beans, rotate the hopper to the grind setting you want, start the grind with the on/off switch or pulse button, and let the precision conical burrs deliver consistent, quality ground coffee every grind. Primary features of the Encore: Twist the hopper to adjust between 40 grind settings that run from espresso fine to cold brew coarse and any brew method in between. Manufactured in Europe, these 40 mm conical burrs are designed to excel across all styles of brewing. Conical burrs are exceptional at producing consistent grinds from very fine to very coarse and are durable enough to remain sharp for years and years of home use. The Encore is simple to operate with either the on/off switch located on the side, or the front-mounted pulse button. An innovative burr calibration system ensures that each grinder has the full grind range and allows for user calibration at home if needed. The DC motor and direct-drive gearbox deliver the power needed to grind your coffee consistently with every dose. Our support team is ready to help with any issue, from brewing assistance to at-home repairs. All of our grinders feature a wide availability of replacement parts and our repair service are here to help, even decades down the line.
Color: Black
Brand: Baratza
Material: Plastic
Style: Automatic
Item Weight: 5.6 pounds
Brand Name: Baratza
Manufacturer Warranty Description: Warranty for Baratza Grinders is 1 year from the original date of purchase. If you have trouble with your grinder, contact Baratza support directly.
Global Trade Identification Number: 57
Number of Items: 1
Manufacturer: Baratza
Item Highlight: Beginner-friendly grinder with powerful motor and 40mm conical steel burrs for consistent, brew-ready performance
UPC: 838823004857
Unit Count: 1 Count
Included Components: Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Item Type Name: Coffee Grinder
Model Number: ENCORE
Manufacturer Part Number: ENCORE
Item Weight: 5.6 pounds
Item Dimensions L x W x H: 5.91"L x 5.12"W x 13.39"H
Capacity: 5 ounces
Wattage: 70 watts
Voltage: 120 volts
Recommended Uses For Product: Milling
Specific Uses For Product: Grinding
Color: Black
Style Name: Automatic
Material Type: Plastic
Power Source: AC adapter
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Thursday, Sep 24
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
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Top Amazon Reviews
Color: Black
Size: 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches (Pack of 1)
UPDATE November 2, 2025: Within a week of posting the March update, I started to have trouble with the grinder. It would occasionally become sluggish or stop, but I could always get it restarted again. I've seen other reports of similar problems, but since the grinder continued to work, I carried on with it. Finally, about a month ago it completely died. Following some YT videos, I was able to disassemble the grinder to test the motor and other components. The short story is that the power board had died. I contacted Baratza support, and after a brief email conversation and me sending them photos of the power board, they sent me a replacement power board for free, even though the grinder was outside the 1-year warranty period. I installed the new power board, and the grinder is running again. As for why the board originally failed, I think I accidentally got coffee grounds inside the guts of the grinder while cleaning it. I can't say for sure if that was the cause, the day after I cleaned it, I inverted it with some grinds in the hopper. The next day the problems started. Regardless, this review is now not just for the grinder, but for their support. UPDATE March 8, 2025: The grinder has been wonderful to use over the past year. I am changing my review to five stars. In addition to the star bump, there are three important updates, plus a comment: 1) I upgraded the burr from the original "M3" burr to an M2 burr I ordered directly from Baratza (now Breville). I think it was worth the money. 2) Lighter roasts do make for a slightly messier cleanup than darker roasts. My original review noted not having experienced much of that. 3) Pay attention to your grinding. If it suddenly seems inconsistent, inspect the ring burr holder to make sure all three outer tabs are intact. These are plastic parts designed to break under load to protect the more important internal components. I highly recommend ordering spare holders. I have had two break in the past year, reasons unknown. It sucks to have your grinder down waiting for replacement parts to arrive. Finally, this grinder is not going to give you better coffee if there are problems besides the grinder you're replacing. For me, I discovered the house water had been a secret roadblock to making good coffee at home. Once I realized how bad it was (cheap TDS meter purchased here on Amazon), I switched to using distilled water remineralized with Third Wave Water (also sold here on Amazon). ORIGINAL REVIEW: This is a "5-stars, but" review that makes me drop the rating to 4 stars. I'd give it 4 1/2 stars. Compared to the blade grinder I was using, though, it's worth 10 stars. I ordered the Encore in March 2024, shipped from and sold by Amazon.com. I wanted to be sure of the sender, even if it might have saved a few dollars ordering from a different vendor. The first thing you have to do is to do some minor assembly, and you would think that should be easy to do. There is a fluted rubber gasket that would not stay seated on the ring burr, though, and I ended up tearing it even before making a single pot of coffee. I did some googling and found out that there's a new version of the gasket that is supposed to be with newer Encores, so I'm not sure why mine had the old one. Regardless, I could have tried to obtain a replacement gasket either from Baratza or here, but I ended up ordering some aftermarket gaskets from Aieve (sold here on Amazon) that are a perfect match to Baratza's new gasket. If you get an Encore and it comes with the new gasket, congrats on not having to deal