Encore ESP Coffee Grinder ZCG495BLK, Black

First, know this is a basic model espresso and coffee grinder that doesn't have any unnecessary features. It grinds beans well and is easy to adjust in a wide range of very fine to very coarse. It's made so that all the parts can be replaced to support years of use. But you'll need a good coffee scale and some patience to dial in good espresso. It's stylish enough to not look bad on the counter, but nothing fancy. The retention isn't too bad. There's a fair amount of spraying of grounds around the side from static, but you can easily mitigate this with a couple drops of water to reduce static. The hopper works fine for single dose espresso, though you may want to buy the single-dose specific attachment. It's loud but not horribly so. After a few weeks of use, I'm very pleased with the grinder.

I didn't realize how bad my Cuisinart Automatic Burr grinder was until using this for the first time. The second I picked this up I could tell it was built like a brick compared to the Cuisinart. The only part that really feels cheap is the plastic coffee holder that sits above the machine. The grinding of the coffee is what really sets it apart. The Baratza ESP is not only much quieter than the Cuisinart but it's much more controlled when grinding. The Cuisinart starts up and sounds like a high pitched airplane, sending grounds flying into the ground housing while the Baratza sounds like I actually can hear the coffee being ground. It also gently drops the coffee in a controlled manor which is great as I can hold my espresso portafilter directly under the spout and manually hold the on button for several seconds to fill it. After coming from the automatic grinder I thought the manual only option would end up being my biggest annoyance but I actually enjoy watching the coffee being ground into the canister. Just flip the lever and it grinds fast enough to where you really don't want to go anywhere while it's on. The grind quality is also on point. The issue with the Cuisinart was that the motor would get to such high RPMs that it killed the grind quality. Some of the coffee would come out ground to the desired size while some of it would be ground to fine dust which would collect near the top lid. I have ground coffee for both French press and espresso and the grind quality of the Baratza appears to be extremely consistent. No more extremely fine grounds when set to a coarse setting :) Overall, the Baratza ESP is an amazing grinder setting the bar much higher than my previous grinder. My last grinder ran about everyday for 6 years before failing so I'm hoping for at least 10 with this.

Did a lot of research, and this rates highly with everyone. It grinds beans very well for any kind of coffee. Negatives that really aren't: I was worried that I would hate that it doesn't stop on its own, or that it clumps. Both are true, but neither bothers me. It grinds a little slowly, but that gives you time to do other things. The clumping is real, but not that big of deal. (Must use WDT) It does retain some coffee. I ordered a silicone bellows with the grinder. (It works, but you have to use it while the grinder is running). It’s also a little loud, but that ensures you won’t forget to turn it off. Positives: It's well built and substantial. You can just tell it's quality, and is likely to work for a long time. Reviews say good customer service and easy to get parts. 2) It's very quick and easy to adjust, and works well for espresso and regular drip. (Only adjust with no beans in it, or when it's running). This is my first real espresso grinder, and I LOVE it. Bottom Line: If you want to spend a lot, you can get a quieter grinder, or one that shuts off at various points, or has no retention, or all of that perhaps. But you will likely spend a LOT more, and probably won’t have distinguishably-better espresso/coffee. If you want a workhorse that grinds beautifully for every occasion, for a great price, look no further.

A well built burr grinder with a wide range of settings from espresso (and finer) to french press and cold brew. The chute will occasionally spill some grounds when grinding oilier beans, but retention is minimal and it's very easy to clean from the top and bottom ends. Some small caveats: the first time I removed the hopper, the top seal came with it, and then came off on my counter... which led to a big mess when grinding when I re-inserted the hopper. Once that was replaced, all was good! Also, lining up the hopper to re-insert after removal is a bit finicky but nothing you can't get used to. Finally, I'm using an add-on "single-dose" hopper for ~ everything now since it's large enough for both truly single-dose (1 shot) use and making a 1L French Press, so the big hopper the grinder came with is mostly a counter decoration. The ground coffee is still a bit staticy, but that is a minor point as it generally ends up where it needs to (with the caveat of oily beans above). Overall I'd give this a solid 4.5/5.

After doing lots of research, I decided to go with this grinder along with the Breville Bambino Plus for my coffee setup. The two have worked phenomenally. They make great coffee together. I typically leave the grind size around a 15 and do minor adjustments from there to dial in a shot. I've been using them almost every day for the last year with no issues. It's a little loud, but who cares! It's a coffee grinder.

I've been waiting decades for a small, inexpensive electric coffee grinder that works for espresso. (If you're willing and able to grind manually, there are many options.) At $200 with a lot of plastic parts, this didn't quite qualify for me. The hopper in particular is a very thin plastic and probably won't withstand too many years of hard use. But at $130 during the Black Friday sale, it did qualify. I'm sure there will be more sales and discounts in the future, especially once Baratza updates this model. Yes, it makes a bit of noise, mess and clumping, but not too much, and the results are very good. Unless you have a lot more money and counter space for a grinder, this is an excellent choice Edit: After less than three months and only about 20 cups of espresso, I had the first broken plastic part: the burr holder, a collar that fits around the ring-like upper burr and holds it in place. It disintegrated, a chunk of plastic broke off, and presumably was ground up with my coffee. Yuck. Baratza did provide excellent customer service and immediately agreed to send me a new one, without even asking when or where I bought my unit. But as they explained in a follow-up e-mail after our telephone conversation, this burr holder is "designed to be the weakest point in the grinder" and is "prone to breakage". Too prone, as it turns out. Other reviewers here have experienced the same problem. I only paid $130 for this grinder, and if I got two or three years of use out of it with no breakdowns I would have been satisfied. But this is unsatisfactory and will have to be replaced as I do not wish to drink coffee brewed with ground-up plastic.

