Buying a coffee grinder such as the Baratza Encore is always worthwhile if a good coffee taste is important to you. Coffee simply tastes many times better with freshly ground coffee beans. In case you didn’t know: Freshly ground coffee loses around 60% of its aromas after just 15 minutes! A solid coffee grinder in combination with specialty coffee is, therefore, an important building block for the preparation of delicious coffee in your own four walls.
Find out in our Baratza Encore test what experiences we have had with the coffee grinder. This is what awaits you here:
Table of Contents
Who is the Baratza Encore suitable for?
Do you drink filter coffee every day, value good quality in the cup, love the inimitable smell of freshly ground coffee, and don’t want to spend a fortune? Then you should take a closer look at the entry-level model from Baratza.
In our opinion, the Baratza Encore is one of the top recommendations if you are looking for an electric coffee grinder for less than 200 dollars. It has compact dimensions, it is easy to use and easy to clean. Besides, it delivers really good results for almost all filter methods. In our opinion, the Baratza Encore is only partially suitable for preparing espresso.
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Benefits of the Baratza Encore
- 40 mm conical grinder made of sturdy stainless steel
- Relatively homogeneous grinding result
- 40 grind settings
- Suitable for many preparation methods
- Easy handling
- Cheap price
- Automatic switch-off
- Long power cord
- Space-saving, stable and compact
Disadvantages of the Baratza Encore
- Quite loud (approx. 90 dB)
- Not or only partially suitable for espresso
- Plastic case
- Relatively weak engine with only 450 rpm
- Grinding performance of only 0.8 g / sec – 2.4 g / sec (depending on the degree of grinding)
- The grinder “splatters” (scatters) relatively strongly during the grinding process
The Baratza Encore’s grinder
The Baratza Encore has a 40 mm conical grinder made of sturdy stainless steel. The coffee beans are gently ground between the inner cone and the outer wall. The inner cone is driven by a motor, while the outer grinding ring stops. The degree of grinding is set via the distance between the cone and the wall. As is well known, conical grinders are not the quietest. We measured 90 dB on the Baratza Encore.
Operation of the Baratza Encore
The operation of the Baratza Encore is very easy: There is an on / off switch on the right side of the grinder. It doesn’t matter in which direction it is moved. No matter whether clockwise or counterclockwise – you can turn the grinder on and off by turning the switch in both directions.
On the front of the Baratza Encore, there is a small pulse button below the “Encore lettering”. The grinding process starts by pressing the button. When you release the button, the grinding process will stop. This construction is intended for direct grinding into the portafilter. To do this, you have to remove the ground coffee container and hold the portafilter directly under the pulse button and press the pulse button to grind. (Grind-on-demand principle).
Automatic switch-off
The Baratza Encore has an automatic switch-off function in case a foreign body has mixed itself into the coffee beans like a stone. The grinding process is interrupted immediately so that no damage occurs. Another plus for the Baratza Encore!
Which grind for which preparation method?
With its 40 levels, the Baratza Encore offers a wide range of different grinds. The grinding degree can be adjusted in stages by simply turning the bean funnel. By turning the funnel to the right (counterclockwise) the coffee grinder produces coarse particles and to the left (clockwise) it produces finer particles.
You can use the settings for the individual preparation methods listed below as rough guidelines. Please note the following: The actual grinding result depends on various factors such as the degree of roasting (light or dark), oil content, freshness, moisture, and type of coffee beans.
| Brewing method | Grind recommendation |
| espresso | 0 – 6 (but rather unsuitable) |
| Aero Press | 12-14 |
| Hario V60 | 14-16 |
| Chemex | 16-20 |
| French Press | 20 – 24 |
| Cold brew | 24 – 28 |
| Karlovy Vary jug | 26-28 |
Baratza Encore also suitable for espresso?
The Baratza Encore is rather unsuitable for grinding beans for the preparation of espresso. You can produce fine grist – but our experience in the tests with the Baratza Encore is that the grist is not fine enough and is not ground sufficiently homogeneously to extract a really good espresso because a homogeneous particle size is particularly important for espresso.
We have listed a top espresso grinder for you here.
Take Care of the Baratza Encore
The Baratza Encore is easy to clean. Here you will find a short step by step guide on how to proceed with cleaning:
- Remove the bean container and wipe it with a damp cloth
- Remove the silicone seal from the grinder
- Vacuum old coffee beans and leftover coffee grounds with a vacuum cleaner
- Remove the grinding disc ring by lifting it out by the red and white tabs on the top
- Clean the upper and lower grinding cone with a brush and, if necessary, remove any rancid coffee grounds and oils with a cloth
- Reassemble the grinder and insert the bean container
- Pour 30 – 40 g of Urnex Grindz coffee grinder cleaner into the grinder and grind at a medium grind
- Grind 60 – 80 g of cheap beans from the discounter to remove all residues of the cleaner from the Baratza Encore
Technical specifications
We have listed the technical data of the mill below. Here you can find a PDF instruction manual for the Baratza Encore.
| Suitable for espresso | No |
| Suitable for filter coffee | Yes |
| Grinder | Conical grinder |
| Grinder material | stainless steel |
| Grinder Ø | 40 mm |
| Grinding capacity | approx. 0.8 – 2.4 g / sec (depending on the degree of grinding) |
| rotation speed | 450 rpm |
| Number of grind levels | 40 |
| Infinitely adjustable | No |
| Display | No |
| Grind on time | No |
| Grind on Weight | No |
| Programmable | No |
| Insert for portafilter | limited |
| Size of the bean container | approx. 220 g |
| Housing material | plastic |
| Engine power | 110 W |
| Weight | 3.1 kg |
| Dimensions (W | H | D) | 12 | 35 | 16 cm |
| Power connection | 230 V |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Manufacturer designation | Baratza Encore coffee grinder |
Baratza Encore test: our conclusion
The Baratza Encore is a great entry-level grinder for filter coffee lovers. The price-performance ratio is outstanding! After our detailed Baratza Encore test, we can generally recommend buying this coffee grinder. The grinder is not the fastest or the quietest grinder in the market – but for a price of less than 165 $ you get a solid coffee grinder that grinds relatively homogeneously, looks robust, and with over 40 grind settings offers a lot of possibilities to try different coffee brewing methods.
We only have one point of criticism: The small coffee particles that are created during grinding are distributed around the grinder when the coffee grounds container is pulled out. So you can’t avoid regular cleaning of the work surface. But that is not that bad and negligible.
