Hi everyone. I recently bought a Breville Bambino. It’s my first espresso machine, and I’m quite happy with it. I love the fact that it has a thermoblock which means that I don’t have to wait for the water to turn on before I can enjoy my coffee. I’ve been able to pull some good shots with it, but the exact same technique sometimes gives me inconsistent results. I’m thinking it’s my grinder.
I have a Timemore C3 manual grinder. It’s great for most other brewing methods e.g. aeropress, V60, French press etc. But I don’t think it’s the best for espresso. I borrowed a Baratza Encore from a friend and it gave me more consistent results.
Now, I do like the Encore, and would buy a new one, but I looked at this chart and it looks like it doesn’t go too low in terms of grind size. Do you guys think that it might cause problems when I upgrade my machine in the future?
Also, if you have any other suggestions for grinders, let me know. I’m willing to spend around $200 on it right now. (I guess I can go up to $300 if it’s worth the extra $100.)
Thanks for taking your time to read this. I really appreciate it.
Get the Baratza Encore ESP, or Fellow Opus.
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Thanks for the suggestions. They both look good. But in terms of aesthetics, the Fellow one is 🔥.
Here’s a review from Lance Hedrick where he compares the two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVbDowbJ9jU
I’ve been using an Orphan Espresso Lido 2 ($195 USD when I bought it….BIFL!!) that I’ve used for years for aeropress lattes that I now use for espresso. With a WDT and a spinning distribution tamper, it’s pretty incredible the results I can get with a stock Rancilio Silvia and a bottomless basket. 20g of espresso is no problem to grind at a time for a triple shot basket.
You’re not gonna see it on a lot of real enthusiast’s lists, but I think the Breville Smart Grinder Pro at $200 is the best espresso grinder you can get (easily and consistently) below $300. I have a virtuoso+ that I was using for a while, and the cheaper SGP not only has MUCH greater micro-adjustability (it’s essentially stepless since you can set to any point in between clicks, but there are still steps technically), but the grinds are much more consistent at espresso sizes. I’ve established this myself with a precise sifter to remove boulders and fines (virtuoso+ produces many more of both) and seen online analyses that show the same. SGP wins against the more expensive baratza every time on grind quality.
The biggest/most common knock against it is that it isn’t built to be repaired as seriously as most Baratza, and some of the “smart” features aren’t that useful. However, being so much cheaper than anything but the cheapest baratzas, I’d buy two of these over the course of 10+ years for grind quality alone rather than spend just as much replacing burrs on a baratza, but not technically having to buy a new grinder.
And yeah, the ability to grind by “cups” rather than time isn’t helpful, I just do it by time, but it’s not like they made that more difficult by adding a second option. What IS helpful and won’t be found in any other grinder at the price, though, is a great portafilter switch and holder. Improves workflow, minimizes waste, and is just fun to use. I’d use a twist-on dosing funnel though so you don’t have to spill/waste any grounds at all when grinding straight into the portafilter.
In the end, I make decisions like this based almost exclusively on functionality at a given price point, and SGP is a rare case in which a cheaper option actually performs better when you get down to grind quality alone, and the espresso-specific build/attachments are nice.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll definitely take a look!
Eureka Facile (or Manuale - they’re basically the same thing, Facile has extra sound dampening)
A few 3D printed extras (angled based, angled hopper chute), and silicon bellows (Etsy sells everything), and you’ve got yourself one hell of a single doser.
And it’s actually quiet, unlike many of the Baratza products; if they’re too much $, though the Encore ESP is good, and while loud-ish, quick.
I had the Breville SGP before my Eureka, wasn’t a fan of it - stepless is the way.
This is a good suggestion.
I’d like to emphasize that a quiet grinder really is worth a little premium. I have a eureka mignon crono and that thing likes to scream with its lack of sound proofing.
When using a friend’s mignon silenzio I was surprised by how much nicer it felt to be able to make a quiet cup in the morning.
Long story short, I’m now looking into applying sound proofing to my grinder and I wish I’d just spent a little more to get a much better experience out of the box.
Interesting. I don’t think I mind the noise too much. I wake up pretty late, so I don’t really worry about the noise. I will keep it in mind, though.
Thanks for the suggestion!
And it’s actually quiet, unlike many of the Baratza products; if they’re too much $, though the Encore ESP is good, and while loud-ish, quick.
I can’t speak for the Baratza but one of the surprises we got switching to the Opus over our previous cheapie Cuisinart was how much quieter it is - can actually grind with other people asleep in the house!
the encore’s not great for dialing in espresso. with the budget you mentioned, look at espresso-focused manual grinders. the 1zpressos appear to be fairly well-regarded in that arena.
I think the 1ZPresso JX-Pro S is a good option.
1ZPresso is amazing, just got the K-ultra a few months ago and it is my most consistent grinder, but hand grinding at espresso sizes is HARD. I’d run an experiment with your timemore and set it to near its finest grind and try to crank through 18-20g beans. You’ll be able to do it for sure, but just make sure it’s something you want to do every morning.
(Just for context, I’m a fairly fit guy used to hand grinding, but I have to get into position, hold the grinder against my leg, and lean over it to maximize torque in order to comfortably grind for espresso. I was shocked how different it was from even a fine pour over grind).
That said, if you have an electric screwdriver or a drill that can do super low RPMs, you can attach 1ZPresso grinders to those and basically make them electric/automatic.
I do 14-15 grams on 5 clicks on my grinder most days. It’s a little annoying, but nothing that I can’t manage. For the electric drill case, how do I attach it? Are there guides online?
Nice, sounds like you’re definitely a candidate for manual espresso grinding, in which case that’s what I’d go for. You’ll definitely have a hard/impossible time finding anything anything as precise and consistent as 1ZPresso’s esspresso-focused grinders at that price or looking at electric grinders.
Any drill/screwdriver with a 6.35mm socket (the widely standard size) can be attached to the same spot that the standard handle slides onto. That piece on the grinder is actually shaped like a standard hex bit, so it should fit just like any of the screwdriving heads would.
That’s good to know. Thanks for the tip.
Of course. Honestly wish these were out when I got my espresso grinder, as a 1Z and a drill is probably better than anything under $1k when it comes to grind quality alone (perhaps not user experience, but the drill helps)
Fellow Opus is your best choice in the under $200 range because hand grinding for espresso is too much work.
Baratza Vario W - daily use for the last 8 years or so and going strong. Zero ground coffee mess, decently accurate and consistent (grinds by weight), looks nice. Mine only needed one burr adjustment in the 5 year mark (it comes with tool and the instructions).
