Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder ZCG484WHT, White

UPDATE November 2, 2025: Within a week of posting the March update, I started to have trouble with the grinder. It would occasionally become sluggish or stop, but I could always get it restarted again. I've seen other reports of similar problems, but since the grinder continued to work, I carried on with it. Finally, about a month ago it completely died. Following some YT videos, I was able to disassemble the grinder to test the motor and other components. The short story is that the power board had died. I contacted Baratza support, and after a brief email conversation and me sending them photos of the power board, they sent me a replacement power board for free, even though the grinder was outside the 1-year warranty period. I installed the new power board, and the grinder is running again. As for why the board originally failed, I think I accidentally got coffee grounds inside the guts of the grinder while cleaning it. I can't say for sure if that was the cause, the day after I cleaned it, I inverted it with some grinds in the hopper. The next day the problems started. Regardless, this review is now not just for the grinder, but for their support. UPDATE March 8, 2025: The grinder has been wonderful to use over the past year. I am changing my review to five stars. In addition to the star bump, there are three important updates, plus a comment: 1) I upgraded the burr from the original "M3" burr to an M2 burr I ordered directly from Baratza (now Breville). I think it was worth the money. 2) Lighter roasts do make for a slightly messier cleanup than darker roasts. My original review noted not having experienced much of that. 3) Pay attention to your grinding. If it suddenly seems inconsistent, inspect the ring burr holder to make sure all three outer tabs are intact. These are plastic parts designed to break under load to protect the more important internal components. I highly recommend ordering spare holders. I have had two break in the past year, reasons unknown. It sucks to have your grinder down waiting for replacement parts to arrive. Finally, this grinder is not going to give you better coffee if there are problems besides the grinder you're replacing. For me, I discovered the house water had been a secret roadblock to making good coffee at home. Once I realized how bad it was (cheap TDS meter purchased here on Amazon), I switched to using distilled water remineralized with Third Wave Water (also sold here on Amazon). ORIGINAL REVIEW: This is a "5-stars, but" review that makes me drop the rating to 4 stars. I'd give it 4 1/2 stars. Compared to the blade grinder I was using, though, it's worth 10 stars. I ordered the Encore in March 2024, shipped from and sold by Amazon.com. I wanted to be sure of the sender, even if it might have saved a few dollars ordering from a different vendor. The first thing you have to do is to do some minor assembly, and you would think that should be easy to do. There is a fluted rubber gasket that would not stay seated on the ring burr, though, and I ended up tearing it even before making a single pot of coffee. I did some googling and found out that there's a new version of the gasket that is supposed to be with newer Encores, so I'm not sure why mine had the old one. Regardless, I could have tried to obtain a replacement gasket either from Baratza or here, but I ended up ordering some aftermarket gaskets from Aieve (sold here on Amazon) that are a perfect match to Baratza's new gasket. If you get an Encore and it comes with the new gasket, congrats on not having to deal with that headache. After getting it assembled, I followed another online recommendation to run a small batch of beans through the grinder as sort of a break-in. That worked fine. Since then, the grinder has performed admirably. It has been used nearly every day on a variety of dark and medium roasts. It hasn't been especially staticky or messy. An occasional brushing of the chute and burrs is all I've needed to clean it out. I've been careful to keep the grounds below the line on the hopper, so I've avoided clogging it. I did buy some Urnex Grindz tablets, and I'll be using them soon to give the internals a more thorough cleaning. As for the coffee itself, I'm not an expert, but it seems fairly consistent in grinds for drip and French press. Any failures on making a less-than-tasty batch of coffee are almost certainly my fault, not the grinder's. Besides the finicky original gasket, the only complaint I have would be the noise. There are remedies for that, most notably upgrading the conical burr to the one found in the Virtuoso+ or Encore ESP, but I'm not ready to do that yet. Depending on who you ask, the lack of a timer on the Encore is either a curse or a blessing. I'm happy with it. I don't store the coffee in the hopper. I weigh each batch of beans before pouring them in the hopper, so I just turn the grinder on and let it empty the hopper. You can tell by the noise level when the grinder is done, it's significantly quieter. The resulting grounds have been the same weight as what I put in the hopper, so I know the grinder isn't leaving large quantities of coffee behind. There are tons of videos on YouTube regarding the Encore. I recommend checking those out.

