If you’ve been taking it upon yourself to make a barista-quality cup of Joe at home yet finding it lacking compared to coffee shops despite your restless attempts, have you considered it might be from not using fresh coffee grounds?
While there’s no shame in using pre-ground coffee (since there’s a whole market for it to supply convenience), grinding your coffee beans right before brewing can help slow down the oxidation process, which is reflected in the flavor and aroma of the final cup.
In this Baratza Encore Vs Virtuoso Plus article, I will review and compare 2 of the famous coffee grinders from the brand Baratza, down to the last detailed features, so you can start considering your investment in a quality coffee grinder.
About The Brand Baratza
Baratza is a popular distributor of state-of-the-art grinders for specialty coffee drinkers around the world.
Established in 1999, the company took on the name “Baratza”, which means “a place where locals gather to drink coffee” in Arabic and Swahili.
As warm and welcoming as its name suggests, Baratza is determined to support the Specialty Coffee Community with its innovative and quality coffee grinders one after the other.
The brand has also received awards from the Specialty Coffee Association [SCA] for its grinders.
And some of the brand’s cutting-edge technologies and features include:
- Macro/micro grind adjust system
- Portaholder
- Grind by Weight System
The brand also makes a statement to fight against the planned obsolescence tendency that’s prevalent in the market for technologies.
Baratza encourages customers to maintain and repair the machine when needed to keep it up and running with years in mind to reduce the weight of consumerism and waste in the world.Enter your text here…
Today, I will look into the Encore vs Virtuoso grinders, 2 among Baratza’s most popular grinders in the market.
About the Baratza Encore and Virtuoso Plus
First of all, I’ll briefly introduce the features of 2 models before getting into the main battle – the comparison.
First of all, I’ll briefly introduce the features of 2 models before getting into the main battle – the comparison.
Baratza Encore
This machine is marketed as the “ultimate entry-level grinder”, suitable for all brew methods from espresso and French Press to Cold Brew.
In addition to its beginner-friendliness, the Baratza Encore grinder also sports a small footprint, making it the best-selling burr of Baratza and among the top choices for coffee enthusiasts looking to start recreating barista-quality coffee at home.
It’s also the earlier-born child out of the two, yet still managed to grab that crown. There has to be some secret weapon? But is that everything though? Let’s find out.
Baratza Encore is a conical burr grinder. So that means it provides much better consistency in grind size than a blade grinder and suitable ground coffee for pulling espresso shots.
It’s easy to navigate, reliable, and available in only 2 basic colors – black and white, simplifying the decision-making process for many who struggle with matching new purchases with their counters and existing appliances.
Baratza Virtuoso Plus
Unlike the Baratza Encore grinder that targets beginner home baristas, Baratza Virtuoso+ is made and sold for the more-or-less pros. The Virtuoso was first introduced in 2005 as Baratza‘s first-ever branded conical burr grinder.
With its name meaning “virtuous” in the Italian language, or “a person that’s highly skilled” in English, the burr has lived up to its name well.
The later Baratza Virtuoso Plus became a very popular choice among professional baristas to have for both home use and at the coffee shop.
As an update from the first version of the world-class brand, Virtuoso+ is trusted to produce consistently uniform grind for a clean and fulfilling coffee extraction using all brewing methods.
The machine is only available in one color – stainless steel silver, sporting a chic and modern look that can brighten up any countertop.
What The Baratza Encore And The Virtuoso+ Have In Common
First, let’s take a look at the similarities that both machines share. They definitely share enough to suggest that they are cousins under the same umbrella brand.
Footprint
The first thing they have in common is their small footprint. Both the Encore and Virtuoso+ share the same dimensions of 12 x 35 x 16 cm (4.7” x 13.8” x 6.3”). And the former only weighs 7 lbs (3.1 kg) while the latter is merely 1 lb (0.5 kg) heavier.
This compact size allows them to easily fit anywhere, even if you live in a small apartment. So you don’t have to care too much about this factor when making a decision.
Capacity
Both the Baratza Encore and Baratza Virtuoso share the bean hopper capacity of 8 oz (230 g) and grounds bin capacity of 5 oz (142 g). This can be attributed to their similar size and weight as I’ve stated above.
You can work well with that amount to make a couple of servings of coffee as the typical ground-to-water golden ratio is: 5 – 10 g for every 10 oz (177 ml). You can learn more about how to make the perfect cup of coffee from my previous article!
