Baratza - Encore ESP (ZCG495)

I made the jump from a basic blade grinder to the [Baratza Encore ESP](https://www.reviewni.com/product/B0BW272XCV), and wow, what a difference! If you’re just getting into espresso (like me), this upgrade is a game-changer. My old grinder gave me wildly inconsistent grind sizes, which made dialing in espresso with my Breville Bambino Plus a nightmare. The Encore ESP, with its conical burrs, fixes that -- it pumps out fine, consistent grinds every time. My espresso shots have never been more tame: way less bitterness, way less weird sourness, and no more crazy channeling. Just reliable extractions that taste the same every time. It's also super beginner-friendly, with simple controls and a smooth cleaning process (though the first time I tried to get the lower burr out, the lock-screw fought me hard, factory must’ve gorilla-tightened it). A quick tip: if you’re cleaning, watch some YouTube breakdowns and be careful with those little washers and felts. I grabbed some spare parts from the Baratza site just in case.

Encore Esp is a workhorse. It just works without a fuss.

I am pretty sure the esp has the M burr which is touted as an upgrade. That said, you can swap in the M burr and it used to be priced around 45 usd if you could find it.

1. Manual grinders are not that bad if you're grinding for 1 cup. But not timemore c2. Get something long lasting like kingrinder k6, 1zpresso, etc. 2. In addition to being electric, electric grinders bring a level of consistency in brewing process. Hand grinder output can change based on how fast you're rotating, what angle you're holding the grinder at, etc. But if you must get an electric, dont cheap out. Cheap grinders will not grind fine and consistent enough to be respectable. The bare minimum is bartaza encore esp or the best budget being df54.

Start with the Encore. It's more than good enough for batch filter coffee. I used an Ode 2 for years and I can't say I was ever too impressed with it.

Price/value I'd go for a Baratza Encore ESP. I bought that one and a Bambino Plus last year and it has served me well. Got it for 100 quid new on Black Friday and puts out nice coffee. To get something better you have to go at least double.

I got the Fellow Opus, but that seems more geared towards pour-over coffee. It is capable of doing espresso as well; however, dialing in the coffee is finicky. The other one, which is similarly priced, would be the Baratza Encore ESP, which is made especially for espresso. James Hoffman recently made a video regarding coffee grinders in this range. You may want to check that on YouTube as well.

I second this. it's a very solid flat burr grinder with a lot of range from filter coffee to espresso. Build quality is fantastic, but it is a single dose grinder, so if you are looking for something with a hopper that can grind through larger amounts, then Baratza Encore ESP is a good introductory grinder with espresso range

Comments like these are why the ESP was my first decent electric grinder.

Hmm, i push my percolator brews up to like ~34, perhaps it is the beans I use for percolator coffee, but i find any finer and the ESP makes too many fines in the "middle range" of its settings.

Baratza ESP gang where we at 😭