with that headache. After getting it assembled, I followed another online recommendation to run a small batch of beans through the grinder as sort of a break-in. That worked fine. Since then, the grinder has performed admirably. It has been used nearly every day on a variety of dark and medium roasts. It hasn't been especially staticky or messy. An occasional brushing of the chute and burrs is all I've needed to clean it out. I've been careful to keep the grounds below the line on the hopper, so I've avoided clogging it. I did buy some Urnex Grindz tablets, and I'll be using them soon to give the internals a more thorough cleaning. As for the coffee itself, I'm not an expert, but it seems fairly consistent in grinds for drip and French press. Any failures on making a less-than-tasty batch of coffee are almost certainly my fault, not the grinder's. Besides the finicky original gasket, the only complaint I have would be the noise. There are remedies for that, most notably upgrading the conical burr to the one found in the Virtuoso+ or Encore ESP, but I'm not ready to do that yet. Depending on who you ask, the lack of a timer on the Encore is either a curse or a blessing. I'm happy with it. I don't store the coffee in the hopper. I weigh each batch of beans before pouring them in the hopper, so I just turn the grinder on and let it empty the hopper. You can tell by the noise level when the grinder is done, it's significantly quieter. The resulting grounds have been the same weight as what I put in the hopper, so I know the grinder isn't leaving large quantities of coffee behind. There are tons of videos on YouTube regarding the Encore. I recommend checking those out.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024 by Ed D.
Color: Black
Size: 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches (Pack of 1)
After scouring reviews and a recomendation from a local roaster, my wife purchased this grinder for me as a gift. It's reasonably priced, grinds consistent and doesn't leave a huge mess on the counter. Late one Saturday morning as I was grinding some beans it just quit! Insert sad face here. Fortunately I had enough grounds for a pot but, what would the week ahead be like without my favorite cup of joe? I emailed the customer support address, not really expecting a response, but to get the ball rolling. They responded within the hour. After multiple emails and links to trouble shooting guids I determined this was outside my experience level. Obviously disappointed considering the grinder was only about a year and a half old I was left with a choice. Either I send the grinder in and wait for them to repair it under their flat rate repair program or buy a new grinder. After reading reviews and considering different price points I found myself leaning towards purchasing the same grinder again. I like the grinder and it works well. Next day free shipping from Amazon helped finalize the decision. Even though I felt like the grinder should have lasted longer I wanted to have my beans ground by Monday. Once the new grinder arrived I decided to package the old grinder in the new box with a $45 check to have it repaired. I received my old grinder back in a week with a voided check packaged at the top of the box. The invoice said they had replaced the motor at no charge. The 1 year warranty had expired so I assumed that there was a mix up considering I had packaged the old grinder in the new box. I emailed the customer support folks again and told them there must have been a mistake. It was a new box and an old grinder. I didn't expect anything for free. Their response, no mix up, the motor should have lasted longer, the repair was free. Mind blown! They stood behind the product even though the warranty had expired. Not only would I recommend the product, they have a customer for life. In this day and age it's refreshing to have a company stand behind their product. Buy the grinder.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2018 by justin grimm
Color: Black
Size: 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches (Pack of 1)
I already knew what I was getting on this unit so its features are only a plus for me. I don't grind for espresso and there are doubtlessly other (more expensive) grinders better suited for this task. I am a manual brew fanatic, and this grinder is perfect for the range of fine, medium, and medium-coarse grinds. Easy to operate, relatively easy to clean (see Seattle Coffee Gear's cleaning instruction videos). I haven't needed to re-calibrate the burr elevation from the factory settings. Coming from a Hario Skerton manual grinder, it is light years ahead in convenience. Already paid for itself in time and energy saved from cranking out servings. I agree with other posters on the static issue; I gently smack the sides of the grinder before taking out the hopper to avoid a shower of post-grind coffee chaff. Clogging is a non-issue unless you grind cheap, oil soaked beans from Walmart/Costco. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but if you really care about getting better flavor from your coffee, you really should buy better beans for your nice equipment. You wouldn't put AARCO gas in a luxury car, so don't put cheap beans though a +$100 grinder. Plus, there's almost no benefit to precision grinding cheap coffee in terms of flavor. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and you can't make good coffee with stagnant beans that have been on the shelf for months. If you can't taste the difference, don't waste your money on better brewing equipment. There is NO substitute for quality, fresh roasted coffee beans, and these tools merely add to the ease and consistency of producing coffee at home which matches or is superior to coffee from your local cafes. Edit: two years later, no issues with the grinder after heavy use, probably 50+ lbs/year. Same as the day I bought it. I periodically clean out the coarse and fine bits that get stuck in the hopper receptacle and blade area. What more do you want from a grinder?
