Virtuoso Series

1. Not already. You'd have to 'make' something. 2. Not really. 3. You can look at getting a grinder with a mechanical time grind function, or a mechanical On button; and then remotely activate it with a smart plug or timed plug. Something like the Baratza Virtuoso has a timer knob on the side, you could set that, leave the room, and activate the smart plug from your phone. Grinders very rarely have a mechanical "on" button that would remain on indefinitely - base safety feature to prevent burning out the motor or fire risk due to overheating if you left it running and walked away. You're either finding that in a weird-brand grinder that doesn't care about your fire insurance, or in a grinder that's not supposed to work that way but has been damaged somehow - I have a Virtuoso that is stuck 'on' because the timer knob jammed, and I need to plug and unplug it when I'm using it.

I would only add that if you have the extra cash, The Baratza Virtuoso is also excellent. It has a couple quality of life features like a little light inside and an extended number of settings. But likewise, I dial it in when loading the coffee and don't touch it again unless I'm changing coffee brews. Just tap the button once every morning. And that little light btw, while seeming like an afterthought, is CLUTCH. It's so useful.

Because it's absolute crap. It might break apart beans, but the "burrs" in it bash the beans apart and don't cut them. I owned this same grinder at one point a LONG time ago, and I can tell you it does an absolute miserable job of grinding coffee. No one wants to believe how much of a difference the grinder makes, but it really makes a frigging huge difference in the quality of coffee. I switched from using a Baratza Virtuoso+ ($250) to a much cheaper handgrinder - the Kingrinder K6 ($100), because the burrs in the K6 are a LOT better.

I owned the Encore and the Virtuoso for many years and thought they were fines monsters with light roasts. Replacing them was when I stopped clogging filters on a semi-regular basis. I sometimes recommend them for people doing medium-to-dark. From a build quality standpoint I think they're fantastic and didn't hesitate to give them to friends who like darker coffees.

I got a Delonghi Dedica Maestro Plus on sale on Amazon for $300. It was between this and the Bambino Plus because my wife wanted the auto steamer. My grinder is a Baratza Virtuoso+. I know it's not an espresso grinder but I also make a lot of cold brew at home and could only afford one grinder after my last one gave out, so I got a jack of a trades grinder. Grinder does work for espresso, it does get fine enough, it's just bigger jumps in size compared to a dedicated espresso grinder, so I may not dial it in as perfectly.