Baratza Virtuoso - Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

Ok, I was skeptical. I've been using a blade grinder for years, and during that time I've scoured the internet for articles relating to blade vs burr grinding, and let me tell you, there are as many different opinions on the subject as their are coffee drinkers : )Well, after countless hours, days, weeks, and yes, months of reading reviews and articles, I finally decided it was time to try a burr grinder, and the one I decided to try was the Baratza Virtuoso.What swayed me was to this machine was the Baratza USA website. Of course we all want our grinders to give us a lifetime of no hassle grinding, but with a machine like this, after a while, things are bound to need attention. With many grinders you'd probably have no choice but to toss them out and get a new one, but If you go to the Baratza USA website, to the support section, you'll see they have an entire list of .pdf files and videos detailing every possible in-home adjustment and repair that can be done to this machine.During the process of showing how to take the machine completely apart and repair everything from a knob coming off to replacing the motor, you begin to gain an appreciation for how thoughtfully this machine was designed.Are you an espresso person and want a bit more control on the finer grinds? No problem, they show you how to go in and make a simple adjustment that will shift the grind range more toward the fine end.Are you a French press person and want more control over your coarse grinds? They show you how to adjust it that direction too.Do you like dark, oily beans....... then you will probably get better performance by slowing the rotation of the center burr a bit (from the factor set 550 rpm, down to 450 rpm), and they show you how to adjust a potentiometer inside the machine to do that.And, if at some point you experience a problem, they show you how test it to find out what the problems is, then show you the part you need to order, and then show you how to install it yourself, saving you from having to ship your machine back to them.Plus, all the parts are readily available at reasonable prices.Of course that's all after the fact, I mean, what you're really interested in is how well it grinds. Well it grinds beautifully, with very even particle distribution, and after testing, I found that I typically only lose about one tenth of a gram during each grinding, not bad.Plus, it's super easy to clean. Just pop off the bean hopper and the ring burr lifts right out, leaving plenty of room to get a brush down inside the grinding chamber. 5-10 minutes once every month or so and you've got a like-new clean machine.But let's get serious. Bottom line. Can I taste a difference between this and my blade grinder? Absolutely! For one thing, while I occasionally got a good cup of coffee with my blade grinder, after dialing in this burr grinder to the right setting for my pour over method of brewing, I'm getting a consistently excellent cup of coffee. It's all about getting consistently good, repeatable results, and that what this grinder gives me.Now, why the Virtuoso over the Encore. I think the Encore would probably suit many people, but the Virtuoso has a better set of burrs, giving a more even grind, especially towards the coarse end. It also has a 1.5 amp 180 watt motor rather than the Encore's 1 amp 120 watt motor. And it has more metal in the chassis than the Encore, giving a more solid feel. Is that enough to justify a $100 difference in price? That's something each person will have to decide. It was enough for me, and I've been more than happy with my choice.After getting the Baratza, I ended adding a kitchen scale to precisely measure the amount of coffee and water I use, and now I'm finally getting that excellent cup of coffee every single time. Happy brewing!UPDATE 1-5-15 Ok, I finally found a minor issue that needs addressing. On the bean hopper there is a small 1/2" vertical piece of plastic that is supposed to mark the number of the grind setting (between 1 and 40). The problem is that the piece of plastic is the same color as the rest of bean hopper, so for my aging eyes it's extremely difficult to see the grind setting.SOLUTION: I remembered I had some leftover white adhesive backed address labels, so I took one and cut a small sliver off the end, and it's width was a PERFECT fit for the length of that little plastic marker piece on the bean hopper. Then I cut a small piece of clear tape and put it over the top to help keep it clean, and BINGO, I can now easily see where my grind setting is set. Yippeee.The grinder itself continues to be a joy to use.