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Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2016 by Garrett
Color: Black
Size: 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches (Pack of 1)
Unlike most reviewers on Amazon, I like to live with a product before I review it. Had a Breville coffee grinder, BCG450 for about 6 years. The grinder wore smooth. A search for a replacement part found nothing. Seemed shortsighted to spend over $130 for a company that did not support its customers with replacement parts. Baratza had good reviews and good parts availability. What follows is really a comparison of the Baratza and Breville machines. I am not a coffee geek. I am just a value shopper trying to get a reliable cup of espresso or coffee. Just someone looking for a good grinder I can rely on. Noise - The first time you grind with this machine is startling. It sounds more like a broken vacuum cleaner than a grinder. Not recommended for households with small children or pets (or the hearing unimpaired). Breville is clearly the quieter machine. Grind quality - Set it at 4-6 the first time to see it did with espresso. The grind was so fine that it clogged my double wall espresso filter. (cost me $24 to replace). Afterwards the grind was so coarse that no matter what setting I placed it at it could not grind fine enough. Then it started grinding too coarse no matter what I did. But I could still get a cuppa. After a cleaning. it started grinding too fine again. Unfortunately, I did not notice it, an ruined another espresso filter (another $24 to replace). The guide marks remind me of the Pirates of the Caribbean quote "they're not really rules, more like guidelines". An espresso setting on the Breville always meant espresso, not flour. I've sent a pic of the inconsistent grounds a single grinding gave me. Maintenance - This machine needs at least weekly cleaning. I cleaned the Breville once a month and it did not really complain. The Baratza has a slit on the bottom that seems designed to drop grinds under the machine whenever you pull the chute out. Screwing out the chute to clean the machine is not a simple.. Getting it properly back on requires fiddling. There's also a $#$$@# rubber collar under the chute that has to be removed. I really believe I have spent more time cleaning this machine in that months I have had it then the entire time I had the Breville. Support - Called Baratza, left phone no. as requested. No one called me up. Managed to get someone after awhile. Not helpful at all. Never had to deal with Breville support because their machine never gave me problems. Design - I am not a coffee geek, but I relish well designed products. This is not a designed product, I think of it as an effort by some marketing wonk to get something out quickly for the 'value market'. No thought was spent in refining the design and implementation. Someone should have noticed that the cheap plastic covering was vibrating. Someone should have spent more time on the grinder assembly. Etc, etc. This product is enough to trash the Baratza name for me. Breville is much better designed in all aspects but one. In summary - Don't buy this unless you are a masochist. The machine is too loud, requires too much fiddling, and is backed by a company with indifferent phone support.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2015 by OldCurmudgeon
Color: White
Size: 5.12 x 5.91 x 13.39 inches (Pack of 1)
So far (1 month), this grinder has been great. I grind for pour-over, not espresso, so I have not seen some of the issues reported by others. The only small complaint I have is the small amount of grounds that escape capture by the catch bin. If not brushed out of the bottom of the compartment, they will cause the catch bin to not slide in flush and then even more grounds escape. However, this is common to many grinders. Having a grinder entails some minor ownership responsibility. It’s not as simple as a toaster. Now, how to make this grinder awesome: The more expensive burr grinders have the ability to grind for a specific amount of time - either using an analog dial or digital controls. Baratza’s Virtuoso+ is $110 more expensive to get this feature. However, using a WiFi-enabled switch, you can make this one even better. This grinder has a simple on-off switch on the side. It will keep grinding coffee until you switch it off. That means you have to stand there and keep an eye on it and endure the loud noise the grinder makes very close up. Not if you do this: (Disclaimer - my instructions are for a home using Apple HomeKit. I’m sure Android users can do something similar, but you’ll have to figure that out yourself). Step 1: Get a HomeKit enabled smart outlet switch to plug the grinder into. I use a Meross switch, purchased on Amazon for about $10 each when you buy a 4 pack. It’s more $ if you buy smaller numbers, but still very inexpensive. Step 2: Add the accessory to your home following the simple process via Home app. Step 3: You need to get a decent estimate for how long the grinder needs to grind to