BARATZA
Baratza™ was started in 1999 by Kyle Anderson and Kyra Kennedy. Anderson, Baratza™ President, is the well-known inventor of the first commercial super-automatic latte/espresso machine and founder of Acorto. Anderson was awarded a number of US and foreign patents for the innovations incorporated in the Acorto machines. Kyra Kennedy was Acorto’s Sales and Marketing Director.
After many years in the commercial coffee business, Kyle and Kyra wanted to use their knowledge of and passion for coffee to make superior quality coffee equipment available to the home. Because freshly ground coffee is an essential element of a great cup, Baratza is dedicated to designing, manufacturing, and selling world-class burr grinders to help create exquisite coffee and espresso.
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MAKING A GOOD PRODUCT BETTER! (on Baratza Vario-W Weig...)
Son Ton | Sun, 06/10/2012The normal Baratza Vario was a fine product with this is an even better one. Without the Clunky Esato add-on, this is integrated into the Vario and enable it to grind exact amount as programed.
VERY INOVATIVE PRODUCT! (on Baratza Esatto Grind...)
Son Ton | Sun, 06/10/2012This will allow you to dose coffee with pinpoint accuracy if you are not into single dosing already. A very inovative product from Baratza.
A GREAT GRINDER FOR DRIP! (on Baratza Virtuoso 586...)
Son Ton | Sun, 05/27/2012This is a really good grinder for drip coffee. Grinds consistently and very reliable. For espresso, please take a look at the Baratza Preciso which has more adjustment settings. The cusomer service by Baratza is top notch by the way!
EXCELLENT PRODUCT! (on Baratza Preciso Coff...)
Son Ton | Sat, 05/26/2012This grinder from Baratza is excellent. The consistency is really good and can do really well grinding for espresso. It is also good for other brewing methods such as drip. The number of possible adjustment is huge and means that you will find the sweet spot for your brewing method. Highly recommend!
PRECISELY GROUND COFFEE EVERY TIME! (on Baratza Preciso Coff...)
m.prowler | Sat, 05/12/2012With the Preciso grinder you have full control over the level of your grind. There are two different levels of adjustment, "micro" and "macro", so you can fine tune it to your personal preference (and brew method). I use it to grind beans for both an espresso machine and a french press, and it does a great job every time. When my model arrived the bean hopper had a piece at the bottom broken off, which made it not secure into the grinder completely. Luckily this didn't keep the unit from working great, and ROASTe customer service quickly got a new hopper sent to me directly from Baratza. AWESOME!! Definitely impressed by both ROASTe and Baratza, I will be coming back again and again!
THIS IS BETTER THAN THE (on Baratza Maestro Plus...)
broseph | Tue, 04/10/2012this is better than the original virtuoso for drip. when the comparison is encore vs. new virtuoso, new virtuoso is better most likely. reviews await.
SOLID GRINDER GETS BETTER (on Baratza Virtuoso 586...)
ryanls | Fri, 03/09/2012The Baratza grinders can't necessarily stand up to the build quality and performance of commercial grinders, but they are much more budget and countertop friendly. The Virtuoso is probably the best value Baratza grinder on the market today, coming in cheaper than the Preciso and Vario but more solid than the Maestro. I used a Virtuoso for about 3 years and was able to make some excellent brewed coffee using the Clever Coffee Dripper. It grinds adequately for espresso, although the adjustability is not fine enough to really dial in the perfect shot. Compared to a commercial Mahlkonig or Ditting, the coarse grind was not as clean on the Virtuoso -- fine particles sometimes affected brewing time and flavor. However, the "586" model includes the new Preciso burr set that by most reports grinds very consistently. As an added bonus, the new burrs chew through beans more quickly, so you get a faster grinder using the same motor. With the new burr set, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this grinder to those shopping in the $200 - $250 range for a grinder that will be used for mostly non-espresso brew methods.
LOVE THIS GRINDER (on Baratza Vario Coffee...)
terranovant | Fri, 03/09/2012This is my first real grinder. I did tons of research before purchasing. I love it for the small footprint and programmable settings. I use multiple brewing techniques which the Vario is well suited to. It easily goes from espresso grind to french press in a matter of seconds. I also considered going for a used Super Jolly or Mazzer Mini, but in the end the many features of the Vario and all the positive reviews sealed the deal.
PRECISE GRINDER WITH MINIMAL WASTED... (on Baratza Vario Coffee...)
jmorleyk | Fri, 03/09/2012I've owned this grinder for about a year. I've been using it instead of my Macap M4 Stepless. The Vario with it's ceramic burrs does a terrific job grinding for espresso. The controls are precise and easily adjust to make a pour over, Chemex, etc. Then right back to espresso. It's also considerably quieter than my Macap. The one downside I'd say is that compared to a Macap or Mazzer it's not nearly as robust. I expect it will wear out sooner than a more traditional italian grinder. The burrs should in theory last longer than steel, but I expect all the plastic linkages that control the movement of the burset to over time loosen up and wear out.
WEIGHT BASED GRINDING (on Baratza Esatto Grind...)
samuellaw178 | Thu, 03/08/2012This accessories will go well with Maestro, Virtuoso and Preciso. It will do very nicely for the coffee brewing and you can leave all your coffee in the hopper. No need to weigh your bean every single time. Very neat!