I did a LOT of research before purchasing the Encore ESP grinder. I guess I am now officially down the coffee rabbit hole. So why did I end up with the Encore ESP? 1) Baratza reputation which is excellent throughout the coffee lover's community 2) Customer service. I couldn't find a negative comment regarding Baratza customer service. (See video for more info regarding my customer service experience) 3) Capabilities. Able to grind all the way from espresso to cold brew 4) Price. For someone just beginning to expand their coffee experience beyond buying pre- ground coffee I didn't want to spend too much up front. However, I wanted something durable and capable of grinding a wide range of quality ground sizes. 5) Longevity. I wanted the grinder to last! Everything I read about Baratza grinders was they last and last. And if they break, Baratza actually WANTS to help get the grinder fixed! Pro's: 1) Easy to use 2) Easy to clean. No tools needed. Easy to remove ring burr and clean inside. 3) Compact but easily capable of grinding anywhere from a single dose of grounds to a 12 cup coffee maker's load of grounds. 4) Wide range of grind sizes. And, based on reviews by people who know a lot more than I do about coffee grinding, grind sizes are very consistent. 5) Fresh ground coffee smell. Could be the best smell in the world. 6) Customer service, customer service, customer service! Con's: 1) I wish I could have afforded to buy the Barazta Forte BG. Well, maybe someday. Post purchase suggestions: 1) Watch my video! Make sure you check your quick release knob. If you have the old version contact Baratza and they will send you the new style for free. Why? The original quick release knob has a tendency to work its way loose during grinding. This may cause your grind sizes to be very inconsistent. 2) If you don't own a coffee scale yet, get one! Trust me, you really shouldn't be grinding coffee and not own a scale. You can but I'll bet you will want one. 3) Get yourself an Atomizer Sprayer. Spraying your beans before grinding will all but eliminate static. It takes very little water so don't go overboard. 4) Regret not buying the Encore ESP a long time ago. That's about it, I hope you found something helpful in this review. I truly believe you won't regret your purchase. There's nothing about this grinder that shouldn't last for years to come. And if by chance you need to replace the burrs or something else wears out, Baratza offers all of the parts on their online store. You can pretty much rrebuild this ground from the frame up. Most importantly, enjoy the smell of fresh ground coffee, better tasting coffee and the experience of grinding your own beans!

It's possible to make incremental changes to the grind to get exactly the grind that you need. It isn’t too noisy. Very nicely designed

great grinder, have it for a year so far and no issues. I use it for espresso and pour over. the range is really nice to have and the espresso grind setting is verry fine. I just wish the steps were a little bit closer together in the espresso side to really dial in. rather than that, nothing bad to say.

On off switch stopped working, started turning off and on on its own. Will update review once I hear back from seller

Muy buen molino. La construcción se siente sólida y elegante, tanto del molino como de los accesorios que incluye. En las cantidades de café que uso (<50 g, unas 3 veces por semana), muele muy bien el café, y el mismo queda homogéneo y tan fino/grueso como se espera. La cantidad de ajustes que tiene para la medida del molido son más que suficientes para prepara cafés con distintas notas de sabor, y poder adaptarse a los gustos personales de muchas personas. Además, la parte exterior es fácil de desarmar para poder limpiar las principales partes del mismo. Algunos inconvenientes menores del mismo, son: 1) Es un poco ruidoso. No tanto como algunas reseñas lo hacen ver (a mí ni me molesta), pero sí algo más que otros molinos “premium”. 2) Antes resaltaba que es fácil de desarmar la parte exterior para poder limpiarlo, sin embargo, no pasa lo mismo con las partes del interior. El problema es que una muy pequeña cantidad de restos o partículas de café molido pueden quedar atrapados en algunas partes del interior del molino, que no son tan fáciles de limpiar. Algunas personas utilizan un soplador de aire o una aspiradora para tratar de removerlas. Otra opción podría ser desarmar casi por completo el molino, para exponer y limpiar dichas partes con facilidad. Como la cantidad de restos es muy pequeña y son partículas finas, no creo que causen problemas, siempre y cuando las partes removibles y el exterior se limpien muy bien, y con cierta frecuencia según el uso. ***ACTUALIZACIÓN: después de más de un par de años de uso, el molino sigue funcionando sin problemas, y ni siquiera he tenido que limpiar esas partes del interior, por lo que parece que la filtración de partículas de café es menos problemático de lo que pensaba. 3) Desde el primer uso noté que la pestaña de ajuste del grueso del molido no se alineaba al 100% con las marcas grabadas en el molino. Podría ser un error de impresión de las marcas o de falta de calibración en el mecanismo de ajuste. De todos modos, puedo confirmar que esto no afecta la calidad del molido. Además, a veces llevando la pestaña de ajuste hasta el mínimo, parece que es suficiente para "recalibrar" la pestaña y que coincida con las marcas impresas en el molino. Como los considero inconvenientes menores, mantengo la calificación de 5 estrellas. Pero claro, si tienes el presupuesto y/o una exigencia por obtener un molido superior, hay otros molinos que seguro serían mejores opciones.

Salió buenísima. Muele con una consistencia muy pareja, es fácil de ajustar y el resultado se nota en la taza. Funciona perfecto para uso diario, no hace tanto ruido y se siente robusto. Después de varios meses de uso constante, sigue trabajando igual de bien. Muy buena compra para quien quiere mejorar su café en casa o hasta en negocio pequeño.

Bought the ESP because of its ability to grind for espresso as well as pour over. Paid a little more to dial in my choice of grind. Noise is quite acceptable and grind quality excellent. Makes a huge difference in taste.