But, in case you need more capacity to grind more, you can also get a Baratza hopper extender that can add 9 more oz to the current space.
Grind Settings
Both machines also share the same number of grind settings which is a whopping 40 in total, accompanied by an adjustable hopper scale to easily move from one setting to another.
That should be enough to satisfy every home and professional barista, from the beginners to the experienced, and every brewing style, from espresso and drip to manual Pour-Overs, French Press, AeroPress, making Cold Brew coffee, and so on.
Everyone gets to experiment with their brew because most don’t master making a quality cup of Joe on the first day. Not to mention the plethora of coffee brewing methods.
Going through trials and errors with the grind size and ground-to-water ratio to get it right is a given.
While users can easily navigate through both machines’ 40 settings, Baratza Virtuoso+ offers a bit larger grind range, from 200 to 1200 microns. The grind range of the Encore starts from 250 microns.
FYI, 1 micron is equal to 0.001 mm (0.04” for Americans), which is used as a measurement for the size of ground coffee particles.
So as you can see, although 50 microns might not be the biggest difference, when you put it into the context of using finely ground beans on espresso machines, it matters. Small but important to an extent, nonetheless.
Motor
Both models utilize the simple yet efficient DC motor of Baratza that doesn’t disappoint in the slightest.
The motor has a speed reduction system that is put in place to reduce rpm (revolutions per minute) to 550 rpm when transmitting power to the rotating burrs. This in turn effectively reduces heat, noise, and static and improves grind precision.
The gearbox also has a thermal overload cutout to prevent overheating from excessive use. Because, after all, both the Encore and Virtuoso+ are promoted for home use on your kitchen counter, they back less frequent usage than coffee-shop ones.
Grind Retention
In addition, both machines also strive to maximize the freshness of every grind batch by minimizing leftover ground coffee stuck in the grinder.
Since both are conical burrs, they have gravity on their side helping drag ground particles down rather than leaving them stuck like flat grinders.
If a lot of old grounds are stuck, they can spoil the freshness of future batches and lower the efficiency and precision of the grinders as well.
Maintenance
Be it general maintenance or in-depth cleaning session, it doesn’t take a lot to upkeep the life expectancy of the burrs. You can simply wipe them down after use and call it a day, really.
For a more extensive polish, both burrs are easily removable with no need for additional tools or a helping hand.
Grab a brush to clean out any leftover ground particles and you’re good to go. Easy-peasy-coffee-beans-grindy.
You may also easily repair, get it repaired, or pick up replacement parts from Baratza should anything go sideways.
It’s not often that companies step up and make it this easy to sort out a problem with a machine without having to buy an entirely new product.
The Battle Of The Burrs: Baratza Encore Vs Virtuoso Plus
Now that we’ve gotten some of their similarities out of the way, let’s dive into the key differences between the Baratza Encore and Virtuoso+, likely your main reasons for reading this article.
| Baratza Encore | Baratza Virtuoso Plus | |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 12″ x 16″ x 35″ (30.5 x 40.6 x 88.9 cm) | 12″ x 16″ x 35″ (30.5 x 40.6 x 88.9 cm) |
| Weight | 7 lbs (3.1 kg) | 7.1 lbs (3.2 kg) |
| Material | Black plastic | Metal |
| Bean hopper capacity | 8 oz (227 g) | 8 oz (227 g) |
| Type of grinder | Conical burr | Conical burr |
| Grind settings | 40 | 40 |
| Motor | Gear reduction | Gear reduction |
| Suitable brewing methods | Manual brewing methods and espresso | Espresso, drip, manual brewing methods, and French press |
| Grind speed | 1.1 g/sec | 1.5 to 2.4 g/sec |
| On-off switch | Yes | No |
| Pulse button | Yes | Yes |
| Adjustable digital timer | No | Yes |
| Hands-free grinding | Yes | Yes |
| Appearance | Simple and minimalistic | Sleek and smart |
Burrs
Baratza Encore is equipped with 40mm conical burrs manufactured in Europe. The brand suggests that it’s especially great for manual brewing and espresso machines.
While I agree with the former as the Baratza Encore has reliable grind settings for coarse ground, I don’t think it’s the best for preparing espresso fine grounds. I’ll go into why Virtuoso+ grinder is a safer bet right after this.