produce enough ground coffee for a cup. I use 15g of coffee for 350g of water to make an approximately 12oz cup of coffee. At my grind setting, this takes about 11 seconds. How full the bean hopper is may affect this, so don’t worry about being super precise. Step 4: Create a shortcut using the Apple Shortcut app to turn the switch on for 11 seconds (or whatever you determined you needed). In Shortcut app, hit the + symbol in upper right hand corner. Tap on + Add Action. Tap on Apps. Tap on the Home App symbol. Tap on Control (whatever you’ve named your) Home. Tap on Scenes and Accessories beside the word Set. You will see a list of your accessories, tap on the switch you added previously. Then Next. Now set the state you want - on, by tapping on the switch icon. Hit Done. This will turn the grinder on when you run the shortcut, but you only want it to run for your specified time, so keep going. Tap on the + symbol below that first step. If the Apps list is still there, tap the x to close that. Then, tap on Scripting. Scroll down and tap on Wait. Now you will see a Wait step below the grinder on step. Tap on the 1 second and increase it to your desired grind time. Then, tap on + symbol below that Wait step. Now you’ll be setting the off step. Close the Scripting screen and then tap on Apps again (not the open App function within Scripting). In Apps, choose Home again. Tap Control your Home. Tap Scenes and Accessories. Tap on the switch again, then Next. Set the switch to the Off state. Hit Done. Now, your shortcut will have the generic name New Shortcut at this point. You will want to give it a name that not only lets you know what it is, but will be what you want to tell Siri to do. I called mine Grind 1 Cup of Coffee. This is done by hitting the . . . symbol beside the New Shortcut name. On the next screen, you can change the name, set it to show up on your Apple Watch, and add a shortcut tile to your Home Screen. I recommend that last one so you don’t have to go into the Shortcut app to run the shortcut. However, I always use Siri. After setting up what you want there, hit Done. Step 5: Set up an Automation to shut the grinder off after 30 seconds, just to be safe. Sometimes, not often, a command gets missed and the grinder could keep grinding away until it runs out of beans to grind. It’s best to create a backup signal via automation to prevent this. Here, you start in the Home app, not Shortcuts. Hit + in upper right. Tap Create Home Automation (best way, but requires you to be using an Apple TV or HomePod as your HomeKit hub) or you can create a Personal Automation if you are not using a hub. The catch here is that it only works for you. (BTW, the shortcut you created will only work for you until you share it with others. I’m not going to explain that here.) Now, on the next screen, tap on An Accessory is controlled, then tap on the switch icon. Then tap on Turns On. This is letting the Home app know that you want this automation run any time that switch is turned on. Tap Next. Then, scroll down to bottom of screen and tap Convert to Shortcut. By default, this will show you a Set Scenes and Accessories step. Tap the little x to delete that. Now, tap + Add Action. Tap on Scripting, then Wait. Tap on the default 1 second and set it to 30 seconds. So, now you told the app, when the switch turns on, wait 30 seconds. Next you’re going to tell it what to do after 30 seconds, which will be to turn the grinder off. Tap on the + below that Wait step. Close the Scripting screen. You may see Control your Home in Suggestions below, if so, tap that. If not, type Home and you should then see it. Tap on Control ‘your’ Home. Tap on the Scenes and Accessories. Tap on the switch icon. Tap on Next. Set the state of the switch to off by tapping on it, if necessary. Tap on Done. Tap on Next. You’re done. You can set up a shortcut for two cups of coffee by repeating the steps for the 1 cup shortcut, but having the grinder stay on longer. However, if it will take more than 30 seconds to grind that coffee, you’ll need to adjust your automation shut off time accordingly. For my peace of mind, my shortcuts have two steps that shut the switch off. One is a few seconds after the other. You can add that by repeating the step to shut the switch off within the shortcut. I also have two automations - one at 30 seconds and one at 35 seconds, just to be sure that sucker turns off. I also set up an automation to grind 2 cups of coffee at 5:30am Mon-Fri (only when I’m home), so that I don’t have to hear the grinder and my ground coffee is waiting for me when I stumble into my kitchen in the morning. Now, here’s the bad news. If your power goes out, it is possible that the grinder could run until it runs out of beans when the power is restored. That’s why I never fill the bean hopper more than half full. Also, if I’ll be away from home for an extended period of time, like for vacation, I physically switch the grinder off.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2021 by Steven and Nicole
Color: Black
