Baratza Encore ESP.

The Gavler Review.

Baratza Encore ESP Review: The Smartest Way Into Espresso

The Baratza Encore ESP earns an 8.3 on Gavler's Best Coffee Grinders list, and it's the rare entry-level product that genuinely deserves the hype around it. For about $200 you get real, dual-resolution grind adjustment, upgraded Etzinger M2 conical burrs, and a dosing cup sized for both 54mm and 58mm portafilters — features that, five years ago, simply didn't exist at this price. It's the most sensible on-ramp to espresso grinding available today. Buy it to learn espresso affordably and to have one grinder that competently does both espresso and filter. Don't buy it expecting it to keep pace once your palate and your standards get more demanding — dialing in is coarser and slower than what pricier espresso grinders offer, and that's the real trade-off, not some hidden flaw.

What it is

The original Baratza Encore built its reputation as the grinder coffee professionals point beginners toward — reliable, simple, and cheap, but strictly a filter grinder. It could never dial fine enough for espresso. The ESP is Baratza's fix, and rather than bolting on a marketing name, it rebuilds the grinder around a genuinely different adjustment mechanism.

The core of it is a dual-resolution collar with 40 total steps. Steps 1 through 20 move the burrs in roughly 20-micron increments — fine enough movement to meaningfully dial in an espresso shot. Steps 21 through 40 open up to about 90 microns per step, the coarser jumps appropriate for pour-over and drip. One grinder, two distinct adjustment personalities, switchable without tools. Independent testing backs the spec: The Coffee Chronicler measured the fine range at closer to 18.8 microns per click, close enough to Baratza's own number to confirm the mechanism works as advertised.

Behind that collar sit 40mm Etzinger M2 conical burrs, an upgrade over the plastic-shrouded burr set that shipped in the original Encore and previously reserved for pricier Baratza models like the Virtuoso. The grinder ships with an anti-static dosing cup that fits both 54mm and 58mm portafilters, plus the classic grounds bin for filter brewing — a genuinely useful pair of accessories that many grinders in this price range still skip. At roughly 3.4 lb, it's light enough to live on a counter without becoming a permanent fixture.

In use

The headline question with any budget espresso grinder is simple: does it actually pull a good shot, or is "espresso capable" doing a lot of marketing work? On this, reviewers who've spent real time with it are consistent. The Coffee Chronicler's Asser Christensen, after several weeks of daily testing, found the espresso shots had "a nice body and mouthfeel... with a flavor profile that steers clear of unpleasant acidity," adding plainly, "it's not a boring shot." That's a meaningfully positive result for a $200 grinder that, one product generation ago, couldn't grind for espresso at all.

CoffeeGeek's take lines up with that assessment: "With the new grind selection, better burr set and dosing cup, it is a solid multipurpose entry point for people discovering good coffee." Whole Latte Love zeroed in on the feature that makes the ESP distinct from cheaper single-purpose grinders: "The dual-range collar makes it genuinely usable for both espresso and filter — a rare thing at this price." And Tom's Guide summed up the overall experience as living "up to its hype as a beginner espresso grinder, with the caveat that advanced users will want finer control."

That caveat is the throughline across every review, including The Coffee Chronicler's, which was more pointed about where the ESP runs into trouble: pushing it toward finer settings with lighter or medium roasts introduces retention issues, clumping, and heat buildup, and the grinder is on the louder side of its class. None of that erases the core result — real, usable espresso from a $200 machine — but it does mean this isn't a set-it-and-forget-it precision instrument.

Strengths

• Genuine dual-resolution adjustment. The 20-step espresso range and 20-step filter range aren't a gimmick; independent measurement confirms the fine range moves in small enough increments to matter for dialing in a shot.
• Etzinger M2 burrs. A real upgrade over the base Encore's burr set, and previously the domain of pricier Baratza models — it shows up in cleaner, more consistent grounds for filter brewing especially.
• Thoughtful accessories included. The 54/58mm dosing cup is a detail that competitors at this price routinely charge extra for or skip entirely.
• Tool-free switching between grind ranges. You can genuinely run espresso in the morning and pour-over in the afternoon on the same machine without hunting for an Allen key.
• Baratza's support and parts ecosystem. Even under Breville ownership, Baratza's reputation for long-term parts availability and repairability remains one of the strongest arguments for buying into the line at all.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

• You're chasing precision espresso. The fine range's roughly 20-micron steps are meaningfully coarser than the stepless or near-stepless adjustment on dedicated espresso grinders, and multiple reviewers flag retention and clumping problems specifically at the fine end of the range — expect to reach for a WDT tool regularly.
• You want a quiet grinder. The Encore ESP's plastic-heavy construction makes it one of the louder grinders in its class; if a quiet 6am espresso routine matters, look elsewhere.
• You mostly grind for filter and rarely touch espresso. If espresso capability isn't a priority, a cheaper filter-focused electric grinder, or a manual grinder like the 1Zpresso JX Pro, gets you comparable or better filter performance for less money.
• You already know you want a serious, dedicated espresso setup. The ESP is explicitly a stepping stone. Reviewers are unanimous that it's built for people new to espresso, not people trying to nail competition-level extraction.

