Baratza Plastic Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder (1.00)

I purchased the Encore Coffee Beans Grinder with high hopes and excitement, as I'm an avid espresso lover and appreciate the aroma of freshly ground coffee. Initially, the grinder performed admirably, producing fine and consistent grounds that were perfect for my espresso machine. However, after just two years of use, the grinder's performance has severely declined, leaving me disheartened and disappointed in my investment. The first thing that caught my attention was the sleek and sturdy design of the grinder. It looked like a well-built and durable appliance that would stand the test of time. The burr grinding mechanism, which initially impressed me, seemed to promise years of reliable use without compromising the coffee's quality. In the beginning, the grinder lived up to its expectations. The grind settings were easy to adjust, allowing me to customize the coarseness of the coffee grounds to suit my preferences. The espresso grind setting, in particular, was perfect for producing a rich and flavorful shot. I relished the aromatic experience every morning and enjoyed sharing it with friends and family. However, as time passed, I noticed a decline in the grinder's performance. The consistency of the grind became less reliable, resulting in uneven and coarser grounds even on the finest setting. As an espresso enthusiast, this was particularly disappointing, as the lack of fine grinding affected the quality and taste of my espresso shots. I suspected that the burr might be wearing out, as there were visible signs of deterioration. This would explain the degradation in grinding performance over time. What I had hoped would be a long-lasting investment turned out to be a mere two-year venture. The short lifespan of the Encore Coffee Beans Grinder is a significant concern for me. Investing in a coffee grinder is an important decision, and I expected it to last for many years before needing a replacement. Unfortunately, the decline in performance after just two years is not acceptable for a product in this price range. Furthermore, the lack of any warranty support or customer assistance from the manufacturer adds to my frustration. I would have appreciated some level of assistance or acknowledgment from the company regarding the issues I faced with their product. In conclusion, while the Encore Coffee Beans Grinder started with promise and produced excellent results during its initial days, its longevity and performance have left much to be desired. The premature wearing of the burr, leading to inadequate grinding for espresso, is a significant drawback. As a consumer, I feel let down and hesitant to invest in this brand again. I would caution others considering this grinder to research thoroughly and consider alternatives with better track records of durability and customer support.

Never thought that it has been 4 years since I bought this one. Does what it is supposed to do, grind coffee beans, without fuss. The grind quality is acceptably uniform. The sound is loudish but won’t wake the whole community up. I use only for pour over and mocha and I’m satisfied. Doesn’t need regular maintenance, have cleaned perhaps once a year with the supplied brush, and I’m good. I usually grind twice or thrice a day on an average and I load every time I grind, don’t load in the hopper. The prices have gone up significantly though. That’s my two cents folks.

Excellent machine, does the job. Purchased in December 2021, the hopper bottom broke today 30 May 2022. Is there a hopper replacement warranty?

5 days into the Encore and it has made my life bliss. I use a Tecnora Classico TCM 107 M coffee maker which I also bought in Amazon and I am loving them both. I have replaced my Hario manual grinder with this beauty. So far, I have only used it to grind fine from 1 to 12 setting and it makes perfect grinds. Intitially, i made a mistake and placed the removeable white burr with the red tag on the back side and it did not make fine grind even at 1 setting. After going through youtube videos i learnt that the red tag is supposed to be on the front. After the adjustment, the grinder makes perfect grinds. I am giving it a 5 star for now.

It's been a few days and I'm liking it. Arrived packed very safely. Plastic finish quality is a bit underwhelming but sturdy enough for home use. Works pretty well, slow RPM for uniform grind. Low noise. It's all manual i.e no way to control time or weight, but that is what you expect at this price. Also it cannot pour into a portafilter directly. Within a few grinding sessions you can figure out the amounts. I get good Espresso quality grind between setting 8 and 10, works well for my 15 bar Italian Saeco Poemia machine with automatic tamping portafilter. For new or inexperienced brewers, setting up and first use may be tricky. May refer to YouTube videos. When bought from authorized reseller it's cheaper than what you pay in UK. Wait for stock to arrive and don't get ripped off. Can't beat it for value, the best and cheapest you can get in India now.

i am satisfied with this item in convenient and design

Compact, easy to assemble and clean. Grinds well to desired coarseness. I get that fresh aroma I want with my coffee right at home.

This is just perfect for grinding coffee beans with lots of ease and accuracy of grind sizes required for various coffee brewing methods. I use Delonghi espresso machine at home and the espresso size delivers me never before aroma and flavour to my coffee. I am loving it. No issue of sound either. Very much portable in size.

Es muy compacto, ideal para mí barra de café mini. Me encanta su diseño por qué es fácil de limpiar. La molienda es súper sencilla, y con suficientes grados. Casi no hace ruido al moler y llegó al día siguiente que hice la compra!

