The grinder we recommend most often, examined on Baratza's own published figures — including the two that explain why it works and the one thing it does not do.
Heads up: we earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the order of the list. Full disclosure · how we pick.
The Encore ESP is the grinder this site points people toward more than any other, and a recommendation that frequent deserves its own page rather than a paragraph inside a roundup. This is that page: what Baratza publishes, what it means in practice, and who should buy something else. For when it is the wrong answer, see Baratza Encore ESP alternatives.
**We have not used one.** Everything below is compiled from Baratza's published specification and from what follows arithmetically from it. If you want a review built on hands-on testing, this is not that — and we explain why we do not write those.
What Baratza states
Published specifications, from Baratza's own product page
Specification
Stated figure
Burr
40 mm M2 conical, quick-release for cleaning
Grind range
#1-20 optimized for espresso in fine steps; #21-40 for filter
Burr speed
550 RPM, reduced to limit heat, noise and static
Dosing cup
54 mm anti-static, with a 58 mm adapter
The specification that matters most
**Twenty fine clicks inside the espresso range.** Not twenty settings across the whole range — twenty inside the zone where espresso actually lives, with twenty more above it for filter.
That is the difference between dialing in and guessing. Espresso adjustment is about small corrections: your shot runs at 21 seconds and you want 27, so you go one step finer. On a grinder with five usable espresso positions, one step takes you from too fast to choked and the setting you wanted does not exist. Twenty steps means it does.
For comparison, Breville states 16 grind settings on the Barista Express — across the grinder's entire range, not inside the espresso zone. That is the clearest reason a dedicated grinder beats a built-in one, and it is covered in full on the Barista Express review.
Why 550 RPM is a feature
Baratza states the burr speed is deliberately reduced to 550 RPM to limit heat, noise and static. It reads like a footnote and it is a daily quality-of-life difference.
Static is what makes ground coffee cling to the inside of a chute and jump across a counter when you tap the dosing cup. Heat is what dulls the aroma of coffee you just ground. A slower grinder produces less of both, which in practice means less mess to clean up and a fresher-smelling dose.
The dosing cup detail that saves a purchase
Baratza states it ships with a 54 mm anti-static dosing cup **and** a 58 mm adapter. That covers a Breville beginner machine and a Gaggia out of the box, which is unusual — plenty of grinders leave you buying a dosing cup separately once you find out yours does not fit. See portafilter sizes if you are not sure which yours is.
Quick picks — Baratza Encore ESP review
#
Pick
Best for
Type
Price
1
Baratza Encore ESPTop pickAn Encore reworked for espresso: the first 20 clicks are a fine, high-resolution espresso range, and the remaining 20 cover filter.
1Zpresso JX-ProBigger, heavier and higher-capacity than the Q2, with the adjustment resolution that makes espresso dial-in on a hand grinder realistic.
Baratza EncoreThe long-standing filter-grinder recommendation. It is listed here so you do not buy it by mistake: the ESP is the espresso version for a reason.
We have not handled these units. Everything above comes from published manufacturer documentation, cited inline, plus arithmetic you can redo yourself. Everyone in this category says they tested twenty machines; we have not tested any, and we say so. Here is what we do instead.
01
Baratza Encore ESP
The default first electric grinder
An Encore reworked for espresso: the first 20 clicks are a fine, high-resolution espresso range, and the remaining 20 cover filter.
Published specifications for the Baratza Encore ESP, with sources
Burr
40 mm M2 conical, quick-release for cleaning [source]
Grind range
#1-20 optimized for espresso in fine steps; #21-40 for filter [source]
Burr speed
550 RPM, reduced to limit heat, noise and static [source]
Twenty fine clicks inside the espresso range is the specification that matters. Grinders that give you five usable espresso settings cannot be dialed in; this one can.
550 RPM is deliberately slow. Slower burrs mean less heat and less static, which in practice means less ground coffee stuck to the inside of the chute and thrown around your counter.
It ships with both 54 mm and 58 mm dosing, which covers a Breville and a Gaggia without buying anything else.
