Comments on: Baratza Virtuoso+ Coffee Grinder ZCG587BLK, Black

By: C

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:27:55 +0000

Great for typical brewing methods, Okay/decent for espresso IF you recalibrate
For french press, pour overs, aeropress, etc, this is a fantastic grinder. The grind is fairly uniform, the grinder is easy to use, and the entire thing is well made and made for repairs–an investment that will last a lifetime or more!However, for espresso, you *can* recalibrate the grinder to grind down to small enough grinds. This taking off the shell and essentially shifting the grind size range down. By this I mean let’s say 0-40 is the range for however your Virtuoso + is currently calibrated. If you recalibrate it to the finest setting, the range, relative to the original, then becomes something like -8-32.As such, this does work for espresso–I managed to dial in some recipes with the use of puck screens and such to compensate for pressure. But the step size itself is fairly big for espresso. What I mean is that the ideal grind size for whatever espresso you want to make is very likely in between grind sizes–and there is no way for you to calibrate this grinder to be in that middle ground. Well, there is: you can do the stepless mod, but per Youtube, this comes with its own compromises (the hopper will shake a lot so you will have to stand there holding the hopper for consistent grinds). Either way, works well for my current espresso skill level and usage.That being said, if you have one of the lower end entry level machines with the pressurized baskets (like mine) and just simply want to make a mocha or strong coffee but not a “proper” or “perfect” espresso, then the grind size/steps kinda don’t matter all that much. These types of baskets are meant to eliminate all the nuances of proper espresso making. When you start messing around with unpressurized baskets though, you may be somewhat unhappy depending on how you like your espresso.In case you are interested in the grind sizes I use, here they are below. Keep in mind my Virtuoso + is calibrated to the finest possible setting (Baratza has videos showing how to do this).French press – I use an Espro P7, so I use a medium grind because I can filter out the grounds. I use size level 28 and the standard 1 min bloom, 3 min brewing, 30 sec plunge techniqueEspresso – I use a Casabrews CM5418 but unpressurized baskets. The one I have dialed in the best (as well as I could with this machine and grinder) is the IKAPE 51mm high extraction beehive basket. For this basket, I use 15.5g of medium/medium-light beans at size 4 with the GEMINI 51mm Puck Screen at 0.8mm thickness. The puck screen is primarily to keep the showerhead clean and compensate for pressure as well as volume since I cannot dial in the grind size any better. The pressure ends up being ~8.5-9 BAR on my machine. it will be a bit on the sour side but still good.If you want something a bit more on the bitter side, then with the same basket, I do 16g of the same beans, grind level 5, with the MHW Bomber3 51mm 0.8mm puck screen. The pressure will be 6.5-7.5 BAR with my machine.

By: KenB

KenB — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:27:55 +0000

Consistent grind just tastes better!
An article I read in the NYTimes Wirecutter reviews discussed how cheaper conical burr coffee grinders produced an inconsistent coffee bean grind size affecting taste. It explained that small particles (“fines”) produced bitter flavor coffee and larger particle size (“boulders”) produced weak coffee. It seemed logical to me and since I wasn’t blown away with the taste of my coffee in my Mocamaster drip coffee maker I decided to splurge and buy the reviews top recommendation â the Baratza Virtuoso+ Coffee Grinder.It produces a very consistent grind size. I was easily able to try several different grind sizes around the recommended “medium” until I found a setting that really pleased me. At this point, I should say that I could really taste the flavor difference. I could taste flavors in my morning coffee that I had never tasted before. I think the biggest difference maker insofar as flavor is concerned is not so much the coffee maker as much as the coffee grinder.Once I got the flavor dialed in, I experimented with different time settings that would yield the exact amount of beans I needed for my morning coffee. The Baratza allowed me to make tenth of a second adjustments. It keeps the last setting used so that all I had to do was load the hopper with several days worth of beans and just push the button and the Baratza would produce the exact amount of perfectly ground coffee to go into my Mocamaster without further adjustments.The other thing I liked about the Baratza is that I didn’t find ground coffee adhering to the sides of the plastic collection cup from static electricity as with my previous grinderâa big improvement. All in all, I couldn’t be happier with the Baratza+ Coffee Grinder. If you enjoy good tasting coffee, you can’t go wrong with this product. I should note that the cheaper Baratza Coffee Grinder produces similar consistent particle size and great tasting coffee for $100 less but lacks the timer which enables one button push in the morning. You have to add a measured amount of beans and hold the button for the desired amount of coffee.