I've used it for two months so far, to grind 28-32 g of beans every day. No issues at all. I don't use the timer switch, so don't care how how durable it may or may not be. I tried it exactly once, and it worked. It takes 20 seconds or so to grind 30 g at the 22 setting, so I just hold the push button. I've been using that for french press and pour over. The George Howell beans grind faster than the darker BRCC beans, which are oilier, but not as oily as french. The GH beans are bone dry.I should probably clean it about now, so I guess once every 4-6 weeks will do it at the rate I use it. A word about static electricity causing chaff to fly through the air: it doesn't for me. BRCC beans don't have much chaff, but the GH beans have a ton of it. Read the makers FAQs. The plastic is made of a material that bleeds the electric charge away. My routine is to grind first thing, and then rap the bin with my knuckles 8-9 times or so; most of the chaff falls off the inside sides of the bin onto the coffee grinds. I leave the bin in while I get the press ready or hot the cup and wait for the electric kettle to boil. That takes a few minutes. I believe the plastic bin bleeds the charge, if any, away during that time. Maybe not, I'm just guessing. By the time the equipment is ready for the grinds, when I pull out the plastic bin the chaff doesn't fly anywhere. There is some inside the unit under where the bin was, and when I replace the bin that forces the air out and that chaff gets blown out. I could brush out the chaff before replacing the bin, but it's easier to just sweep the counter with my hand afterwards. Even with the GH beans, there's not all that much chaff. But none of it flies from static electricity. I just don't have any such problem. We do live in the northeast and have a humidifier, so the house is always at a good comfortable humidity level. For comparison, we might get tiny shocks from wall switch plates during winter, but not the big zappers you can get in some environments. So YMMV on static depending on your location and air quality.The grind quality and uniformity looks good to me for the press and pour over use. This model isn't designed primarily for espresso, but you could probably use it for that. Espresso snobs would likely not be impressed. Presumably you might not get the crema as you would from a unit designed for espresso. I haven't tried that. Read the specs; the minimum grind particle size for this unit is larger than it is for the units designed for espresso. It's not intended to make espresso. It's made for pour over and press, and it works fine for me.I recommend reading the maker's FAQs and watching the utubes. It doesn't take all that long to get through them. Many of the complaints I've read are addressed by those info sources, and are due to operator error, not the product. I've only had it for a few months, but no issues so far. IMO it works just fine for the intended use. More expensive brands are unnecessary, and less expensive brands probably not good enough. I think this model hits the sweet spot and has all the function needed for daily home use without the over-board features or expense due only to marketing cost drivers. The outer housing is sturdy enough to sit on a home counter, and probably a mom and pop cafe too for that matter. It's metal is heavy enough to not wiggle around during use.I keep it near the sink which makes it easy to hand sweep what little chaff there is. I've never had any reason to turn it upside down or shake it; just not necessary. So far so good; hopefully it keeps running for years. Only time will tell. I suppose I'll post again if anything bad happens. Unless I'm too lazy. But if it doesn't hold up for at least a few years I'll probably be ticked enough to say so.

UnboxingI've only had this a couple days, but have gotten the chance to test it a few times. The product looks gorgeous in person and is easy to put together for use (only somewhat tedious part being the rubber component to put around the burr itself). The Virtuoso does come with a brush to clean the metal burr, as you do not want to get it wet to prevent rust.Operation:As my title alludes, it's a simple to run unit without what I think are unnecessary extras. You simply turn the bean container to the desired grind setting and flip the switch on the side to a timer length and let it go. The only downside to the timer is it will take some getting use to to know how long to set it for. I usually make 10 cups of coffee, so so far I've found it's almost perfect for setting it to setting two for how much ground coffee I like to use per pot. Other than that it has a pulser button on the front if you want a little more control with how much you really want.Noise level:I heard a review on YouTube stating that it was loud. While it certainly isn't quiet, its noise level is nothing compared to the loud, shrill screech from the old electrical grinder I had previous. It has a deeper, rich tone to it that I oddly found not the least bit annoying, though that of course is all in the ear of the listener.The Grind:There is a huge range this thing comes with: 1-40 (Extra fine-course). Remember finer for espresso and auto drip, courser for french press and manual pour. The grind was quick and very precise and uniform. The only time it lost some uniformity was when I tested out the max course grind, but I can't see ever using it that course myself, to be honest. Keep in mind with the Virtuoso, you can do espresso, but this one is designed more for an excellent cup of coffee, so Baratza does have other models that will sacrifice a little in the overall coffee grind for a better espresso grind.Result in the coffee maker:Absolutely smooth, great tasting coffee. The look, color, and consistency of the coffee from the maker to the pot were completely different, and all for the best. Now I'm encouraged to look for an upgraded coffee maker to hang with this Virtuoso burr and maximize what it can do.

Decir que es mucho más bonito en presencia, no muy ruidoso y que no siendo experto creo que muele muy consistenteMe decidí por él basado en las opiniones de Amazon que no son pocas sobre todo por las extranjerasaparte de los videos por internetDe momento no tengo nada en contraLa uso para italiana y saca un café ricoEn cuanto al servicio de Amazon, como siempre, sobresaliente.

The world is full of glowing reviews for the Baratza Virtuoso and I am adding one more to the list. At this price this is such a pro level grinder. The delivery experience was abs super from Muhavra Enterprises (you know them Blue Tokai people). It came with a small issue in the silicone sleeve and the seller replaced it in record time. If you love coffee and brew it at home, this simple purchase will elevate your coffee experience to pro-level. If you are in the market for a coffee grinder, this is easily the best option.

Macinacaffè molto valido e preciso!La regolazione è molto semplice e permette una macinazione che va da 1 a 40. Adatto a macinare caffè per le macchine espresso, per moka o per il French press. Lo consigliano anche per macinare spezie, facendo un ciclo di pulizia prima in modo da non contaminare i sapori e odori. (In questo caso si consiglia di metterre una manciata di riso e fare un ciclo di macinatura). Consiglio l’acquisto anche se il prezzo è superiore ad altri prodotti simili.

La marca Baratza genera confianza y los molinos lo confirman. Las rebabas cónicas son de gran calidad, este modelo tiene las mismas que el Baratza Preciso pero no cuenta con la rueda de micro ajustes.En general es muy bueno pero la molienda en verdad es consistente cuando se muele del numero 1 al numero 20. En los números de ajuste del 20 al 40 hay trozos grandes, medianos y una poca cantidad de finos. Esto se traduce a que es regular/bueno para prensa francesa y excelente para cafeteras de goteo, métodos de pour over, Aeropress y muele tan fino como para "usarse" con maquina de espresso.Muy recomendable.