WEIGHT BASED DOSING IS (on Baratza Esatto Grind...)
avaserfi | Thu, 03/08/2012Weight based dosing is awesome. The Esatto gives this ability to some Baratza grinders. Maybe weight based dosing isn't for everyone, but I find it very convenient.
A GREAT IDEA (on Baratza Esatto Grind...)
Wakeknot | Sun, 02/26/2012this is a neat idea that works well. a scale is an essential piece of espresso gear. I'd love to find a way to use it without the basket though (straight into a portafilter) as then it would be indispensable.
GREAT (on Baratza Vario-W Weig...)
avaserfi | Tue, 02/07/2012I just received one of these. After pulling a few shots, a calibration and dialing it in the Vario-W is a pleasure to use and very accurate. It has streamlined my process greatly.
GOOD BREWED COFFEE GRINDER (on Baratza Maestro Plus...)
Steve Rhinehart | Thu, 02/02/2012The Maestro does a fairly good job across the brewed coffee range of grinds, from a fine drip to a coarse perk or french press. Espresso grinds are lacking, in part due to the steps in the adjustment range, but also due to consistency of grind - I was having difficulty dialing in an espresso grind even when manually holding the adjustment between steps. I would recommend this grinder as a good starting grinder for brewed coffee at home, as the grind quality, usability, and price are all quite satisfactory, not to mention Baratza's great reputation for customer support. My minor qualms are in the adjustment mechanism, materials, and fit and finish. The adjustment feels flimsy to me, which may not be the case, but I became overly gentle while adjusting my grind, so as not to break any plastic. In the same vein, the use of plastic is prevalent, likely aiding the lower price. Still, the burr carriers are what appear to be nylon, including the sweeping vanes, which I feel will surely break off with time, leaving me lacking confidence in the longevity of internal parts. A plastic body is one thing, but the moving parts being plastic seems to spell eventual disaster. Finally, the fit and finish, while my most minor complaint, are quite in contrast with my other Baratza grinder, the Vario. Small things, such as the cutaway finger used to tension the grinds bin into place, bother me, as that particular item is right below the grinds chute. I've already knocked grinds into that opening, which is nearly impossible to clean out without opening the case. Another source of woe is the tiny cord storage compartment. I purposely located my coffee equipment right next to a power outlet, so I only need about a foot of power cord, and yet I can only store about eight inches or so of it at the grinder. A zip tie will help tidy that problem, but again, the Vario affords cord storage, and I'd wonder why it was left out from the Maestro. Apart from those minor misgivings, the Maestro is quite a capable grinder, and I hope it serves me well for years. In the interest of keeping function before form, the quality in place here merits a 4/5.
BEST GRINDER UNDER $300 (on Baratza Preciso Coff...)
samuellaw178 | Tue, 01/31/2012In my opinion, this is a very good grinder for espresso,best to go with machines a few hundred to thousands. It's really good! It outdoes many grinders at prices many times of a Preciso. The grind quality, retention, space requirement, etc etc, are very excellent and perfect for home use. If you're looking at $300 range for a grinder, go for this. I personally would choose this over a Vario because it covers all grind size easily and have very good grind quality, comes very close to Mazzer major and Pharos. Here's my more indepth review: http://www.roaste.com/CoffeeBlogs/samuellaw178/My-Baratza-Preciso-Review-Impression I took two cups off because my grinder had a problem after just 2 weeks. But Baratza CS is taking care of me. Expect it to take a while and grinderless(for espresso) if you don't have back up because it takes at least 1 week to ship from west coast to east coast using their UPS service. I would easily gives it six cup when it's working perfectly though. The one I had now could be just a lemon
A GOOD GRINDER (on Baratza Maestro Plus...)
avaserfi | Fri, 01/27/2012I'm borrowing one of these from a friend right now. For the money, this is a great coffee grinder for preperations like drip, pour over, Aeropress etc. For the money, I think this is a great entry level grinder.
A NICE GRINDER (on Baratza Preciso Coff...)
Wakeknot | Wed, 01/18/2012If you are shopping for grinders under $300 and you want to make some espresso this should be at the top of your list (I don't even know of another grinder to put on that list).
AN EXCELLENT STEP UP (on Baratza Maestro Plus...)
intrepid510 | Thu, 01/12/2012This grinder is an excellent choice for those wanting to stop using their blade grinder. You should see a noticeable difference in your coffee, less bitter coffee! Like others said the timer does fall off sometimes, but it goes back on easily. Also the reason to get the plus model over the other version of the grinder that is on other sites is because the added weight of the grinder makes it much quieter compared to the other version which will vibrate more, in addition the weight leads to a slightly improved grind. This grinder however is not going to cut it for espresso just because it has some large step, and you need to be able to make small adjustments, but it will work for a pressurized portafilter if you have one of those!
INNOVATIVE (on Baratza Vario-W Weig...)
jbviau | Sun, 01/01/2012A more elegant weight-based grinding solution than the Esatto, but single-dosers beware: both options push you toward using the hopper. If you can't imagine doing so, think twice before adding this to your cart.
STEAL (on Baratza Vario-W Weig...)
samuellaw178 | Fri, 12/30/2011Considering Vario is $449 and the Esatto is somwhere near $150, this Vario W is a steal! It works like a champ with the weight-based system. The original Vario is the best grinder for its class, and this W system brings it to a whole new level in the grinder world.