Nevertheless, being an entry-level grinder, virtually, it can be there for you (when the rain starts to pour) for all brew methods you can get around to as a beginner or easy-going coffee lover.
Like the Encore, Virtuoso+’s 40mm conical burrs are also manufactured in Europe and can produce a very consistent grind size.
But at a closer look at these grinders in action, generally, there’s a small difference. The Virtuoso+ can bring a much more uniform grind, in addition to its slightly larger range as I’ve mentioned above.
That can partially be attributed to the precision mounting system that helps secure a more stable platform for increasing accuracy in grinding.
And, like the Encore, the Virtuoso+ burrs are multi-purpose and can do a relatively better job at dispensing grind for all brew methods, including espresso, drip, manual brewing methods, and French press.
Grind Speed
The second difference is in the grind speed. The Encore utilizes M3 burrs that can only grind 1.1 g/sec as they’re flatter and duller which slows down the process and affects the size consistency as well.
On the other hand, the M2 burr of the Virtuoso+ can grind coffee beans at 1.5 to 2.4 g/sec. That’s about 2 times faster than the Encore as the M2 burr is sharper and better inverted.
That difference in an M2 burr enables the machine to go to town on coffee beans, especially tougher ones, with higher accuracy in addition to speed.
The M2 burr is also the same type found in the Baratza Preciso model, which, you can probably guess from its name, emphasizes precision in grinding. If you want to step up your coffee game even further, go for one of the Sette grinders.
Ease Of Use
To make the user experience as intuitive and simple as possible, the Encore has an on-off switch that you can either turn clockwise or counterclockwise to turn on or off the grinding function.
In addition to the convenient switch, you may also use the front-mounted pulse button for short duration grinding.
Simply push and hold to grind and release when you want to stop.
This feature can come in handy when you want to quickly add on a little bit more coffee grounds into the grounds bin if you’re not satisfied with the amount.
While the switch and button are child’s play, don’t let your child near it or leave it unattended at any time.
The Virtuoso+ still keeps the front-mounted pulse button but it improves this aspect significantly with its digital timer side switch function. The motor of the burr grinder is connected with a 40-second digital timer that’s adjustable in 0.1-second intervals and enables repeatable dosing.
This allows you to have some off time in the morning so you can rush to brush your teeth or take care of little things in your morning routine without having to stick to the burr grinder the entire time.
Material
The casing of the Encore is made of plastic, whereas the Virtuous+ comes with some brushed stainless steel front panel as well, making the latter more durable. The added 1 lb in weight really pays off in the long run, especially for clumsy coffee drinkers.
Appearance
On the more superficial (but justifiable) side, another difference is in the presentation.
The Encore is simple, basic, and agreeable with its lightweight, thermo-plastic, and transparent bean hopper. Generally, a safe choice that can’t go wrong.
But the Virtuoso+ looks more sleek, smart, aesthetically pleasing, and expensive with its shiny stainless steel outer casing.
Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, objectively, you should get what you pay for.
Price
If that last sentence couldn’t foreshadow my following statement, let me clarify: Virtuoso+ is more expensive than the Encore, nearly double to be specific.
Considering the differences and improvements in functionality, convenience, and appearance, the price is totally justifiable in my opinion.
Furthermore, while the Encore is marketed more towards beginner baristas, the Virtuoso+ targets those who have already known at least a thing or two about grinding coffee beans. So it’s not a big surprise.
Overall, both machines are in the medium range of grinders, so they should be an affordable investment for fresh and quality coffee at home in the long run.
OUR FINAL VERDICT: BARATZA ENCORE VS VIRTUOSO+
Be it the Encore, the Virtuoso+, or other grinders in the market, the winner is the one that suits your needs and preferences the most.
The Encore is an entry-level coffee grinder, suitable for beginner baristas trying to get into up their Joe game at home.
While certain areas can be improved, the machine is worth every penny considering all of the well-rounded features and functions it offers. It’s a basic go-to that can satisfy all of your basic grinder needs.
The Virtuoso+ comes with the M2 burr, promising better performance in both speed and precision. It also offers a slightly larger range, more hands-off convenience, and more durable material. And all of those plusses add a bit more money to the table.
If you’re a more experienced coffee brewer and demand more from the grind, definitely go for the latter.