How to Choose a Coffee Grinder
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If you are deciding between a better espresso machine and a better grinder, buy the grinder. The machine controls pressure and temperature; the grinder controls how evenly water can get through the coffee at all. An uneven grind means part of the bed over-extracts while part of it under-extracts, and no machine can fix that after the fact.
This guide covers the grinders we stock, what actually separates them, and which one fits the way you brew. Every specification below comes from the manufacturer.
The one question that decides everything: espresso or filter?
Espresso needs a fine grind and, more importantly, fine adjustment — the difference between a good shot and a choked one can be a fraction of a step. Filter brewing needs a coarser grind and much less precision. A grinder built for one is often mediocre at the other.
Grinders sold as "all-purpose" usually mean they have enough range to reach both, but the useful resolution sits at one end. Read the adjustment count with that in mind: 40 steps spread across the whole range gives you roughly four or five usable espresso settings, which is not many.
If you brew filter only
The Baratza Encore ($149.95) is the standard starting point — 40mm conical burrs made in Europe, 40 settings adjusted by twisting the hopper, covering a 250 to 1200 micron range.
The Baratza Virtuoso+ ($249.95) is the same idea with tighter grind consistency and a digital timer accurate to a tenth of a second. Its description is explicit that it is for drip, pour-over and immersion, not espresso.
The Fellow Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2 ($399.95) is filter-only by design — "every brew method except espresso" — with 31 grind settings, single-dose loading with automatic stop, and a 100g catch cup. Its burrs were designed by a Certified Q Grader.
At the top of the filter-only range, the Baratza Forte BG ($899.95) is a commercial-grade all-metal brew grinder with weight-based grinding, built for medium to coarse only.
If you brew espresso
The Baratza Encore ESP ($199.95) solves the resolution problem cleanly. Its 40mm hardened alloy steel burrs, manufactured in Liechtenstein, run on a dual-range adjustment system: micro-steps from #1 to #20 for espresso, macro-steps from #21 to #40 for filter. You get twenty usable espresso settings instead of four.
The Encore ESP Pro ($299.95) goes stepless — Baratza's first — with a flow-control disk, a Single Dose Mode that stops automatically, a Timer Mode accurate to 0.1 seconds, and ion-generation anti-static. Its stated range runs from espresso-fine to cold-brew-coarse.
The Baratza Sette 30 ($299.95) takes a different approach: the outer burr rotates while the inner burr stays fixed, and coffee falls straight through vertically rather than being pushed sideways. That means very little retention. It has 31 steps and a stationary device holder.
The Baratza Sette 270 ($399.95) adds 40mm Etzinger steel burrs, 30 macro steps plus a nine-indicator stepless micro adjustment, programmable dosing to 0.01 seconds, three dose presets, and a convertible holder that fits portafilters from 49mm to 58mm.
Encore vs Encore ESP vs Encore ESP Pro
These three share a name and a shape but are aimed at different people.
- Encore ($149.95) — 40 settings across the full range. Built for drip, pour-over and French press. Its own product page steers espresso buyers to the ESP models.
- Encore ESP ($199.95) — same 40 total settings, but split: #1–20 are high-resolution micro-steps for espresso, #21–40 are macro-steps for filter. Includes a 54mm anti-static dosing cup and a 58mm adapter.
- Encore ESP Pro ($299.95) — stepless rather than stepped, with a flow-control disk, single-dose mode with auto-stop, and a timer accurate to 0.1 seconds.
The short version: if you never pull a shot, the Encore is enough. If you pull shots at all, the ESP is the meaningful upgrade — not because it grinds finer, but because it gives you enough adjustment steps to dial in. The Pro is for people who want stepless control and single-dosing.
Do you need grind-by-weight?
Grind-by-weight grinders put a scale inside the grinder and stop when they hit your target dose, rather than running for a set number of seconds. It removes a step from your routine and compensates for beans changing density as they age.
In our lineup: the Sette 270Wi ($599.95) has a built-in Acaia scale and predicts its own stop point, so you never adjust an offset. The Vario W+ ($599.95) grinds to 0.1g accuracy with three presets. The Fiorenzato All Ground Sense ($1,295) uses an integrated load cell to weigh grounds in real time as they land in the portafilter.
Is it worth it? If you weigh your dose anyway — and for espresso you should — it saves you a step every single shot. If you brew one filter cup a day with a scoop, it is a feature you will not use.
Conical or flat burrs?
