Baratza - Vario Series

There is a comparison of many grinders you're looking at [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/LanceHedrick/comments/139zzei/addendum_to_sculptor_video/). There is a description of the coffee produced although they are very much toward Lance's preferences. I have a Baratza Vario W+ which makes excellent coffee and is relatively forgiving. While Baratza's are not the most trendy (single dose, low retention, static reduction, etc), they are very well built and have a history of reliability and support should something go wrong (you can actually buy nearly all of the parts or have them service the machine). With newer models you will likely gain features or lower the price but you run more risks on longevity.

It's a bit inconsistent grind at this point. Always probably was but I've had it for ages and wasn't as refined in my approach when I go it so might not have realized it. But it's loud and messy. A worthy idea, thanks. I guess I had sort of mentally blocked the vario/w+ as options, but worth a consideration. I did initially look at a Forte but started to be told to look beyond baratza at that price point and haven't really gone back...

# **Without philosophizing in the answer, you have two options: a handgrinder, or electric grinder.** — ## **🔹 Hand Grinders** ### **High-End Options:** - **1Zpresso K-Ultra** – External adjustment, versatile for both pourover & espresso. - **1Zpresso J-Max** – 8.8-micron steps, optimized for espresso but handles pourover. - **Kinu M47 Phoenix / Classic** – Precise & durable, great for both. - **Comandante C40 MK4** – Ideal for pourover; needs *Red Clix* for better espresso dialing. - **Timemore Chestnut S3** – Stepless adjustment, more suited for pourover. - **1Zpresso ZP6** – Produces ultra-clean grinds, excelling in filter brews. ### **Mid-Range Options:** - **1Zpresso JX-Pro** – Espresso-friendly with finer adjustments than JX. - **Timemore Chestnut C3 ESP** – Budget option with espresso-compatible burrs, decent for pourover. - **1Zpresso X-Pro** – Compact, external adjustment, slower but espresso-capable. — ## **⚡ Electric Grinders** ### **High-End Options:** - **Mahlkönig EK43** – The gold standard in specialty coffee shops. - **Weber EG-1** – Premium single-dose grinder for all brew methods. - **Lagom P100** – High-performance, SSP burr options for precision grinding. ### **Mid-Range / Prosumer Options:** - **DF64 Gen 2 / DF64P / DF64E** – Affordable single-dose grinders, great for both. - **Niche Zero** – Top-tier single-dose grinder for espresso & pourover. - **Eureka Mignon Specialita** – Stepless adjustment, solid for espresso & can handle pourover. - **Fellow Opus** – Budget-friendly, designed for both espresso & filter brewing. - **Baratza Vario+ / Sette 270** – Great entry-level grinders with micro-adjustments for espresso. - **Timemore Sculptor 078 / 064S** – New contenders with solid grind consistency. ### **Budget-Friendly Options:** - **Fellow Ode Gen 2** (Needs *SSP burrs* for espresso) – Excellent for pourover, but needs mods for espresso. - **Baratza Encore ESP** – Beginner-friendly with stepped adjustments. - **Eureka Mignon Crono** – Simple & effective for both espresso & filter. — 🔎 **Check reviews before buying**—grind quality & user experience vary. Preferences are subjective!

With not a lot of detail to work with I'll say Baratza Vario W+ or its nicer brother Baratza Forte BG. Both use the flat steel burr for filter brew. Don't buy the espresso version with ceramic burr, it's not great for filter brew. They are great for normal consumers (even for coffee geeks). Both have an integrated scale for ease of use, fits a typical 12oz / 340gr coffee bag in hopper for non-single dosing*. Anybody can use the grinder; press the start button then voilà! Perfect dosing without any measuring, water spray, etc. Baratza also sells single dosing hopper if what you're looking for. *It's also a 1L Mason jar of coffee, if you freeze your coffee in a mason jar. The only downside is the noise.... It is noisy. It's also not the new flashy trendy grinder but it's been in production since 2011. But don't change something that isn't broken.

I would spend more and get. The baratza vario w+.... Grind by weight is really nice. Press a button and get an exact dose by weight

It is but it's about the same price as the niche zero and far more useful for folks who are looking for convenience over single dosing

I like the Vario+ a lot, but recently traded mine up for a Mazzer Philos. My biggest gripe with the Vario is the workflow: the grind size adjustment is weird (there’s a coarse and fine adjustment that you can adjust independently), and the levers can lose their settings easily. Baratza sell shims to prevent the levers from moving easily, but that feels like a design defect. The grounds catch bin is enormous (relatively speaking) and a little awkward compared to a catch cup for transferring to a brewing funnel.  Retention was an issue for mine, too. I frequently had 0.3 to 0.5 g retention on an 18–20 g dose. That was perhaps my biggest annoyance. There are tricks you can find online (like inverting the flap on the exit chute, but again, those feel like hacky workarounds for design defects.  That said, when it performs well, the grinder is capable of making great coffee. The steel burrs in particular make for really yummy pour overs. 

I’ve had a Baratza Virtuoso+, a Baratza Vario+, and now a Mazzer Philos, and I’d rank them in Bottom, Mid, and Top Tiers, respectively. 

Just looking at it, I can see it's got the same internal design as the burr grinder Cuisinart has been making for decades now. It's better than a blade grinder, but it's on the lowest quality rung of electric burr grinders. The cheapest baratza is significantly better.

I think both the 078s and the Lagom Casa is geared more towards espresso if you are only doing espresso 30% of the time. Of those two the Casa will have a lot more fines. I think the Lagom Mini would be your best bet for an all rounder filter focused. It is supposedly similar to a Comandante C40 or a K-Ultra but motorized plus people like it for espresso too. Or a flat burr that can grind for both would be something like the Baratza Vario W+. You would need steel burrs not ceramic. But like others have said it is kind of annoying to have one grinder for both filter and espresso. If you are willing to spend $600+ you could probably afford 2 though. I know hand grinding for espresso sucks but since this is the pourover sub. I would say go all out on a filter focused grinder like the Timemore 078 or the Fellow Ode 2 then get an espresso focused grinder later on like a df54 or df64.

I have a timemore c2 that I use as my travel grinder. When I travel with the family and have to make a pot of coffee, its kind of a pain because I have to fill and empty the grinder a few times to make 10 cups. I would not want to do this all the time, but its fine for a few weeks out of the year. Maybe you can find a decent used burr grinder for a good price. I have a really old vario that is now relegated to grinding for pots of coffee at home.