The Baratza Encore Burr electric coffee grinder is one of those small appliances that has the potential to totally level up your coffee game. This coffee grinder may look simple but it delivers the consistent, reliable results that you’d expect to see in a high-end coffee or espresso bar.
I reviewed another Baratza coffee grinder recently—the Baratza Virtuoso+—and I have to say: This brand does not disappoint. Read on to learn all about the Encore, plus why you might choose one of these grinders over the other.
What’s in the box of the Baratza Encore Burr electric coffee grinder?
In the box of the Baratza Encore, you’ll find the grinder itself and that’s… Pretty much it. The Encore comes with a user guide, cleaning tool, and silicone gasket. The Encore’s grounds bin, bean hopper, and hopper lid are plastic, removable, and hand washable. Place the gasket between the grinder and the hopper when you mount the hopper onto the grinder.
Baratza Encore grinder features
The Encore is a non-digital electric burr coffee grinder. It has a hardened steel alloy blade that uses commercial-grade conical burrs. The brand describes it as a “high-quality entry-level grinder” and that’s the perfect description of it.
This product doesn’t have preset functions, digital interfacing, or any of that stuff. Instead, it features a simple twist grind setting and a front-mounted pulse button. Select from any of 40 unique grind settings by twisting your conical grounds bin in place. Then, time out your grounds manually using the pulse button.
How can manual be the better choice?
Don’t get me wrong: I love a digital product. Small appliances with digital interfaces are generally easier to use. They’re great for packed morning routines and busy families. Having a digital interface (or, on the high end, smartphone compatibility and smart home integration) can unlock a lot of features that you may not be able to reasonably access on a physical device.
But manual products like this one can be awesome, too. On a manual device, there are fewer functions—so there’s quite literally fewer things to break. The Encore will never have a timer that goes wonky, or a screen that suddenly turns off, or a preset that just stops working one day. Because of this, it’s simple to use and is likely to have a longer life than a smart coffee grinder. (That’s not guaranteed, of course, but has always been my experience. And, with a brand like Baratza, you can always replace parts on a product like the Encore as they start to wear.)
Manual products can be great for other reasons, too. They’re awesome for people who struggle with technology—for instance, an ageing parent who still wants to be able to brew a delicious cup of coffee but can’t remember how to connect their coffee machine to the Wi-Fi. They also tend to be cheaper, so you’re paying less but still getting the same high-quality materials that you would in a pricier device.
Timing and grind size on the Encore
The Baratza Encore burr grinder is also awesome for coffee lovers who are still figuring out their coffee “style.” Similarly, it’s great for households where not every member drinks the same type of coffee. This is because the manual design of the Encore makes it easy to adjust your grind size every single time.
Set your grind size to superfine (8-ish) for at-home espresso machines, Turkish coffee, and moka pots. Move up to the 20 range for products like the Chemex, which is the style of coffee maker that’s featured in this review. Push it a little farther to 28 to perfect your French press pour. The Encore goes all the way up to a 40 grind size, which is a rough and chunky grind for slow infusion methods like cold brew.
There are two different “on” functions that you can choose from on the Encore. Turn the “off/on” dial on its side for longer-timed grinds, like when you’re making a big pot of coffee for a large group (or one jittery coffee lover who desperately needs to get through the day). There’s no timer on the grinder, so turn your dial and keep an eye on your clock (or the tinted grounds bin.)
For shorter and more precise grind times, use the “pulse” button on the front of the machine. The pulse is great for adding a little extra to finely-tuned amounts, like espresso grounds in a portafilter.
My results with the Baratza Encore coffee grinder
I think Baratza makes excellent products and the Encore is no exception. This is a super simple, bare-bones style of coffee grinder that produces stellar coffee grounds with no bells or whistles. With the Encore’s conical burr design and hardened alloy steel blades, your roasted coffee beans are ground with extreme precision. They’re not getting crushed by dull blades and their rougher grind sizes aren’t producing mixed results.
When you switch between extremely different grind sizes using the Encore, you’ll notice a bit of dust from your previous use in your next batch. This is pretty standard, and you can avoid it by thoroughly cleaning the product between uses if that’s something that’s important to you. What you won’t notice, however, is variation within the grind cycle. Something I’ve noticed with other coffee grinders—even really highly-rated ones—is that you’ll often see an accumulation of finely-ground dust in every setting. For instance, even if you’ve always used a rough French press grind, you can shake a bit of an espresso-sized grind out of the bottom of your grounds bin.
That’s not the case with the Baratza Encore burr grinder. Even with its roughest grind size, a 40, results are consistent through the entire grounds bin. What that means is that you’re working with a very consistent result here. And, like consistency in coffee, that’s going to translate into an excellent cup of coffee.
I’ve been brewing recently with a Chemex-style carafe that I double line with a mesh filter and a paper filter (you know, just to be very, very extra about it). These grounds, which were set to a 20 grind size, worked perfectly to brew a rich, delicious pot of coffee.
Final thoughts on the Baratza Encore
If you’re trying to brew an amazing cup of coffee or pull a phenomenal shot of espresso on an easy-to-use machine, I recommend checking this coffee grinder out. It’s an extremely well-done rendition of an appliance that can be tricky to get right. Baratza pulls off a perfect grind gracefully in the Encore without any bells and whistles.
The Encore is an excellent burr grinder for those who love the slow, traditional, by-hand feeling of being in a kitchen or coffee bar. I think it’s a stellar choice for hardcore coffee enthusiasts—both those who know their craft well already and those who are still trying to find their niche as an at-home barista. Give the Encore a try if you’re looking for precision-ground beans and a machine that you’ll be able to use long-term.
Shop the Baratza Encore Burr electric coffee grinder online at Best Buy today.
