Bartaza is fantastic. Built like a tank, highly repairable/replaceable/modifiable.
Encore for basic grind - drip, pour-over, etc.
Sette if you want a highly capable espresso grind.
Vario if you're going upscale.
I have the Royal Grinder and am wondering if it is all that. I have an old electric burr grinder from Starbucks (like 1990s era) that doesn’t go fine enough so I bought the Royal to pair with my new Classic setup.
I’m having a lot of trouble dialing it in though.
One click CCW and I can’t squeeze the coffee out without significant force and my pressure gage in the danger zone.
One click CW and the coffee is sometimes ok, but one more click CW and it flows out too fast.
Fresh beans, everything else held as consistently as I can.
I thought I needed a “better” grinder but maybe there’s something I’m doing wrong.
It is highly frustrating and makes me want to blame the grinder.
What is your experience?
They are both owned by Breville however the acquisition is fairly recent so your second hand model may be from before that.
The Baratza has a solid reputation as an espresso grinder and is a newer model than the SGP (which is 10+ yo I believe). Reviews are pretty unanimous that it helps you dial in better.
All of the Baratza conical-burr grinders have that. It’s a safety feature so that the gear (a $4 or so part) will break before the motor or burrs ($40 parts) break. Easy to replace if you’re handy. That’s their approach—not bulletproof, but fixable.
My Baratza, ordered from Baratza, ground unevenly (dust, ground coffee, and biggish pieces) with a loud cracking noise at regular intervals (not just the usual burr grinding sound) from the git-go, and broke irreparably within a year -- as I drink coffee only two or three times a month, that would be more like a few weeks for most users. The on/off switch doesn't have a timer and if you fill the top -- if you put in more than a few tablespoons, actually-- and turn your back for a moment it will clog. As I put up with it for about a year, having no other option for grinding coffee, service was nonexistent.
The years old Baratza this was supposed to be a replacement for had a timed switch (the same switch from the outside, and the little glitch of turning on until YOU turn it off wasn't mentioned in any review or Baratza's description), ground delightfully evenly at all settings, and never clogged despite my ex-husband -- the main coffee drinker-- never cleaning it and me only cleaning it (running rice or cleaning grains through it) when I thought of it, which wasn't often.
I guess the gist is, be sure of what you're getting if you get a Baratza.
Top Electric Coffee Grinders on Reddit
1
Multiple Brands
DF54 Series
80% positive of 386 users
Great value for espresso, but clogs and poor for pour-over.
Massive-Arm-4146
