If you’re really focused on levelling up your coffee game but have struggled to narrow down your next step, using a tool like the Baratza Virtuoso+ burr grinder (coming soon) will help you make sure you’re working with uniform coffee grounds. There are numerous factors that influence the quality of your home-brewed coffee. You start with your brewing machine or device, your beans, and your water quality. But then you also have the smaller details—like your coffee grinder.
So, why is a consistent coffee grind important? Having uniform grounds at just the right size will help you achieve just the right extraction rate. Contact time between hot water and your coffee grounds determines the flavour of your finished product, so grind perfection can help ensure that your brew is strong and flavourful—without being bitter.
What’s in the box of the Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr coffee grinder?
The Baratza Virtuoso+ burr grinder is a really simple small appliance. In its box, you’ll find the grinder itself, a clear plastic hopper and lid, a silicone gasket, a cleaning brush, and a clear conical grounds bin. If you reach inside the grinder, you’ll also be able to lift out the device’s burr grinder and holder as well, which is a conjoined piece that’s easy to remove for maintenance and cleaning.
Baratza Virtuoso+ features
Baratza makes four types of grinders. For conical burr grinders, there are options for home use and for “prosumer” use. For flat burr grinders, there are options for “prosumer” use and commercial use.
The Virtuoso+ is a home-use conical burr grinder. It’s the brand’s step-up home grinder that’s perfect for manual brewing, whether you’re making drip, French press, or espresso. It has 40 steps of adjustment, an LCD, and a digital timer for consistent dosing. To adjust the grind level, turn the Virtuoso+’s hopper. To adjust the timer and turn the product on, use the front-facing dial.
The Virtuoso+ has one more feature that distinguishes the plus from the original Virtuoso. (The first is the LCD.) An LED light illuminates the grounds bin when in use, which helps you keep an exacting eye on your dose.
The nitty gritty of this grinder’s features
For hardcore coffee geeks, here are some more detailed specs. The Virtuoso+ has 40mm conical burrs that grind at 1.5g to 2.4g per second for a perfectly consistent result. It uses direct drive gear reduction transmission and DC transmission. Importantly, it also includes a thermal overload cutout. Most home users won’t ever realize the cutout is there, but for heavy users who are worried about the lifespan of their grinder, don’t worry: It is there, and it will kick in to preserve your motor if an issue ever arises! (If you’re grinding home-use amounts, though, it really won’t be an issue.)
Timing and grind size on the Virtuoso+
While this coffee grinder is designed to please enthusiasts (and it does; it’s often lauded as the holy grail by coffee geeks), it’s easily accessible for novices, too. The Baratza Virtuoso+ makes getting the correct grind size and amount for your brewing technique simple. The included quick start guide tells you exactly what settings to start your machine at; from there, you can tweak your results as needed.
My results with the Baratza Virtuoso+ grinder
I’m using a Chemex-style pour over in this review with an additional double filter for a perfectly clean brew. As per Baratza’s suggestion, I chose a grind size of 20. I used fewer beans than recommended, as I was just brewing a small cup, and poured my water in a spiral pattern.
Now, I know: My process is a little cumbersome, especially if you’re used to a coffee machine. I’m really into manual processes and minimal appliances right now, though, and honestly? This was the best cup of drip I’ve ever had. With a brand new bag of beans and the Virtuoso+’s perfect grind (and I mean that precisely), this cup of coffee was excellent. I noticed a huge difference between the results of the Virtuoso+ and the in-aisle grocery store grinder that I often end up using instead.
Not only was it incredibly helpful to have access to such a broad-reaching quick start guide, but I could really see the difference in the grounds. There was no extra-fine dust kicking around at the bottom of the grounds bin for no apparent reason, nor was there any hesitancy in the machine to put out a rougher grind. Every single batch of grounds was exactly the size it should have been.
(Heh, or should have bean.)
The Baratza brand
Baratza is a unique company that’s beloved by coffee aficionados and its product longevity practices are one of the many reasons why.
The Virtuoso+ is built for the long haul. As your grinder wears out, Baratza makes it easy to purchase and replace single parts. (This includes the parts for many legacy machines.) Spare parts aren’t included with your original grinder, but easy availability means you can keep using your grinder for much longer than you’d likely be able to keep using other brands’.
Product repair and longevity are some of the Baratza’s key values. As a result, you’ll likely save money in the long run, get to keep using your favourite coffee grinders indefinitely, and greatly minimize your coffee brewing carbon footprint. The brand offers troubleshooting guides, one-on-one product support, and even a mail-in repair service to make sure customers are using their products for as long as possible.
Isn’t that just so cool? Very few brands are doing it old school nowadays, and I’m happy to find that Baratza is. This is an appliance like one you’d have bought in the 1950s. The Virtuoso+ grinder is made to last and designed to be repaired.
In conclusion
If you’re looking for a reliable, durable coffee grinder, then the Baratza Virtuoso+ is a great workhorse to pick up. Yes: it’s an investment piece, and it’s priced like one. However, unlike many consumer brands today, the quality and longevity are there to back it up. This grinder produces stellar, consistent results and is built to last.
Shop the Baratza Virtuoso+ burr grinder (coming soon) online at Best Buy today.
