Baratza - Maestro Plus

I've had a baratza maestro Plus for 20 years and it is a quality grinder--although it finally has become unrepairable. The encore is the same minus the timer-on switch. It was the top rated grinder on a recent episode of America's test kitchen. Be careful ordering from "1st in Coffee." I ordered the baratza encore from them in December and it arrived damaged. They completely waffled on making it right and shunted me over to the manufacturer to make a warranty claim. After a little back and forth Baratza is shipping me a new one but This should have been handled by the shipper.

My experience with Baratza is this: I had a Baratza maestro Plus for around 20 years. When I finally got tired of repairing it (all of the electric motor mounting points were cracked) I replaced it with a Baratza encore. I purchased it from 1st in Coffee. The grinder arrived broken likely damaged in shipping (large dent in the box). The seller refused to replace and instead directed me to Baratza for a warranty claim. I do not recommend 1stincoffee.com After some back and forth Baratza agreed to replace the broken grinder at no cost. I've been using it for a month now. It works but it is much louder than the 20-year-old Baratza. It just doesn't sound as solid. It sounds like the motor is spinning faster but with less torque. I don't think I will buy a baratza grinder again.

Baratza Maestro Plus (anyone here have one?) We run that at '20' setting for the Moccamaster. For my QuickMill Vetrano 2B espresso machine we use a Baratza Vario. Love the brand.

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.

Baratza is a workhorse. It is not a quiet workhorse but it is a good machine 

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.

Baratza is the answer. I've had mine for over 20 years. I recently contacted the company to buy the little rubber feet that deteriorated on the bottom and they sent me the feet, some extra other parts, stickers and postcards. Years ago I contacted them to buy a few other normal wear and tear parts and they sent those free too. Buddy at work has one, they've sent him new circuit boards and gearboxes for free. Outstanding product and customer service you just don't find anymore.

If you're using one grinder for espresso and pour over, I'd stay away from Eureka. Their biggest weakness is the turning dial, which is small and doesn't give you an indication of how many times you've rotated it. Going back and forth between espresso and pour over/drip would be annoying and harder than necessary to dial in. Baratza grinders are workhorses, but they're mostly plastic and loud. To service most parts of the machine, you have to pry open the bottom, which can bend the plastic and potentially rip off plastic tabs, which is kind of annoying. They're a good entry level grinder for people who can't afford something better, but if you can spend more, you might want to. For espresso, Aeropress, and pour over coffee, I've been served well by a Timemore Sculptor 064s. It has low retention, a brushless motor, solid metal build quality, is easy to dial in between different grind sizes, sounds less annoying than my old Baratza, and I think it looks good (which is subjective). I can't speak to the Fellow Ode 2 + Niche Zero option, but people do love them. James used a Niche Zero as his go-to espresso grinder for years. It has conical burrs, which gives a more full bodied (thicker) espresso. I'm sure others will chime in.

Get a used grinder on marketplace for sure. Oxo and Breville are the bare minimum, but if you see a sub-$50 Baratza, that’s even better. If you don’t want to then start buying more beans, just resell it yourself when you finish the bag. Anything lower-end than those and I wouldn’t bother. Blade grinders ruin beans, as do super cheap “burr” grinders like Cuisinart and Shardor. As far as storage, if you brew coffee daily, I’d just keep them in a resealable container (with a “burp” valve if possible; old bags from previous coffee purchases should work) in a cool and dry place.

Sadly the turin DF lineup is the best that you can afford in that price point. You'll get sick of hand grinding fast. Especially if you start to like the medium light to light roasts. So I don't recommend hand grinding long term. But you are running out of options in the budget space I don't like the plastic internals or noise levels of the Baratza grinders and too many others in the $200 price range are no better. If you are truly looking for a buy once and cry once with higher quality of life features and you don't want a turin or miicoffee DF style of grinder then you're looking at vertical burrs and $600 to $800 minimum. Like a timemore 64s or 78s.

I got the Sage Barista Pro with the Baratza-Grinder and love it.