Size: 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches (Pack of 1)
*** Final Update*** I have now been using this grinder for close to 2 years. I have also purchased a Vario-W in order to grind by weight as I thought that would help with my consistency while making espresso; however, I will be honest, I now use the Vario for Drip and Press and use the Encore exclusively for espresso. I'm sure the Vario would work just as well (probably better) but I have found the right setting, tamp pressure, etc that makes the coffee I like using the Encore, so why mess with a good thing? I mention that for the benifit of those thinking this might not be a good espresso grinder. While I am aware that there are other pro-sumer models available, this one has been great. It does not have a large range of usable settings for espresso, but with varying tamp pressure, you should be able to get what you are looking for. A quick story about Baratza's customer support: a few months ago I noticed that my grind was suddenly too course and my shots were flowing way to fast. Since the grinder was well outside of its one-year warrany, I took it apart and found that the insides had been severely damaged. I had just moved form Washington State to Alabama and I am sure the damage was due to the poor packing and handling my goods received from our movers. (A story for another day). Anyway, as I mentioned somewhere below in one of my earlier reviews, Baratza sells pieces to replace your grinder should you need them. I needed a new ring assembly that holds the actual grinder teeth in place (consisting of several pieces) and even a new internal housing to remount the motor as some of the mounts had been broken (probably from the movers throwing my things). I was surprised to see everyting I needed was actually available to the consumer on their website - no annoying calls to convince someone to sell me those pieces. While I was at it, I decided I would also replace some other pieces that I figured wouldn't hurt - all in all I was looking at around $30 to rebuild my grinder like new. I was pretty excited about the prices. I emailed Baratza and told them my story and asked if they had any guides or schematics to help me in the rebuild. Within a day, I recieved a reply from Baratza and they told me I shouldn't have such an extensive failure with my unit in such a short time of owning it and they told me they had canceled my order and were shipping me a NEW grinder - and to please return the broken one in the box along with a prepaid shipping label they provided!!! I wrote back and explained that my grinder was no longer under warranty and the damages were due to mishandling: not a manufacturing defect - I thought someone had misunderstood me. They wrote back and said they were sorry my grinder was broken by the movers and they were happy to replace it! I couldn't believe it - they sent me another grinder with no payment from me and simply trusted me to return the broken one. When I got the new grinder I noticed the grind settings were different from the earlier one - I had read they tuend it up for better espresso performance and they did - before I was unable to "choke" my Quickmill Silvano - now if I use a setting below 6, it chokes up. I find settings 6-8 work the best for espresso, 18-24 for drip/pour-over and 30-35 for French Press. Of course, that is all highly subjective and your mileage may vary, but if you are new to the Encore, perhaps that will give you a "ballpark" to work with. Anyway, since that day about 5 months ago, I've continued using my Encore and am very pleased with it. I highly recommend it for its performance, simplicity (sometimes simple is better) and the customer support the Baratza team provided. *** 1 Year Update*** I have been using this grinder multiple times per day for a year now and so far I have NO problems to report. It still grinds just as well as it did on day one, the burrs are still sharp and I still love this grinder. I have no doubt I made the right purchase and I am glad I didn't opt for the "fancy" lcd models with the automated grind features; to me all those extra bells & whistles = more that could break. If I were to upgrade, it would be for a unit in another "class"; perhaps the Vario, but that is several $100 more and I don't see any reason to do so at this time. I will add that there is a 1 star review on this site that complains about larger beans not feeding through the hopper. Initially, I thought it sounded silly; however, not long ago, I roasted a batch of beans much darker than usual (VERY VERY dark roast), resulting in the beans being about 1 1/2 times their usual size. While grinding, I noticed that about 4 beans got lodged between the hopper and burrs. I tapped the side of the unit a few times and the final beans fed through the hopper. I had this happen two or three times. So, I suppose if you habitually use a bean that is much larger than your typical coffee bean, you might have an issue. Just search through the 1 star reviews for more details (at the time of this update, there was only one 1 star