Baratza Virtuoso - Conical Burr Coffee Grinder (with Bin)

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.

I bought this as an upgrade from a blade grinder and it has made a huge difference. I have a small morphy richards espresso machine and I'm now able to control the shot times and the coffee flavor is much, much better. I also brew using a french press sometimes so its great to easily change the grind setting from fine to coarse. Reading the other reviews I was a bit hesitant to make this purchase but I'm very happy I did.

Easy to carry and small and gives me chance to play with the grinding size for coffee . Conical bur grinder nice product for beginners

So disappointed. Have barely used the grinder and the inner white part which is supposed to hold the bean container in place spins along with the burr grinder parts so basically it’s not grinding anything at all.The turning part which is supposed to adjust the grind size is defective and overall this grinder less than a month old seems destined for the trash can.

Customers of amazon.in should think twice before buying this product. First, it's grossly overpriced in India. Second, it will take a long time to reach you--weeks if not months. In my case, it was going to take an additional three weeks because the first supplier they tried to source it from in the US was out of stock or something, which it took them three weeks to find out, and then they had to order it from a second supplier.I'm guessing this is a very good product. That's why I wanted it. So don't take the one star in the wrong way. However, I'm going to have to find another way to get one for myself here in India. Another problem is that this was going to be a 110V model, and require a step-up transformer to use in India, and one which can handle 180 watts. I don't know about you, but I don't really want a big transformer sitting in my kitchen just to use with my coffee grinder. It might work better to get their European model, since there the manufacturer apparently sells one built for European voltages.

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.

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.

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.