Wirecutter - The secret to making great coffee

Michael Hession

Lesley Stockton

I cannot overstate how much the Baratza Encore burr grinder improved my morning routine—it’s possibly the most important tool in my coffee-making arsenal.

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I strike a weird balance between investing heavily in my home coffee setup while not taking coffee culture too seriously. Like, I love a well-balanced cup in the morning, but I’m not about to weigh my beans on a scale to get the perfect coffee-to-water ratio. Of the $1,000-ish worth of coffee gear in my kitchen, though, my Baratza Encore burr grinder is the one thing I cannot live without.

Baratza was founded by Kyra Kennedy and Kyle Anderson in 1999 in Seattle. In the two decades since, Baratza grinders have become the go-to for coffee aficionados for their performance, durability, and repairability. Breville bought Baratza in 2020, but the co-founders and company remain the same to this day.

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I bought the Baratza Encore when my blade grinder died. It’s funny to think that I bought a $100 machine to grind coffee beans, only to then dump those grinds into the basket of a cheap, four-cup Mr. Coffee maker. But that first sip was transformative—the most balanced and elegant cup I’d ever made. In the years since that aha moment, I’ve slowly built up my coffee gear collection to the countertop-hogging behemoth that it is today.

Lesley Stockton

The Baratza Encore also added some unexpected ease to my early morning coffee ritual. When I used a blade grinder, I had to load it with beans each day and pulse the button, while occasionally shaking the entire thing to get what I thought was an even grind. But the Encore has a hopper that I keep full of beans, so I can grind coffee with the turn of a dial while I fill the coffee maker or kettle with water. Coffee purists frown on keeping beans in the hopper—something about them going stale or whatever—but I value convenience!

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With just a turn of the hopper, the Encore offers a wide range of grinds, from super-fine powder to coarse granules. I grind on 11 for espresso and 18 for drip. And here’s a pro tip: When a recipe calls for instant espresso, I substitute finely ground coffee from the Baratza (setting number 5).

The Baratza Encore has been our favorite coffee grinder since 2015. Year after year in our taste tests, the trim Baratza Encore performed as well as or better than any home grinder. And it’s priced lower than other machines of comparable quality.

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• It grinds beans quickly and evenly for every application (apart from advanced espresso-making), and it’s simple to use and adjust.

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• It’s easy to clean, maintain, and repair (which means it could last for decades).

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• It’s fast—grinding enough beans for a pot of coffee takes less than a minute.

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• It isn’t particularly quieter or louder than most other grinders, but it has a more pleasant sound—something closer to a hum, compared with other models’ high whines or ugly chugs.

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Read more in our guide to coffee grinders.

Though deals on new models have been rare recently, we’ve seen regular sales on the manufacturer-refurbished models of the Baratza Encore, for around $100.

Baratza grinders are built to be easy to maintain and repair. I learned this when I had to replace the upper burr housing in my Encore. The company’s YouTube channel is full of DIY repair how-to videos. And you can shop for parts on the Baratza website. I felt so empowered when I replaced a part in my grinder for the first time. If you’re not into doing your own repairs, you can send your grinder to the company to get it fixed up.