review). Summary: fantastic grinder for an excellent price makes this a best buy in my book and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a serious coffee drinker. ***Update*** I've been using this grinder daily for almost 4 months, grinding enough for about 12 cups each day (maybe more on weekends). I usually use it early morning, afternoon and evening. I grind mainly for drip and espresso, occasionally for French press or pour-over. I still have no complaints with this grinder: I believe I made the right choice between this and fancier LCD options. I've ground for a 12 cup pot on numerous occasions when company comes over, and it never overheats or bogs or slows down- I don't think it notices if you're grinding for 1 cup or 12! Everything is solid and the burrs are still sharp as ever. Once a month I disassemble it to give it a good cleaning. It doesn't seem to retain much grinds in the chamber. My only gripe is the static build up after grinding can make a mess when you pull out the grind chamber: there are enough grinds clinging to the exit chute to scatter on the counter if you're not careful (to be fair, this is a common problem plaguing all burr grinders). But really I don't even notice that anymore, after a couple weeks you develop your own routine on how to deal with it and it ceases being an issue. I tend to grind, prep the coffee pot/filter to give the static time to discharge, then I give it a solid knock or two on the side and front before taking out the chute (thankfully this is a VERY solid grinder). It might sound tedious, but I actually had to sit here and think about it because it's simply second nature now and I don't even notice doing it. The only time I notice the problem is when someone else uses the grinder who isn't aware of the "technique". Another great feature is that baratza sells every piece imaginable should you ever have a problem in the future: right down to a new motor or exterior knobs! All the pieces seemed priced appropriately. So while this may not be important to some, I like knowing that should the need arise, my equipment is completely serviceable. So I guess when the day comes that I need new burrs, I won't be shopping for another grinder, but paying a small sum for a new set of burrs. I didn't find that option on many of the other units I shopped around for. Ultimately, I still completely recommend this grinder and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants quality, affordability and versatility all rolled into a single package! ***Original Review*** I've been looking for a grinder that I could use with my current espresso machine (pressurized portafilter), drip coffee pot, and french press and would also allow me to grow into a more expensive espresso machine (i.e. the Rancilio Silvia or Quickmill Silvano). I was looking at the Rocky grinder, the Baratza Vario and Virtuoso Preciso, the Breville Smart Grinder, et al. Then I came along the Encore which I believe is new for 2012. I read several "professional" reviews and even saw some video reviews where the Encore was able to "choke" the Silvia at around grind setting "6". If you aren't aware, the Maestro and Maestro Plus (which the Encore replaces) weren't able to grind fine enough to choke the Silvia straight from the factory. Although this grinder isn't "stepless" (you have a larger variance from one "click" to the next when adjusting the grind setting, you still get 40 settings which are plenty for any home grinder. With a little tamping technique, this grinder will work fine for any espresso machine - not my opinion - the "pros" opinion. I am currently using it with my pressurized espresso machine, my drip pot and the occasional pour over and french press. It works great for them all! While it doesn't perform as well (or so I've read) as the Preciso or other high-end grinders, the fact that you can even begin to compare them speaks volumes for Baratza. I believe that currently there is NO other grinder on the market that can stand next to this one in terms of quality & versatility within the price range. Maybe the Breville Smart Grinder, but it still costs 50% more, I don't like the LCD display and I've heard (no practical experience) from several sources that Breville customer service is not quite up to par. If any of you out there care, the Baratza Maestro and Maestro Plus were already popular grinders and Baratza completely over-hauled it and produced the Encore - it offers WAY more at the same price. I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm selling the Baratza name, but this is the first of their products I've owned - I'm just impressed they did this with the Encore. So often a company produces a 2nd iteration of a product with lesser features or cheaper quality parts. Check it out for yourself, the innards are improved for better durability along with the burrs for a more consistent and fine grind! WOW...who does that?! Oh, and the first time I used it my wife was in the other room (separated by an open doorway) and she was shocked to find I had used it without her hearing it! Maybe when I close the door and begin my 5am grinding I won't wake the kids! The only con (which I've heard is not an uncommon problem with this type of grinder) is that when I remove the grind container and IF I accidentally knock the grinder, leftover grinds can fall from the chute onto the counter. I have a Dustbuster within arms reach of the grinder so it's no big deal, but if I didn't, it might aggravate me. I'm so glad I bought this and not one of the other many many brands I researched for months. I completely recommend it.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2012 by J. Ard
Color: Black
