Baratza Virtuoso+ Grinder with Digital Timer Display (Black, Silver)

It’s an amazing grinder if you brew coffee. Obviously, it’s not something new I’m saying, the reputation of Baratza is well known. But if you want to make great espresso, this isn’t a grinder for you. I’ve still rated it 5 starts because it’s not supposed to be an Espresso grinder in the first place. It can grind fine enough for espresso but you can not dial it in properly for espresso. But overall, it’s an amazing grinder for brewing with all other methods.

My original virtuoso finally gave out after 13 yrs of daily use, a few replacement burrs and a motor upgrade. This new unit is the virtuoso plus. I’ve used it now for several weeks and it is performing well. This works the same asthe original virtuoso. Many parts are the same so im pretty confident it will have a similar life. This unit goes from French press coarse to a pretty fine espresso powder simply by twisting the hopper on top through 40 detents. Grind can be further calibrated with a screwdriver. That’s helpful after several years when the main burr has dulled a bit. I am a fan of baratza because unlike so many manufacturers of consumer goods they believe in and support the customers right to repair. Parts and videos showing how to troubleshoot and effect repair are readily available. I bring up repairs not because these are unreliable units but because coffee is inconsistent sometimes there may be a small rock that can mess you up for example. Also grinding hard beans day after day creates stress on parts over time. What’s great about these is the problems I’ve encountered over the years are easily fixable with inexpensive parts so you don’t have to just toss a $300 unit in the trash for want of a replacement part. Under their design the outer ring burr is held in place by a plastic retaining ring that is designed to break if a rock gets caught in the burrs. A cheap replacement part spares the motor from burning out. I like the addition of LED light in a now transparent plastic bin. The digital timed grind instead of a knob on the side is mostly eye candy and doesn’t make much difference in operation. The simple basic design and many parts are the same. I have a couple of ring burrs and retaining rings from the prior unit that I could use as replacement parts Overall it’s a workhorse. People complain about static I’d say hey it’s plastic bin so there’ll be a charge in some weather and as you know some coffees have a lot of chaff. Who said grinding coffee is mess free? .coffee mills are loud. If you’re bothered set this on a cork pad it helps a bit.

Since I enjoy coffee tremendously, I decided to up my grinding game. After some research, I learned this is one of the best "home" burr grinders on the market. The company's heritage and commitment to service and support tipped the scales for me. Let me tell you this is not a cheap as in dollars unit, so the overall sturdiness, build quality and versatility impressed me. Ease of assembling and maintenance is a bonus. And it's not even that loud, relatively speaking. With 40 grind settings and programmable timer, it takes some trialing to dial in correct settings to your taste. And when you nail it, you are consistently rewarded with rich, flavourful coffee. That is, until you try a different blend. But it's also about the journey, right?

Um mit dem größten Kritikpunkt anzufangen: Die Baratza Virtuoso Plus ist nicht die leiseste Kaffeemühle, allerdings immerhin leiser als das (preiswerte) Teil welches zuvor in unserer Küche werkelte. Außerdem erscheint sie, besonders verglichen mit der Baratza Encore, recht teuer. Aber sie ist nach meiner Erfahrung ihr Geld wert. Zum einen sind die Mahlergebnisse sehr gut (getestet für Filterkaffee und French Press - für Espresso sollte man eine spezielle Espressomühle wählen). Zum anderen ist die Mühle extrem praktisch. Hopper alle paar Tage füllen und morgens auf Knopfdruck den Timer starten. Kein ständiges Abmessen/Wiegen, keine unnützen Deckelchen, keine großen Probleme mit statischer Aufladung, kein verstreutes Kaffeemehl. Einfach den frisch gemahlenen Kaffee umschütten und aufbrühen. Anders als bei der vorherigen Mühle kocht jetzt jeder in der Familie gerne guten Kaffee.

Bella e apparentemente robusto. L’unica pecca è che per fare un caffè espresso bisogna impostarla al massimo del grado di macinatura.

Quality machine, premium construction, solid motor, consistent grinds. Ten times better than the $100 level grinders.