Baratza Virtuoso+ Electronic Coffee Grinder, Stainless Steel Plastic, Silver/Black

Product Information

The pricing is the chink in the Virtuoso +’s armor. Although it’s slightly more affordable than the trendy Fellow Ode, it sits at the expensive end of the spectrum for a home grinder. If you’re an old hand at manual brewing or an experienced barista, you understand the value that this grinder offers. When it comes to grinding speed on the Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso, there is no comparison. The Encore will process your coffee beans at a speed of 0.8 – 1.1g per second, while the Virtuoso Plus is almost twice as fast at 1.5 – 2.4g per second. If it’s just you drinking coffee, the Encore should be fast enough, but you’ll be grateful for the Virtuoso’s added speed if you need to grind for multiple cups of coffee. The Virtuoso+ isn’t the most advanced consumer grinder on the market, but it has something many other grinders – from the Fellow Ode to the Niche Zero and others – do not have: a pedigree. It also has Baratza, the absolute industry leader in after-sales support (in and out of warranty) behind it. Both of these things have major value. In terms of longevity, I’ve had a Virtuoso grinder plugging away here since 2006, and it is still going strong; the new Virtuoso+ model, with its even better build quality, should outperform that time-tested model. STYLISH - A sculptured metal top and base give the Virtuoso+ a modern image that highlights your coffee corner.

The grinder offers a sleek and stylish appearance. A sculpted metal top surrounds the front-mounted dial and digital display, and the plastic bean hopper features a smoke-colored facade. This appliance will look amazing in any home or cafe. We found the design to be a perfect complement to our office kitchen. Build Quality (4.5/5) Burr grinders offer conical and flat grinders. They both create excellent coffee but have key differences. Conical and Flat Burr Grinders The Baratza Virtuoso+ has a 180W DC direct drive motor, a gear reduction system, turning the 40mm Etzinger burrs inside at a constant 550RPM under no load. Within its 40 selectable grind settings, it can output ground coffee between 1.4g a second, and 2.3g a second (tested).The Virtuoso+ utilizes a simple and efficient direct drive gear reduction transmission to move power from the DC motor to the rotating cone burr. A thermal overload cutout protects the motor from overheating due to excessive use - remember, these grinders are designed to grind a dose at a time for home use! GRIND ADJUSTMENT Baratza Virtuoso grinder is an upgrade from the entry-level Encore grinder with a slightly better burr, better grind consistency, and more functionality. Winner: Virtuoso Plus. This is a close one. You could argue that it’s a tie for the most important parts like the motor and grinder, but the addition of the metal body parts gives the additional Virtuoso sturdiness. Grind settings and grinding speed

This machine comes with 40mm steel burrs manufactured in European standards with a DC motor. That means you can simply rely on this machine for years of consistency as well as durability before even thinking about going at any replacement parts. Even then you won’t have to substitute the whole machine itself. Baratza Customer Service It’s the tried and true, quality-driven grinder that most baristas have at home and even in their cafes! The Virtuoso+ delivers a clean, café-quality taste to your cup thanks to a high-performance conical burr set that produces uniform grind particles for balanced flavor notes. As coffee lovers, it was our pleasure to write a Baratza Virtuoso review. Grinders are essential to the brewing process, and we feel this grinder will meet the needs of most users. If you have been in the market for a premium grinder that will satisfy your love of a great cup of coffee, the Virtuoso will meet your needs. Operating this machine is quite simple. Adjust the bean hopper to set the desired grind particle size; rotate the timer knob to set a grinding time; push the knob to start grinding. You can also use the Virtuoso + in pulse-grinding mode by pressing down and holding the timer knob/switch for a couple of seconds. The digital display will show “P” to indicate that you’re in pulse-grinding mode. Push the button to grind and release to stop. Grinding Capability (Settings, Range, & Consistency) – 4.5/5If you are partial to pour-overs and French Press brewing, and want precise control over your grind so you can extract a clean, smooth cup of coffee, then the Virtuoso + is meant for you. Most small-scale, consumer appliances are built to wear out or cease being useful in a short time. This kitchenware is expensive and difficult to repair. So consumers are expected to dump and replace which do have big environmental ramifications. The DC motor means you get the full force of torque from the start. This really helps with grinding speed. The Virtuoso Plus is designed to be a step up from the Encore, and as such, has a few more advanced features. Rather than simply switching the grinder on and off, the Virtuoso allows you to time your grind. This feature is different from Encore. This was a side-mounted dial for the 60-second timer on the original model, with timing marked into 10-second increments. The front panel featured the pulse button. The Encore offers a grind range from 250 to 1200 microns, making it the perfect grinder for pour over coffee and other manual brewing methods like the AeroPress. The grind range on Virtuoso Plus runs from 200 to 1200 microns, making it slightly better at grinding for espresso and, at the other end of this scale, also better for coarse grinds for French press cold brew.

With the revamped Virtuoso Plus, you get a digital timer front and center. It’s now more accurate. It can program in increments of a tenth of a second up to 40 seconds. As well as making it hands-free, it allows you to get a consistent dose from day today. The timer dial also works as the pulse button. You will need to press and hold it for a couple of seconds to access pulse mode, which could be argued as not as convenient as having a separate pulse button. The Virtuoso+ has two LED lights that light up the grinds bin and grinds area of the grinder. This is especially welcome when you’re grinding directly into a portafilter, or a catch bin (like the increasingly popular 54mm and 58mm catch cups to use with portafilter baskets). I use the Virtuoso+ for cupping coffees, and grind directly into our cupping cups, and can easily see the grind output, quality and quantity with these lights. The Baratza Encore is an entry-level grinder that works great for manual brewing. It’s reliable, durable, and delivers consistent grinds every time. The quality of the materials that Baratza used to make the Virtuoso + are is evident when you handle the grinder. The plastic hopper, grounds bin, and the chassis have a solid feel to them, and there’s hardly any flex. The sculpted metal top and base add rigidity to the machine, making it feel like it can last several years of use. The main things that differentiate the Baratza Virtuoso Plus from the step-down Baratza Encore are the digital display and timer, allowing you to fine-tune your brew recipe.There are no preset functions on this grinder. Whatever time you have set for the grinder at a given time will remain, until you turn the dial to change the grind time.

The two types you will see are conical grinders and flat grinders. As the name suggests, flat grinders have two flat rings that lie on top of each other, crushing the coffee beans between them. Conical burrs have a fixed outer ring and a rotating cone-shaped burr in the center, with the grinding happening vertically. If you’re looking purely at the consistency of your coffee grounds, a flat burr grinder will win every time, but they aren’t necessarily suitable for home use. Conical burrs produce less noise, less heat, and are much cheaper to make. It is a great upgrade to any entry-level product and offers features on-par with some commercial-grade products. Stylish and durable, this machine is a solid investment and can be part of your kitchen for years. Baratza has added more branding to the grinder, with a cutout “Baratza” name cut right into the side panels.The Virtuoso+ is a great multi-purpose grinder for many styles of brewing from espresso, to drip, to French press MOTOR Grind consistency is quite good for a machine in this price range. You’ll find excellent quality and consistency for many brewing methods including French press, pour-over, and drip. It should be relatively easy to reproduce the same results every morning or for every drink. Value for the Money (4/5) The contemporary design fits well in any kitchen, whether you’re a home barista or an avid coffee nerd. Cleaning