Vario

Currently Baratza Vario+ (just replaced an Encore which I may keep as a backup), and I’ve got a J-Ultra for travel of a different espresso expression (since the Vario is a flat burr). It’s a fun hobby.

You can go the cheap route and try a Neo Flex from flair to see if you like making manual espresso. That’s what I did for about 4 months (with an encore). I’ve since upgraded to a cafelat robot (and a Vario+ and a J Ultra as grinders) as I did like it, but saw the shortcomings of my machines, but I still made some tasty shots while doing more research, deciding what I did and did not like about the workflow, etc.

The Ode Gen 2 is a significant upgrade over an Encore, but if you're going to be spending that much money on a grinder, just get an a4z for a little more, which is a significant upgrade over the Ode Gen 2. I personally upgraded over the years from encore -> vario -> ode gen 2 -> a4z. Just skip the middle, go right for the a4z.

Whatever your budget is you should split it 50/50 between machine and grinder. I stepped up my budget to $1000 for my beginning set up and went with a Breville Infuser and Baratza Vario grinder. I was happy I did. It was better quality and allowed me to grow into it. It lasted many years until I was ready to go to Prosumer level.

Def. At this price point it’s never gonna be quiet. I remember my 17yo Baratza Vario well. The extra $ for the Mignon Silenzio is probably worth it but these well-made grinders just keep going and going. By the time I upgraded I just went up a step to the Eureka Oro XL which I don’t regret

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 got one thats also 10 years old for free with a secondhand rocket r58 I was buying recently .. so far I only had to re-calibrate it and its working perfectly .. only issue I have is that that the grind size dials move a little during grinding, and if I am not careful they slide down.

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?