This was a step-down purchase for me. For the past 10 or more years I have owned a Rancilio Rocky grinder which costs about 3x more than the Baratza Encore. And in hindsight, it was a stupidly expensive purchase as I never made Expresso or specialty coffees. I just wanted one of the best grinders and at the time I had the financial means to splurge. Now that I am retired, I am a lot more conservative with my spending. That expensive Rancilio grinder finally died and it was time to look for a replacement. The idea here was to find the best bang-for-the-buck grinder at a price point of under $200. I spent days doing research and found that Barista Encore was constantly rated as the best in class for what I wanted to spend. I placed my order on Amazon and then spent time watching setup videos on YouTube. I had a bit of a rough start. When I unpacked my brand-new Encore I was shocked to find that the gasket included looked nothing like the one I had seen in countless videos and setup guides. Even the included instruction book showed a completely different gasket than the one I received. I panicked. I thought that Baratza made a manufacturing mistake. I placed a phone call to customer service and found that their phones were shut down due to overwhelming demand. So, I fired off an email thinking it would be days before I got a response. Within 15 minutes, a customer service representative emailed me back saying that the company had recently updated their gasket for this model and was unable to include new documentation for it in recent shipments. So, let me just stop here and say that I was extremely impressed by the customer service response. When they were overwhelmed on the phones, they at least had someone watching email inquiries and making certain responses went out within minutes of being contacted. So, let me start with the gasket. For me, after watching all the setup videos, it was the one aspect of putting this Encore together that I was concerned about. The old gasket was cumbersome to align. It was a very smart thing for Barasta to upgrade the gasket. Now, it's considerably smaller, and you can simply plop it into the burr grinder without any difficulty. There are new videos online explaining how to do it, but I can save you time by saying you need to insert the thick end of the gasket into the grinder before installing the hopper. So, to address the most common questions... 1. Is it noisy? Yeah, somewhat, but I'm used to it. It's less noisy than the industrial Rancilio Rocky it replaced. And, I can't fathom any coffee grinder that is not going to make a considerable amount of noise. 2. Does it leave grinds everywhere? Yes, it does leave traces of grinds in the holder and along the lip of the ground coffee bin. Is it a big deal? No. It's the nature of these grinders. I have a small handheld vacuum to deal with it. A cheap coffee brush is another way to take care of the cleanup. It's minor, to say the least. There is a great accessory you can buy on Amazon for under $14 that will eliminate trace grounds. Look for AIEVE Upgrade Single Dose Hopper. It's a must-buy accessory for your Encore. 3. Is it difficult to clean? Not that I can see. The burr grinder is very easy to remove. There is an included brush for cleaning. Every few months I am going to throw in some cleaning tabs and grind it through. I also don't recommend using this grinder for flavored or shiny beans. They tend to leave a lot of gunky residues. If I want flavored coffee, I buy it already ground. 4. Is the power cord too thick? I only bring this question up as it's one of those things I read complaints about in review after review. No, it's not. It's the same as my Rancilio Rocky which is considerably thicker than what you would find on a toaster or electric can opener, which is to be expected. 5. Is the build quality cheap? While there is a lot more plastic here than I would want to see, from the online videos I have watched, experts believe that the Encore is made of solid materials and built to last for many years. In fact, if you go through a pound of coffee a week, and clean as recommended, the estimated life of this device is 10 years before you need to start replacing anything. From the research I have done, apparently what makes Barasta grinders so popular is that all their parts are serviceable. They are supposed to be very easy to clean and maintain. The company has a library of diagrams that help you navigate their machines. My first grind and cup of coffee were memorable. With some research, I found the perfect grind setting for my Technivorm Moccamaster. That coffee maker requires a more coarse grind so I set my Encore at "20" and poured my beans into the hopper. It is suggested to have the hopper running when you pour your beans in so you are not grinding from a dead stop (which is not good for the blade). I found the resulting grind to be very uniform in appearance. The coffee the grind produced was spectacular. I think I had been using the wrong setting on the Rancilio Rocky for years, grinding my beans slightly more finely (which you want to do with drip coffee makers). This more coarse grind setting produced a more flavorful cup of coffee. I was delighted. The Encore is for most enthusiasts who aren't looking for Expresso grinds. It's the best entry-level conical grinder for anyone that doesn't want something cheap or wants to spend a fortune on a device like this. And to say "entry-level" isn't even fair. There are coffee shops that use these grinders, from what I understand. This brand has been a staple in the coffee community for decades. It has a reputation for being the best in its class. So, I promise to keep using this every day and if it doesn't live up to my expectations, I will update this review regularly and keep everyone aware. For the moment, I am delighted to own this product. If my first cup of coffee is any indication of where things are going, I think we are going to make beautiful java together.

