Baratza - Vario-W 986

A burr grinder is far superior to a blade grinder without question. And don't cheap out. A good burr grinder will last you for many years. I purchased my Baratza Vario-W(built-in scale for consistent grind and weight) over 15 years ago and it is still going strong. It wasn't a cheap date, but I have absolutely no regrets. HTH

I don’t have issues switching between grinds with the vario-w. Just change the grind when running and there aren’t beans in the hopper. I’m not storing beans in the hopper anyway. 

You may be able to find a used Baratza Vario-W around that price. The ceramic burrs are not recommended for multipurpose use, so if you're interested in more than espresso or want to pull something more modern, try to find the steel burrs instead.

Same setup here…except I’ve got the Baratza Vario-W. If I were to do it again, I’d skip the Vario-W and get the Encore.

The Vario W+ is an excellent grinder—its 54mm Ditting flat burrs are tried-and-true for pourover. Plus you get the benefit of excellent product support from Baratza. IMHO, there really isn’t any other grinder to consider because you like the convenience of the hopper and grind-by-weight features. Other people are chiming in with the usual grinder recommendations—and they are good grinders. However, please keep in mind that most people recommend things that work well for them, and according to their own preferences. Most pourover enthusiasts eschew grinders with large hoppers and grind by weight features, for example. Many have a strong preference for hand grinding. Get the grinder with the features that \*you\* want, not the grinder that others would prefer to own. After all, \*you\* are the person who will be using it every day. The Vario W+ is an excellent grinder, and there is no other grinder at its price point that offers its combination of 54mm Ditting flat burrs, generous hopper, grind by weight convenience, and strong product support by Baratza.

The AllGround Sense is an excellent grinder as well, but it’s most likely out of the OP’s budget. The AllGround Sense typically retails for around $1,300. I suppose it’s possible that one might be had for closer to $1,000 if a sale can be found. The AllGround Sense is more espresso-focused, although it is capable of grinding for filter coffee. While the Vario W+ is a primarily filter-focused grinder capable of grinding for espresso. IMHO, the Vario W+ is a better fit for the OP.

The baratza vario w can do either espresso well or the others well - but doesnt not switch between them well. The answer for me was to have two of them! one for espresso - one for everything else.

Flat burrs seem to bring out the fruit notes more. I have an opus, ceado, and vario.

🤣🤣 after a while I learned to recognize the difference. To me, I taste much more sweetness on the flat burrs.

It’s fine for your uses. Ignore the reviews. My first decent grinder was a Baratza Virtuoso. Enjoyed it a ton. Then, when I was ready to upgrade - pre the current explosion of great grinders for home use - I stayed with Baratza for their customer service and after-sales support; got a Vario which I later upgraded to the stainless steel burrs and PF holder. No regrets.

I have had a vario for 4 months now. I performed the alicorn procedure per the resources provided here and it works great! I can pull high altitude single origin shots and everything. The problem i’m running into is that the grinder falls out of alignment after some time. In 4 months, it’s fallen off twice. I re-align, and am back to winning, but it’s not the quickest process, and I worry that something is wrong. Anybody have the same issue?

My best coffee related purchase was an older Baratza Vario that was half the price of the current retail price. Use it daily and it’s a champ. Facebook Marketplace for the win my friend.