ممتازه

Jag ger produkten 5/5 stjärnor men 4,5 kanske är mer korrekt. Det enda negativa är att den är lite ”svår”/krånglig att rengöra gällande att ta isär alla delar och sen få dem på plats. Men det i sig är ju inget stort problem. Den ger exakt vad den ska, bra malning till Filter/French Press. Det maler dock inte helt perfekt för Espresso. Då rekommenderar jag Baratza Encore Esp (Esp = Espresso). Den ska funka för Espresso + Filter/F.P. Jag är helnöjd med denna kvarnen. Mitt syfte var att köpa en kvar som maler bra för French Press/Filter (då jag redan har en kvarn för Espressomalning) vilket denna gör med bravur.

Works well, but it's louder then drilling holes in concrete wall. Do no try to operate it at 6 in the morning, unless you want to wake up the entire city block.

UPDATE November 2, 2025: Within a week of posting the March update, I started to have trouble with the grinder. It would occasionally become sluggish or stop, but I could always get it restarted again. I've seen other reports of similar problems, but since the grinder continued to work, I carried on with it. Finally, about a month ago it completely died. Following some YT videos, I was able to disassemble the grinder to test the motor and other components. The short story is that the power board had died. I contacted Baratza support, and after a brief email conversation and me sending them photos of the power board, they sent me a replacement power board for free, even though the grinder was outside the 1-year warranty period. I installed the new power board, and the grinder is running again. As for why the board originally failed, I think I accidentally got coffee grounds inside the guts of the grinder while cleaning it. I can't say for sure if that was the cause, the day after I cleaned it, I inverted it with some grinds in the hopper. The next day the problems started. Regardless, this review is now not just for the grinder, but for their support. UPDATE March 8, 2025: The grinder has been wonderful to use over the past year. I am changing my review to five stars. In addition to the star bump, there are three important updates, plus a comment: 1) I upgraded the burr from the original "M3" burr to an M2 burr I ordered directly from Baratza (now Breville). I think it was worth the money. 2) Lighter roasts do make for a slightly messier cleanup than darker roasts. My original review noted not having experienced much of that. 3) Pay attention to your grinding. If it suddenly seems inconsistent, inspect the ring burr holder to make sure all three outer tabs are intact. These are plastic parts designed to break under load to protect the more important internal components. I highly recommend ordering spare holders. I have had two break in the past year, reasons unknown. It sucks to have your grinder down waiting for replacement parts to arrive. Finally, this grinder is not going to give you better coffee if there are problems besides the grinder you're replacing. For me, I discovered the house water had been a secret roadblock to making good coffee at home. Once I realized how bad it was (cheap TDS meter purchased here on Amazon), I switched to using distilled water remineralized with Third Wave Water (also sold here on Amazon). ORIGINAL REVIEW: This is a "5-stars, but" review that makes me drop the rating to 4 stars. I'd give it 4 1/2 stars. Compared to the blade grinder I was using, though, it's worth 10 stars. I ordered the Encore in March 2024, shipped from and sold by Amazon.com. I wanted to be sure of the sender, even if it might have saved a few dollars ordering from a different vendor. The first thing you have to do is to do some minor assembly, and you would think that should be easy to do. There is a fluted rubber gasket that would not stay seated on the ring burr, though, and I ended up tearing it even before making a single pot of coffee. I did some googling and found out that there's a new version of the gasket that is supposed to be with newer Encores, so I'm not sure why mine had the old one. Regardless, I could have tried to obtain a replacement gasket either from Baratza or here, but I ended up ordering some aftermarket gaskets from Aieve (sold here on Amazon) that are a perfect match to Baratza's new gasket. If you get an Encore and it comes with the new gasket, congrats on not having to deal with that headache. After getting it assembled, I followed another online recommendation to run a small batch of beans through the grinder as sort of a break-in. That worked fine. Since then, the grinder has performed admirably. It has been used nearly every day on a variety of dark and medium roasts. It hasn't been especially staticky or messy. An occasional brushing of the chute and burrs is all I've needed to clean it out. I've been careful to keep the grounds below the line on the hopper, so I've avoided clogging it. I did buy some Urnex Grindz tablets, and I'll be using them soon to give the internals a more thorough cleaning. As for the coffee itself, I'm not an expert, but it seems fairly consistent in grinds for drip and French press. Any failures on making a less-than-tasty batch of coffee are almost certainly my fault, not the grinder's. Besides the finicky original gasket, the only complaint I have would be the noise. There are remedies for that, most notably upgrading the conical burr to the one found in the Virtuoso+ or Encore ESP, but I'm not ready to do that yet. Depending on who you ask, the lack of a timer on the Encore is either a curse or a blessing. I'm happy with it. I don't store the coffee in the hopper. I weigh each batch of beans before pouring them in the hopper, so I just turn the grinder on and let it empty the hopper. You can tell by the noise level when the grinder is done, it's significantly quieter. The resulting grounds have been the same weight as what I put in the hopper, so I know the grinder isn't leaving large quantities of coffee behind. There are tons of videos on YouTube regarding the Encore. I recommend checking those out.