Baratza Encore Electric Burr Coffee Grinder

Product Information

Like many machines, the Encore also takes a long time to grind on a very fine, espresso-like setting. Alejandra Matos, a former deputy audience director with Wirecutter, also had many issues with her chute and grinder clogging after using darker-roasted, oily beans. If you need to extend your hopper size – check out the hopper extender: boosting capacity by a further 9 oz.

When the Encore was on a medium setting, it took us about 35 to 40 seconds to grind 68 grams of medium-grind coffee appropriate for filter brewing—in other words, it took less than a minute to grind enough for a pot of coffee, on a par with other grinders we tested. In testing, we found we still prefer using the C2 and just refilling it if needed, because it was easier to hold.

With cheaper machines, which often cut costs by including cheaper burr sets, the grind is often so uneven that the difference is visible to the naked eye. It’s actually a part of Baratza’s philosophy to design their grinders so they can easily be repaired. Calibration: An innovative burr calibration system ensures that each grinder has the full range of grind.

And some grinders come with an integrated scale, so you can weigh out the beans before you grind them. For those who want to travel with the C2, the folding handle may or may not be a better option–-it weighs a little more than the original handle, which is just as easy to take off and just place beside the grinder body in your bag.While I concede that the physical labor of grinding some coffee beans is light when compared to, say, building the Egyptian pyramids, I’d rather not have to do that, especially first thing every morning. For this guide, we decided the ideal grinder is a stepped model with plenty of range and clear markings between each step, so that it’s easy to go back to your favorite setting. The C2 is the lowest-cost grinder from coffee gear company Timemore, whose manual grinders are well-regarded among coffee experts.

You’re paying for incremental improvements that may be important if coffee is a blossoming passion or hobby for you. Timemore also makes the newer C3, which has the same body with a new burr set that it says is better designed, and based on the one in its higher-end models. Or it’s hard to get the chaff and fine particles out of the bin or drawer that collects the coffee grounds. We love and use our Baratza Encore grinder to do that most of the time, and we’d love to tell you why.You will have to either look to a manual grinder or drop a lot of extra money, if you want to go a significant step up in consistency. If you're on a tight budget, and you want all of that budget to go on build quality and performance, for manual brew methods, I think the Baratza Encore is quite a difficult grinder to beat. A good grinder should be simple to operate, maintain, and clean, and it should last for years, with proper maintenance. 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. To clean or even repair the machine yourself, you just twist off the hopper and remove the top burr.