Baratza
Baratza Encore ESP Grinder
### Overview
The Encore ESP directly addresses the original Encore's biggest weakness — espresso — by changing the pitch of the grind adjustment for the fine range to enable much smaller movements, making it meaningfully more capable of dialing in shots. Priced at $199, it packs considerable value into a compact footprint. Its 40 total settings split into two distinct zones: steps 1–20 for espresso, steps 21–40 for filter brewing, so one grinder covers both without compromise.
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### Pros
- **Genuine espresso resolution:** The first 20 espresso grind steps offer 9 microns per click, giving you meaningful resolution when dialing in shots and a more even distribution of fine grounds for better extraction. Most grinders under $200 can't match this level of control in the espresso range. - **Upgraded M2 burrs:** The M2 burrset is a noted upgrade in overall burr quality, resulting in faster grinds and fewer fines at finer settings — a real improvement over the original Encore's M3 burrs, which struggled at espresso fineness. - **Portafilter-ready workflow:** The included low-static dosing cup fits 54mm portafilters natively, or 58mm portafilters with an included adapter ring, and you can swap to the classic dosing bin for manual brew methods like drip or pour-over. - **Repairability and support:** The after-sales service that comes with this grinder is worth nearly the price of the grinder itself — Baratza grinders from 20 years ago are still in operation today, with replacement motors and burrs available for modest cost.
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### Cons
- **Plastic-heavy build:** The build quality remains primarily plastic, which feels a bit cheap at this price — the on/off switch feels plasticky, the dosing cup sits loosely in the base, and knocking the grinder sounds hollow compared to midrange competitors using metal construction. - **Coarser filter zone is less precise:** The filter zone's wider steps are the one genuine trade-off — if you mostly drink filter coffee and only occasionally pull espresso, the original Encore might still suit you better. - **Noisy operation:** It's noticeably loud — louder than a Breville Smart Grinder Pro, a Baratza Virtuoso+, or a Turin SK40. - **Light-roast espresso limitations:** Baratza includes shims that can be installed to unlock finer grind settings, but the need for them is an early warning sign that the Encore ESP may not be fully up to par for modern light-roast espresso without modification.
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### Who It's For
This grinder is built for someone new to espresso who also brews pour-over or French press and wants one grinder that doesn't force a compromise — the dual-range design is made exactly for the person who pulls a shot in the morning and makes a V60 on the weekend. It's also a clean upgrade path if you already own the original Encore and want espresso capability without relearning a new machine.
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### Not Right For
Skip it if you pull espresso exclusively and chase light-roast single origins on a naked portafilter — at that point, the 40mm conical burrs and modest step count become the ceiling, and a flat-burr single-dose grinder will give you more control for the money you'd spend later anyway.
Researched across 8 sources: wholelattelove.com, espressosetupbuilder.com, baristalife.co, equatorcoffeeroasters.com, coffeegeek.com, seattlecoffeegear.com, coffeechronicler.com, coffeeroastco.com.
Key features
- Espresso-focused version of the Encore with a finer grind range
- reliable 40mm conical steel burrs
- and easy
- stepless-style micro adjustment for dialing in shots.
Seen at 3 retailers from $169.95 to $199.95 as of 2026-07-18. Prices change — check the retailer for the current price.