What it does well
Genuine fine adjustment across the espresso range
Covers filter grinding too, so it is not a single-purpose purchase
Quick-release burr makes cleaning a two-minute job
Fits both common portafilter sizes out of the box
What you give up
Retains some grounds between doses, like most hoppered grinders
Louder than a hand grinder, obviously
Skip it if you already have a capable hand grinder and only make one or two drinks a day — you would be buying convenience, not better coffee.
A single-dose electric grinder with flat burrs — a category that used to start at three times the price.
We have not compiled a cited spec sheet for this pick yet, so there is no spec table here. What follows is about fit — who it is for and who it is not — not about numbers we cannot source. See how we pick.
Single dosing means you weigh exactly the beans for one shot and grind them all, instead of keeping a hopper full. Less stale coffee sitting in the machine, less retained grounds between shots.
Flat burrs and conical burrs both make good espresso. The practical difference at home is retention and workflow, not a quality ranking.
What it does well
Single-dose workflow without a hopper full of stale beans
Stepless-style fine adjustment in the espresso range
What you give up
You must weigh beans before every grind — that is the workflow, not a flaw
More grinder than a first setup strictly needs
Skip it if this is your first grinder and your machine is an entry-level one. The grinder would be the most capable part of the setup by a wide margin.
The long-standing filter-grinder recommendation. It is listed here so you do not buy it by mistake: the ESP is the espresso version for a reason.
We have not compiled a cited spec sheet for this pick yet, so there is no spec table here. What follows is about fit — who it is for and who it is not — not about numbers we cannot source. See how we pick.
The standard Encore and the Encore ESP look alike and cost differently. The ESP exists because the standard model's adjustment range was not built to sit in the espresso zone.
If you also brew pour-over or French press, the standard model is excellent at that job and the wrong tool for this one.
What it does well
Well-supported, repairable, widely stocked
Excellent for filter brewing
What you give up
Not built for the espresso grind range — that is what the ESP is for
Skip it if espresso is the reason you are buying a grinder. Buy the ESP instead; this is the same family aimed at a different brew method.
**Anyone buying their first electric espresso grinder.** This is the default recommendation and it earns it on the adjustment range alone.
**People who also brew filter.** The #21-40 range means it is not a single-purpose purchase.
**Households making three or more drinks a day**, where a hand grinder stops being a pleasure and starts being a chore.
**Anyone pairing it with a machine that has no grinder** — a Bambino, a Dedica, a Gaggia.
Who should not
**You already own a capable hand grinder and make one drink a day.** You would be buying convenience, not better coffee, and a hand grinder at the same price generally has larger burrs.
**You want single dosing with near-zero retention.** This is a hoppered grinder and it holds some coffee between doses like all of them. Single dosing explains whether that matters to you.
**You are buying a machine with a built-in grinder.** Do not pay for two grinders — see all-in-one machines.
**You brew only filter coffee.** The standard Encore is the cheaper and correct answer, and it is on this page specifically so you do not buy the wrong one.
Living with it
Baratza states the burrs are quick-release for cleaning, which matters more than it sounds: coffee oils build up on burrs and go rancid, and that taste ends up in every shot afterward. A grinder you can open without tools is a grinder you will actually clean — brush the chute weekly, take the burrs out monthly. The maintenance schedule has the whole routine.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Baratza Encore ESP good for espresso?+−
Yes, and the reason is specific: Baratza states 20 fine clicks inside the espresso range, with 20 more for filter. That resolution is what makes dialing in possible rather than a series of jumps between too fast and choked.
What is the difference between the Encore and the Encore ESP?+−
The adjustment range. The ESP was rescaled so that the first 20 clicks sit inside the espresso zone; the standard Encore's range was built for filter brewing and does not offer usable espresso resolution.
What size burrs does the Encore ESP have?+−
Baratza states a 40 mm M2 conical burr with quick release for cleaning, running at 550 RPM to limit heat, noise and static.
Does the Encore ESP fit a Breville portafilter?+−
Baratza states it ships with a 54 mm anti-static dosing cup plus a 58 mm adapter, which covers Breville's beginner machines and commercial-standard 58 mm machines without an extra purchase.
Is the Encore ESP worth it over a hand grinder?+−
If you make three or more drinks a day, yes — the effort of hand grinding at espresso fineness compounds. At one or two drinks a day a hand grinder of the same price generally grinds as well or better, and you keep the money.