Conical burrs are a cone inside a ring; flat burrs are two parallel rings. Both can produce excellent coffee, and burr quality matters far more than burr geometry at any given price. As a rough generalisation, conical burrs tend to appear in smaller and less expensive grinders and produce a slightly wider particle distribution, which many people read as more body; flat burrs tend to appear further up the range and are often described as producing more clarity and separation.
Do not choose on geometry alone. A well-made conical grinder will outperform a cheap flat one comfortably.
In our lineup, conical: Encore, Encore ESP, Virtuoso+, Sette 270. Flat: Vario+ (54mm Ditting ceramic), Lelit William (64mm), Fiorenzato AllGround (64mm Dark-T coated), Bentwood Vertical 63 (63mm), Pinecone Foxtail (120mm).
Comparison table
Specifications as stated by the manufacturer. Where a figure is not published, we have left it out rather than estimate.
| Grinder | Price | Burrs | Adjustment | Best for | Dosing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baratza Encore | $149.95 | 40mm conical | 40 steps | Filter | Manual switch |
| Baratza Encore ESP | $199.95 | 40mm steel conical | 40 steps, dual range | Espresso + filter | Pulse button, dosing cup |
| Baratza Virtuoso+ | $249.95 | 40mm conical M2 | 40 steps | Filter | Timer to 0.1s |
| Baratza Sette 30 | $299.95 | AP burr | 31 steps | Espresso | Device holder |
| Baratza Encore ESP Pro | $299.95 | Not published | Stepless | Espresso + filter | Single dose + timer 0.1s |
| Fellow Ode Gen 2 | $399.95 | Gen 2 brew burrs | 31 steps | Filter only | Single dose, auto stop |
| Baratza Sette 270 | $399.95 | 40mm Etzinger steel | 30 macro + 9 micro | Espresso + filter | Timer 0.01s, 3 presets |
| Baratza Vario+ | $529.95 | 54mm Ditting ceramic flat | 220+ steps | Espresso + filter | Timer 0.1s, 3 presets |
| Lelit William | $599.95 | 64mm flat | Stepless, scale 1–10 | Espresso | OLED dose timer |
| Baratza Sette 270Wi | $599.95 | Not published | Not published | Espresso | Built-in Acaia scale |
| Baratza Vario W+ | $599.95 | Steel | Hundreds of steps | Espresso + filter | Scale to 0.1g, 3 presets |
| Baratza Forte AP | $849.95 | 54mm | Macro + micro | All methods | By time and by weight |
| Baratza Forte BG | $899.95 | Not published | Macro + micro | Filter only | By weight |
| Fiorenzato AllGround | $1,025.00 | 64mm flat, Dark-T | Revolving nut, touchscreen | Espresso, Moka, filter | Grounds container |
| Fiorenzato AllGround Sense | $1,295.00 | 64mm flat, Dark-T | Touchscreen | Espresso, Moka, filter | Load cell, grind by weight |
| Bentwood Vertical 63 | $2,695.00 | 63mm vertical steel | Stepless | Espresso + filter | Two saved times |
| Mahlkönig E80 Supreme | $3,249.00 | 80mm steel | Disc Distance Detection | Espresso, high volume | Not published |
| Mahlkönig EK43 | $3,899.00 | Cast steel | Not published | Filter, espresso, Turkish | Not published |
What about hand grinders?
A good hand grinder is a real option, particularly for travel or for single cups. The Flair Royal Grinder ($159.00) uses Swiss-made hardened steel burrs with 72 steps of 0.02mm each and a lift-turn-lock adjustment sleeve — fine enough resolution to dial espresso by hand.
For simpler filter brewing, the Hario Skerton Pro ($56.00) uses conical ceramic burrs, which transfer less heat than steel, and the Hario Mini Slim+ ($38.50) is sized for one or two cups with a reinforced hexagonal adaptor.
When is it worth upgrading?
Three honest signals:
- You cannot hit your target time. If your espresso runs 18 seconds on one setting and 40 on the next, you do not have enough adjustment steps. This is the most common reason to upgrade and the one a better grinder genuinely fixes.
- Your cups are inconsistent day to day with the same beans, dose and technique. That is usually grind consistency or retention.
- You have changed how you brew. Moving from drip to espresso is the classic case — it is a resolution problem, not a quality problem, and it is why the Encore ESP exists alongside the Encore.
If none of those apply, your grinder is probably not what is holding your coffee back. Fresher beans and a scale will do more.
Still unsure? Take our coffee quiz, or get in touch — we are happy to talk through your setup.