Baratza - Encore™ ESP Pro (ZCG595BLK1AUC1A)

If you typically buy fresh roasted small batch coffee, especially single origin, I think you should look for something with more clarity like the DF54. It will deliver a more uniform grind size which helps flesh out the flavor profile. If you want something easy to dial in with a wider sweet spot for grind setting then the Encore ESP is a great choice, especially for a beginner. Maybe even step up to the ESP Pro which has a digital display and a more upscale look and feel. Personally I think it’s worth the extra cost over the regular ESP. If you think you’ll be into espresso as a hobby, you’ll probably end up with both a conical and flat burr grinder anyway as they each have their pros and cons.

If you are still at that stage then I think the workflow of the ESP pro would be a great fit. Like I said, even if you get more advanced, the ESP pro will still be useful for pour over and med to dark roast espresso or those times when you go back to cheaper beans.

You want to get an espresso focused grinder and a reputable brand under $300. I have three good options. In order of preference considering (grind/burrs, retention, user experience, durability) 1.) Varia VS3 ($270) changeable burr options & quiet 2.) 1Zpresso J Ultra ($199) hand grinder with great accuracy and flavors 3.) Baratza Encore ESP Pro ($299) old faithful but the Varia looks better and quieter with many burr options I’m sorry but I don’t recommend the DF54. Too many complaints and user issues. Turin has a lot of fans though, I’m just not one of them 🤷‍♂️🤠

If you can find a fellow ode on sale that’s a good option. DF54 is great for the $, but you’re buying from basically an oem manufacturer so very limited support. Also, Baratza encore is reccomended a lot for a reason. You can get a single dose hopper for it too, but it’s loud as hell. For $300 you can get the ESP Pro which is a great value imo, will give you espresso capability if you want down the road, and they have amazing support

Encore in general is loud, but I have heard in the ESP pro they did some extra sound dampening. If I was buying a grinder for $300 that’s probably what I’d go for tbh

Baratza ESP Pro. $300 at launch in August. I really feel it’s the ESP Pro/ESP and Df54 in the 300 and under range for electric grinders. I like that the pro had a lot of quality upgrades (stepless, digital display, construction, auto stop) over the standard ESP. I chose the Baratza over the df54 due to access to domestic customer support/repairability. Paired with a regular bambino. Dreaming of a Mazzer Philos one day!

I’ve got an esp and I think it does a great job. Got it on sale on Amazon for $199

Baratza Encore ESP Pro, $299. This is after I had a Fellow Opus ($199) which was just so terrible to live with, I had to have it replaced \*twice\* since you can't actually fully take it apart to clean like the manual states, since there is no way to put it back together (I wish I was joking, but the main bolt if not taken apart on its side, once out, is impossible to put back in place). The Baratza has been awesome with the exception of massive clogging initially which I thought maybe was due to doing RDT or the bellows I got for it. I stopped that, and still had clogging after cleaning it fully (everything comes apart just fine) but then decided to run Grindz cleaning tablets through it this second deep clean, and so far it's not clogged at all for a while. My theory is either using RDT made the inside surfaces collect grinds more easily to then clog again, or maybe there are coatings or whatever from the factory that just need to be cleaned out with the Grindz tablets. In any case, without using any RDT and no bellows it's been working just fine now, and it's such a good piece of kit. Hopefully regular Grindz cleanings is all I need to do with the occasional deep clean here and there. Grind performance has also always been great and consistent, whether it's espresso (really great microadjustments in the ESP range) or pour over.

Baratza Encore ESP Pro, it's what cured my rage after the Fellow Opus. Whatever you do, do NOT get an Opus. With the Encore ESP Pro you're good to grind just about anything from a reputable brand for $299.

Yup, it's fantastic for this tbh. You can go from espresso to mokka to pour over to cold brew. It can grind for anything. Half of the range is the ESP range which has much smaller microsteps to fine tune for Espresso and the second half of the range it gets larger steps between each 0.5 increment to account for non-espresso grind needs.

I think at that price point the ESP Pro would be a great fit for OP. I agree they are on the loud side, but the Pro is a little quieter at least. But at that price, you aren’t getting great grinder, plus quiet, plus other benefits. I think there is a lot to recommend an Encore, and despite how it’s always talking about as some entry point that you need to graduate out of, for many many people I think it’s all they’ll ever need.

Yes I think the ESP Pro is one of the top contenders for OP’s needs

This. I have all the grinders for commercial use gb80 gbw , e65 gbw, varios, mazzer zm etc. For my home setup I just pre weigh and use a baratza esp pro. Extremely happy with it, especially at 179.00.

Hibrew h10b + Bratza encore esp pro or Hibrew h10b + Shardor I challenge anyone to find a better machine