Size: 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches (Pack of 1)
This was a step-down purchase for me. For the past 10 or more years I have owned a Rancilio Rocky grinder which costs about 3x more than the Baratza Encore. And in hindsight, it was a stupidly expensive purchase as I never made Expresso or specialty coffees. I just wanted one of the best grinders and at the time I had the financial means to splurge. Now that I am retired, I am a lot more conservative with my spending. That expensive Rancilio grinder finally died and it was time to look for a replacement. The idea here was to find the best bang-for-the-buck grinder at a price point of under $200. I spent days doing research and found that Barista Encore was constantly rated as the best in class for what I wanted to spend. I placed my order on Amazon and then spent time watching setup videos on YouTube. I had a bit of a rough start. When I unpacked my brand-new Encore I was shocked to find that the gasket included looked nothing like the one I had seen in countless videos and setup guides. Even the included instruction book showed a completely different gasket than the one I received. I panicked. I thought that Baratza made a manufacturing mistake. I placed a phone call to customer service and found that their phones were shut down due to overwhelming demand. So, I fired off an email thinking it would be days before I got a response. Within 15 minutes, a customer service representative emailed me back saying that the company had recently updated their gasket for this model and was unable to include new documentation for it in recent shipments. So, let me just stop here and say that I was extremely impressed by the customer service response. When they were overwhelmed on the phones, they at least had someone watching email inquiries and making certain responses went out within minutes of being contacted. So, let me start with the gasket. For me, after watching all the setup videos, it was the one aspect of putting this Encore together that I was concerned about. The old gasket was cumbersome to align. It was a very smart thing for Barasta to upgrade the gasket. Now, it's considerably smaller, and you can simply plop it into the burr grinder without any difficulty. There are new videos online explaining how to do it, but I can save you time by saying you need to insert the thick end of the gasket into the grinder before installing the hopper. So, to address the most common questions... 1. Is it noisy? Yeah, somewhat, but I'm used to it. It's less noisy than the industrial Rancilio Rocky it replaced. And, I can't fathom any coffee grinder that is not going to make a considerable amount of noise. 2. Does it leave grinds everywhere? Yes, it does leave traces of grinds in the holder and along the lip of the ground coffee bin. Is it a big deal? No. It's the nature of these grinders. I have a small handheld vacuum to deal with it. A cheap coffee brush is another way to take care of the cleanup. It's minor, to say the least. There is a great accessory you can buy on Amazon for under $14 that will eliminate trace grounds. Look for AIEVE Upgrade Single Dose Hopper. It's a must-buy accessory for your Encore. 3. Is it difficult to clean? Not that I can see. The burr grinder is very easy to remove. There is an included brush for cleaning. Every few months I am going to throw in some cleaning tabs and grind it through. I also don't recommend using this grinder for flavored or shiny beans. They tend to leave a lot of gunky residues. If I want flavored coffee, I buy it already ground. 4. Is the power cord too thick? I only bring this question up as it's one of those things I read complaints about in review after review. No, it's not. It's the same as my Rancilio Rocky which is considerably thicker than what you would find on a toaster or electric can opener, which is to be expected. 