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How is Baratza Encore ESP as grinding machine for espresso? (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hello again, After getting Gaggia Classic Pro Evo in August 2023, I have been using pre ground coffee from my local coffee shop.

I am planning to get Baratza Encore ESP to pair with my GCP since the grinder is currently on sale for like 10% off on Retail price.

Wanted to know if Encore ESP would be a good choice?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I know the other guy on this thread said that the ESP sucks because it's not stepless.

I have one, and it grinds pretty fine coffee. Yes, I can't do micro-adjustments, but then again, I wonder if I would make the most out of it.

Aside from having no timer/dosing function, I really have no complaints, and my coffee just got way way better.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Typically you can compensate for the lack of micro adjustments by varying the dose. E.g. of the next finer step is a bit too fine, drop 0.5-1g from the dose to balance the flow rate. Of course you need a scale for that but I assume you'd want to have a scale anyway, even if it's a more general cooking scale. Am I wrong?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Thanks for the insight. It's a lot of money for me, so wanted to get few opinions from people who use it.

Thanks for sharing your experience. :)

Hopefully will get it and post an update here!

Cheers mate!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

For the money, the Encore ESP and the Fellow Opus are the only two good choices in the under $200 range for electric machines capable of grinding espresso level well. The video reviews seem to show it does a decent job for grinding espresso.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

The difference between pre-ground and grinding at home where you can adjust the grind should be significant. Haven't used Encore ESP but it should be fine. It seems like the default choice performs well while not breaking the bank. I'm using a Sette 30 but I bought that second hand.

[+] [email protected] -6 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I've never used the ESP, but it has stepped adjustment which is not ideal for espresso. You only get 20ish grind sizes to pick from, and you'll probably end up using 2 or 3 of the available grinds. You'll be wishing for "in-between" settings because espresso is very finicky.

The original Encore had pretty inconsistent grind, with lots of big chunks, lots of fines, and plenty in between. This isn't ideal for drip coffee, but it's fine. For espresso, if the grind quality is similar, it'll give you a lot of frustration.

A good espresso grinder is expensive. Home espresso is expensive.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Please stop mentioning the original encore when people ask about the new one, it makes zero sense.

They are completely different grinders, with vastly distinct performance. Both still have stepped adjustments, but they perform very differently.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Sorry, I didn't know they were that different.

My main point, though, is that it's stepped, which a good espresso grinder shouldn't be. There are other, more expensive, stepped espresso grinders which I also don't recommend.

Something like a Eureka Mignon Silenzio has stepless adjustment and flat burrs. Yes it's more expensive, but I always recommend buy-once-cry-once with espresso stuff. Trying to make espresso on a budget can be frustrating. Espresso should be fun!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Espresso should be fun!

Gatekeeping Espresso into more expensive Grinders is kinda the opposite though?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Nah, just making sure people don't get frustrated and quit.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I get where you're coming from, but getting a grinder that makes making espresso frustrating might prevent someone from ever enjoying it. I'd be more likely to recommend a similarly priced hand grinder that can be retired to travel or pour over duty once funds are available for a nice electric espresso grinder

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

I have the original Encore, and I ended up installing the M2 burr upgrade for this reason. The stock burr was actually bad enough to cause problems for filter coffee too.