Baratza Encore ESP Coffee Grinder ZCG495BLK Black

First, know this is a basic model espresso and coffee grinder that doesn't have any unnecessary features. It grinds beans well and is easy to adjust in a wide range of very fine to very coarse. It's made so that all the parts can be replaced to support years of use. But you'll need a good coffee scale and some patience to dial in good espresso. It's stylish enough to not look bad on the counter, but nothing fancy. The retention isn't too bad. There's a fair amount of spraying of grounds around the side from static, but you can easily mitigate this with a couple drops of water to reduce static. The hopper works fine for single dose espresso, though you may want to buy the single-dose specific attachment. It's loud but not horribly so. After a few weeks of use, I'm very pleased with the grinder. Read more

Overall, this is a great grinder for the $200 price point! It is awesome to see companies get closer to the budget range for well built espresso grinders. The 20 steps of small adjustments for espresso are great, and the ability to jump into coarse grinds for filter coffee is also nice to have. It definitely isn't amazing at any particular thing, but it does a good job across the board for those looking to get into grinding their own beans! The Good & Notable Upgrades Getting this grinder over the original is worth the $50. - Super easy adjustments - The first 20 steps are very small and are meant for dialing in espresso. Once you hit step 21, the thread changes and each step becomes larger which allows for a lot of options between 21-40. Twisting the bean hopper to change grind size is super great. - Single-dose cup - The included single dose cup as well as the full bin is a nice touch. - Easy cleaning - This version allows the entire burr set to be removed for cleaning, which is a major improvement over the original where the bottom burr could only be removed if you tore most of the grinder apart. This will definitely help with longevity. The Bad I've got two main complaints about this grinder: - Noise - True to the Baratza name, this grinder is very loud. Those who live with you will definitely know you're making coffee. - Retention - This grinder has a notable amount of retention on the first grind, I measured ~0.7g of the bean I was using. This isn't a huge issue on its own, but I've found it can end up causing grounds to fall out and make a mess. I've gotten used to rocking the unit back and forth a couple times which helps, but I still seem to end up with grounds on the bottom quite often. I've found that the 3rd party single dose hopper with the bellow (~$40) almost completely solves for this issue. Read more

I didn't realize how bad my Cuisinart Automatic Burr grinder was until using this for the first time. The second I picked this up I could tell it was built like a brick compared to the Cuisinart. The only part that really feels cheap is the plastic coffee holder that sits above the machine. The grinding of the coffee is what really sets it apart. The Baratza ESP is not only much quieter than the Cuisinart but it's much more controlled when grinding. The Cuisinart starts up and sounds like a high pitched airplane, sending grounds flying into the ground housing while the Baratza sounds like I actually can hear the coffee being ground. It also gently drops the coffee in a controlled manor which is great as I can hold my espresso portafilter directly under the spout and manually hold the on button for several seconds to fill it. After coming from the automatic grinder I thought the manual only option would end up being my biggest annoyance but I actually enjoy watching the coffee being ground into the canister. Just flip the lever and it grinds fast enough to where you really don't want to go anywhere while it's on. The grind quality is also on point. The issue with the Cuisinart was that the motor would get to such high RPMs that it killed the grind quality. Some of the coffee would come out ground to the desired size while some of it would be ground to fine dust which would collect near the top lid. I have ground coffee for both French press and espresso and the grind quality of the Baratza appears to be extremely consistent. No more extremely fine grounds when set to a coarse setting :) Overall, the Baratza ESP is an amazing grinder setting the bar much higher than my previous grinder. My last grinder ran about everyday for 6 years before failing so I'm hoping for at least 10 with this. Read more

A well built burr grinder with a wide range of settings from espresso (and finer) to french press and cold brew. The chute will occasionally spill some grounds when grinding oilier beans, but retention is minimal and it's very easy to clean from the top and bottom ends. Some small caveats: the first time I removed the hopper, the top seal came with it, and then came off on my counter... which led to a big mess when grinding when I re-inserted the hopper. Once that was replaced, all was good! Also, lining up the hopper to re-insert after removal is a bit finicky but nothing you can't get used to. Finally, I'm using an add-on "single-dose" hopper for ~ everything now since it's large enough for both truly single-dose (1 shot) use and making a 1L French Press, so the big hopper the grinder came with is mostly a counter decoration. The ground coffee is still a bit staticy, but that is a minor point as it generally ends up where it needs to (with the caveat of oily beans above). Overall I'd give this a solid 4.5/5. Read more