5. Is the build quality cheap? While there is a lot more plastic here than I would want to see, from the online videos I have watched, experts believe that the Encore is made of solid materials and built to last for many years. In fact, if you go through a pound of coffee a week, and clean as recommended, the estimated life of this device is 10 years before you need to start replacing anything. From the research I have done, apparently what makes Barasta grinders so popular is that all their parts are serviceable. They are supposed to be very easy to clean and maintain. The company has a library of diagrams that help you navigate their machines. My first grind and cup of coffee were memorable. With some research, I found the perfect grind setting for my Technivorm Moccamaster. That coffee maker requires a more coarse grind so I set my Encore at "20" and poured my beans into the hopper. It is suggested to have the hopper running when you pour your beans in so you are not grinding from a dead stop (which is not good for the blade). I found the resulting grind to be very uniform in appearance. The coffee the grind produced was spectacular. I think I had been using the wrong setting on the Rancilio Rocky for years, grinding my beans slightly more finely (which you want to do with drip coffee makers). This more coarse grind setting produced a more flavorful cup of coffee. I was delighted. The Encore is for most enthusiasts who aren't looking for Expresso grinds. It's the best entry-level conical grinder for anyone that doesn't want something cheap or wants to spend a fortune on a device like this. And to say "entry-level" isn't even fair. There are coffee shops that use these grinders, from what I understand. This brand has been a staple in the coffee community for decades. It has a reputation for being the best in its class. So, I promise to keep using this every day and if it doesn't live up to my expectations, I will update this review regularly and keep everyone aware. For the moment, I am delighted to own this product. If my first cup of coffee is any indication of where things are going, I think we are going to make beautiful java together.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2023 by Ronald
Color: Black
Size: 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches (Pack of 1)
I love fresh-ground coffee and have been using pour over brewers for a number of years. We would use pre-ground grocery store coffee for fast morning drip machine brews and save the good stuff for other occasions. All of that changed when we accidentally got a two pound bag of whole bean coffee instead of the pre-ground version for the morning. We thought we could grind it by hand, but boy were we wrong. After two pounds of grinding with my Hario hand grinder, my left wrist has carpal tunnel, but my right forearm is ripped. Quite the combo. However, we knew that grinding by hand wasn't sustainable any longer and our small grinder was just about to scream. We've talked about splurging for a grinder and I've seen this Baratza Encore mentioned over and over in forums, we finally decided it was time. First thing that stood out to me was the packaging. It was packed very nicely in the box, but the cardboard was folded in a way that made it easy to removed. Felt like it was designed for an actual human and assumed it was a good sign. I was right! Assembly is easy, the manual is simple and straightforward. Can't ask for much more than that. The grinder feels very solid and well made once it is all put together. The design of the grinder is really nice and modern. My hope was that it would be visually appealing enough for my better half to want to leave it on the counter full time. After a couple of days, it's still sitting out in plain site. It fits directly under our cabinets and in my opinion looks really nice. With as much as we plan to use it, putting it away after every use just doesn't seem right. When I set it down on the countertop, I discovered an issue. Whoever assembled my grinder at the factory forgot one of the rubber feet on the bottom. I fired off an email to Baratza and an actual person responded in, no joke, five minutes. They apologized and shipped out the part immediately. I am grateful for that level of service! One of the complaints I heard about the machine was the noise level, so I was expecting it to sound like a blender. Honestly, I don't think it is that bad and I don't think it would wake up my family if I were to run it. It isn't quiet, but not loud enough that I would think twice about buying it. It's really easy to select the grind level and Baratza included a guide with good starting points for each type of brewer in the manual. There are enough setting notches that you could customize your own grind sizes. I printed out labels for each brewer type and the grind settings on the back, just so I don't forget them. It was a relief watching 30+ grams of coffee beans go into the hopper and get sucked down into the burrs and ground in less that a minute. The speed is reasonable, although anything beyond hand grinding would feel fast. The biggest thing I noticed was the consistency. I don't have experience with high-end coffee grinders, but to my novice eyes the grounds appeared to be very consistent and similar in size. I'm sure there would be some outliers if I dug through it all, but in my unscientific approach, it all looked good as I dumped it into the V60 filter. All in all, it's a great grinder and according to the other reviews I should enjoy it for many years to come. Hope this helps!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2023 by Luke L.