How it compares

The most natural alternative on this list is the 1Zpresso JX Pro, ranked sixth in Gavler's Best Coffee Grinders roundup at $139 — about $60 cheaper than the Encore ESP. The JX Pro is a manual grinder with 48mm conical burrs, larger than the Encore ESP's 40mm set, and its external stepped dial moves in roughly 12.5-micron increments across more than 200 total settings. It's the better pure filter grinder and can reach espresso-fine grinds too, but it asks you to hand-crank every dose. The trade-off is straightforward: pay more and turn a dial for electric convenience and dual-range switching with the Encore ESP, or save money and grind by hand with the JX Pro if you're filter-first and don't mind the extra minute of effort. Baratza's own Breville-siblinged competitor, the Breville Smart Grinder Pro, sits one rank below at the same roughly $200 price point and takes a preset-driven approach instead of a dual-resolution collar — worth a look if you prefer numbered settings to Baratza's step system, though it hasn't gone through Gavler's full review process yet.

Zoom out to what a genuinely dedicated espresso grinder looks like, and the gap becomes obvious. The Eureka Mignon Specialita, ranked fourth on this same list at $649 — roughly three times the Encore ESP's price — runs 55mm flat burrs with a micrometric stepless collar that lets you nudge grind size in genuinely tiny increments, all while running quiet enough for a pre-dawn shot. Retention sits around a gram per dose, well below what reviewers report from the Encore ESP at fine settings. That's what the extra money buys: finer control, lower retention, and a quieter motor, not a fundamentally different burr technology. The Encore ESP isn't trying to compete with the Specialita — it's trying to get you far enough into espresso that you can tell, for yourself, whether that upgrade is worth it.

The Gavler verdict

An 8.3 for a grinder that does exactly what it promises: real, usable espresso capability and solid filter performance from one $200 machine, with a dosing cup and burr upgrade that punch well above the price. The ceiling is real too — dialing in is coarser and slower than what a dedicated espresso grinder offers, and pushing it toward fine, light-roast espresso surfaces retention and clumping issues reviewers consistently flag. Buy the Encore ESP to learn espresso without overspending, or as the one grinder that competently splits time between espresso and filter. Don't buy it as your last grinder — buy it as the one that teaches you what you'll want next.

Common Questions

Is the Baratza Encore ESP worth it in 2026?

Yes, for the buyer it's built for. It ranks eighth on Gavler's Best Coffee Grinders list with an 8.3. For around $200 you get real dual-resolution adjustment, Etzinger M2 conical burrs, and a dosing cup that fits both 54mm and 58mm portafilters — genuine espresso capability at a price that used to only buy filter-only grinders. The trade-off is ceiling: dialing is coarser and slower than pricier espresso grinders, so it's a stepping stone for serious espresso chasers, not a forever grinder.

Can the Baratza Encore ESP actually grind fine enough for espresso?

Yes, with caveats. Its steps 1 through 20 move the burrs in roughly 20-micron increments, fine enough to pull real shots, and reviewers confirm it produces a shot with decent body and mouthfeel. But retention, clumping, and static increase noticeably at espresso-fine settings, so plan on using a WDT tool and expect more fuss than a dedicated espresso grinder.

What's the difference between the Baratza Encore and the Encore ESP?

The original Encore is filter-only and can't grind fine enough for espresso. The ESP adds a dual-resolution collar (fine steps for espresso, coarser steps for filter) and upgrades to Etzinger M2 burrs, plus it ships with an anti-static dosing cup. It's built to do both jobs the original Encore couldn't.

Baratza Encore ESP or 1Zpresso JX Pro — which should I buy?

Buy the Encore ESP if you want electric convenience and plan to split time between espresso and filter. Buy the 1Zpresso JX Pro if you're filter-first, don't mind hand-cranking, and want to spend $60 less — its 48mm burrs are actually larger than the Encore ESP's 40mm set, and it's the more versatile filter grinder of the two.

Should I buy the Encore ESP or save up for a 'real' espresso grinder?

If you're new to espresso and want to learn on a budget, buy the Encore ESP now. If you already know you want to chase competition-level shots or run a dedicated home espresso setup, a grinder like the Eureka Mignon Specialita offers finer stepless control and lower retention — for roughly three times the price.