By: Brad H.

Brad H. — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:27:55 +0000

Timer is one of the best features
First off, I come from a professional background having several coffee carts and restaurants over the years. One experience I will always remember is when I had our burrs replaced on our commercial espresso grinder. The technician said, “let me show you something amazing with just changing burrs”. He brewed an espresso before the new burrs and one after. It was night and day difference such that these could have been completely different coffees or expresso machines. Burrs do wear out and need to be changed, which by the way is pretty easy on this machine.I have seen several complaints about the timer. I find it to be extremely useful for measuring output. I tend to brew the same size pot every day and have dialed in my grind time to output the same amount ever time. I have seen some other grinders trying to incorporate scales to measure output which looks to be a PIA. Once you get the time “dialed” in, the output is very consistent. I can see if someone was varying the amount of coffee output regularly, the timer could be a pain but for consistent amounts of grind, it works very well. I also read here about complaints of the white coffee chafe showing. This is common with medium to lighter roast beans and are not an issue. I’ve used cheaper burr grinders usually don’t not show the chafe and this usually means the coffee is being burnt rather than chopped by the grinding process. This has been a very reliable grinder putting out consistent dosed grinds every time. It should be noted that I do not use this grinder for espresso.

By: Richard LeBlanc

Richard LeBlanc — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:27:55 +0000

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?

By: Hardeep Asrani

Hardeep Asrani — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:27:55 +0000

Itâs an amazing grinder if you brew coffee. Obviously, itâs not something new Iâm saying, the reputation of Baratza is well known.But if you want to make great espresso, this isnât a grinder for you. Iâve still rated it 5 starts because itâs 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, itâs an amazing grinder for brewing with all other methods.

By: phantasiemanenquatsch

phantasiemanenquatsch — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:27:55 +0000

Um mit dem grÃ¶Ãten Kritikpunkt anzufangen: Die Baratza Virtuoso Plus ist nicht die leiseste KaffeemÃ¼hle, allerdings immerhin leiser als das (preiswerte) Teil welches zuvor in unserer KÃ¼che werkelte.AuÃerdem 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 fÃ¼r Filterkaffee und French Press – fÃ¼r Espresso sollte man eine spezielle EspressomÃ¼hle wÃ¤hlen).Zum anderen ist die MÃ¼hle extrem praktisch. Hopper alle paar Tage fÃ¼llen und morgens auf Knopfdruck den Timer starten.Kein stÃ¤ndiges Abmessen/Wiegen, keine unnÃ¼tzen Deckelchen, keine groÃen Probleme mit statischer Aufladung, kein verstreutes Kaffeemehl.Einfach den frisch gemahlenen Kaffee umschÃ¼tten und aufbrÃ¼hen.Anders als bei der vorherigen MÃ¼hle kocht jetzt jeder in der Familie gerne guten Kaffee.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:27:55 +0000

Bella e apparentemente robusto. Lâunica pecca Ã¨ che per fare un caffÃ¨ espresso bisogna impostarla al massimo del grado di macinatura.

By: Sandra

Sandra — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:27:55 +0000

Love my new Baratza Virtuoso+! It appears quality made and looks smart on my counter. It’s quieter than I anticipated from what I read online, which is a nice finding. It grinds my beans nice and uniform like I had researched. I run the machine a little longer after the beans are ground to get the machine to drop the remaining grinds into the bin below. I also tap it, because it certainly retains more grinds than I anticipated. didn’t rate the timer function, because I have not used it. I weigh my beans and then just push the power button on “P” mode until done.