Baratza Encore ESP

The Encore ESP is the grinder for someone whose first espresso machine has just arrived, most often a Breville with a 54 mm portafilter, and whose old grinder cannot go fine enough. It is the budget pick on our list of the best espresso grinders under $300 because it is the cheapest grinder in the class that CoffeeGeek, Coffeeness and Coffee Chronicler all dialed in for an unpressurized basket, and because it is the one you are most likely to still be using, repaired if necessary, in ten years.

It is also a filter grinder. Settings 21 to 40 cover pour-over through press pot in larger steps, so a household that pulls a shot on weekdays and brews a pot at the weekend can do both with one machine. Coffeeness adds a caveat: for someone who never makes espresso, it is not much of an upgrade over the original Encore.

The dual-range collar is the idea that makes the grinder. The first 20 clicks are packed into the espresso range; CoffeeGeek puts each click at about 20 microns and the whole range at roughly 400 microns, and Coffee Chronicler arrived at 18.8 microns per step. The next 20 clicks are spaced widely to reach coarse grinds.

The M2 burrs, made in Liechtenstein, are a redesign for finer, more even grinding. CoffeeGeek scored the grinder 83 out of 100, said it produced better shots than the original Encore nearly every time, and rated its cup consistency three and a half out of five against four for the far more expensive Sette 270Wi in blind tastings. The same review called it the clear winner over the Breville Smart Grinder Pro for espresso. Coffee Chronicler found dark roasts ground fine enough out of the box.

The dosing cup handles both common portafilter sizes: Baratza's retailer spec sheets call it a 54 mm cup with a 58 mm adapter ring, and CoffeeGeek describes a 58 mm cup with a silicone sleeve for 54 mm machines. You grind into the cup, invert it onto the basket and tap. It holds about 24 g, more than a double needs, so you weigh beans in rather than fill it.

Then there is Baratza. The cone burr comes out by turning a knurled knob, no tools needed; replacement parts are sold near cost, according to CoffeeGeek; and the one-year warranty covers parts, labor and ground shipping both ways in the US and Canada. CoffeeGeek and Coffee Chronicler both single out this support as a reason to buy, though Coffee Chronicler notes it applies mostly in North America.

The DC motor is geared and electronically slowed to 550 rpm, which keeps heat and static down. CoffeeGeek measured 1.5 g per second at espresso settings, about 13 seconds for an 18 g dose, and 2.3 g per second for pour-over.

There is no timer, mechanical or digital, which CoffeeGeek calls a significant omission. With beans in the hopper you hold the button and guess, so in practice owners single-dose: weigh 18 g, drop it in, grind until it stops. The Encore ESP was not designed for that. CoffeeGeek measured 1 to 3 g staying inside between espresso doses, and Coffee Chronicler about 1.1 g; a bellows pushed out roughly half a gram more in CoffeeGeek's test.

Grounds come out clumpy at espresso settings, and CoffeeGeek considered a WDT tool essential. Light roasts are the hard case: Coffee Chronicler needed the included shims to go fine enough, and the shims brought more retention, more clumping and more heat. If you drink mostly light, fruity espresso, this is the wrong grinder.

The build is plastic. Coffeeness thought that acceptable; Coffee Chronicler called it cheap-feeling and raised the plastic impeller under the cone burr as a long-term wear concern. CoffeeGeek noted the hopper shifts slightly while grinding and that the grinder struggles at the very coarse end for Chemex and press pot.

It is loud. Coffeeness measured 80.5 dB, Coffee Chronicler 92 dB; the gap is down to method, but CoffeeGeek also found it louder than the Smart Grinder Pro.

The DF54 is the upgrade if grind quality is the priority: flat burrs, stepless adjustment and a fraction of the retention. Coffee Chronicler's blind pour-over tasting went to the DF54 as the cups cooled, and the same review recommends the Encore ESP mainly to US buyers with standard roasts who value Baratza's support.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is the alternative for a Breville machine owner who wants a hopper, a timer and cradles that hold the portafilter. Coffeeness preferred its portafilter-friendly design; CoffeeGeek preferred the Encore ESP's espresso and noted the Breville is quieter and better at press-pot grinds.

The Baratza Sette 30 grinds faster with almost no retention but has 30 steps across the whole range, where the Encore ESP has 20 inside the espresso range alone.

For a 54 mm Breville, a medium or dark roast and a household that also brews filter, the Encore ESP is the sensible entry point, and the one you can keep repairing. Weigh your beans, buy a WDT tool, and accept the noise. If you drink light roasts or dislike clumps, spend more on the DF54.