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.
Back when there were fewer options on the market, it would’ve been my top entry-level grinder recommendation for people who didn’t need to do espresso. It grinds consistently and is a workhorse. I’ve had mine for 7 years and still use it occasionally. Baratza’s customer service is also a big advantage over other companies. Nowadays, I find there are more options that compete with it in its price range, including the Encore ESP which can also do espresso. The SK40 or the SD40, for example, are grinders in a similar price point that I’d consider just as good with the added versatility of grinding for espresso. If you just want a grinder that sits on your counter and is consistent and reliable, the Encore is still a solid choice imo. If you eventually want to have the ability for espresso, I’d recommend the Encore ESP or the SD40 or Sk40.
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.
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.
clemclem3