Es muy compacto, ideal para mí barra de café mini. Me encanta su diseño por qué es fácil de limpiar. La molienda es súper sencilla, y con suficientes grados. Casi no hace ruido al moler y llegó al día siguiente que hice la compra!

I purchased the Encore Coffee Beans Grinder with high hopes and excitement, as I'm an avid espresso lover and appreciate the aroma of freshly ground coffee. Initially, the grinder performed admirably, producing fine and consistent grounds that were perfect for my espresso machine. However, after just two years of use, the grinder's performance has severely declined, leaving me disheartened and disappointed in my investment. The first thing that caught my attention was the sleek and sturdy design of the grinder. It looked like a well-built and durable appliance that would stand the test of time. The burr grinding mechanism, which initially impressed me, seemed to promise years of reliable use without compromising the coffee's quality. In the beginning, the grinder lived up to its expectations. The grind settings were easy to adjust, allowing me to customize the coarseness of the coffee grounds to suit my preferences. The espresso grind setting, in particular, was perfect for producing a rich and flavorful shot. I relished the aromatic experience every morning and enjoyed sharing it with friends and family. However, as time passed, I noticed a decline in the grinder's performance. The consistency of the grind became less reliable, resulting in uneven and coarser grounds even on the finest setting. As an espresso enthusiast, this was particularly disappointing, as the lack of fine grinding affected the quality and taste of my espresso shots. I suspected that the burr might be wearing out, as there were visible signs of deterioration. This would explain the degradation in grinding performance over time. What I had hoped would be a long-lasting investment turned out to be a mere two-year venture. The short lifespan of the Encore Coffee Beans Grinder is a significant concern for me. Investing in a coffee grinder is an important decision, and I expected it to last for many years before needing a replacement. Unfortunately, the decline in performance after just two years is not acceptable for a product in this price range. Furthermore, the lack of any warranty support or customer assistance from the manufacturer adds to my frustration. I would have appreciated some level of assistance or acknowledgment from the company regarding the issues I faced with their product. In conclusion, while the Encore Coffee Beans Grinder started with promise and produced excellent results during its initial days, its longevity and performance have left much to be desired. The premature wearing of the burr, leading to inadequate grinding for espresso, is a significant drawback. As a consumer, I feel let down and hesitant to invest in this brand again. I would caution others considering this grinder to research thoroughly and consider alternatives with better track records of durability and customer support.

ممتازه

Jag ger produkten 5/5 stjärnor men 4,5 kanske är mer korrekt. Det enda negativa är att den är lite ”svår”/krånglig att rengöra gällande att ta isär alla delar och sen få dem på plats. Men det i sig är ju inget stort problem. Den ger exakt vad den ska, bra malning till Filter/French Press. Det maler dock inte helt perfekt för Espresso. Då rekommenderar jag Baratza Encore Esp (Esp = Espresso). Den ska funka för Espresso + Filter/F.P. Jag är helnöjd med denna kvarnen. Mitt syfte var att köpa en kvar som maler bra för French Press/Filter (då jag redan har en kvarn för Espressomalning) vilket denna gör med bravur.

Works well, but it's louder then drilling holes in concrete wall. Do no try to operate it at 6 in the morning, unless you want to wake up the entire city block.