Baratza Virtuoso+ Burr Coffee Grinder
The Baratza Virtuoso+ is an entry level filter grinder, and represents a slight step up from the Encore without getting into the silly money territory.
If you were thinking of going for the Encore, mainly for filter, but you might want to use it also for espresso in the future, and you wouldn’t mind spending just a few quid more to get a tad more premium feel and slightly faster grinding speed, the Virtuoso+ could be the winner.
The Virtuoso + is very similar to Baratza’s entry level filter grinder, the encore, but simply with a few premium features, and with the M2 burrs found in the Encore ESP, not the M3 burrs that come with the Encore.
| titlestrong Features and Benefits: |
showbullet 40 grind settings |
showbullet 40mm Etzinger conical steel burrs (M2)|
showbullet Grinding range from 200 to 1200 microns|
showbullet Backlit digital display|
The Virtuoso+ is basically a slight step up from the Encore, it’s almost identical in many ways, including the motor and gearbox and the 40 grind settings, but it’ll grind very fine if you want to, thanks to the burrs, and it has a touch more class about it with the partial metal front, the backlit digital display and the Barista light illuminating the grinds container.
It has the M2 burrs, which come in the Encore ESP, vs. the M3 burrs that come with the Encore, and these are very similar 40mm conical steel burrs, but the M2 has a slightly different burr shape, with much sharper edges, for finer and slightly faster grinding.
The M2 burrs are a more expensive burr set, and being sharper they’ll not only grind faster, they’ll also grind finer, and the particle size distribution is improved.
So if you’re looking towards the entry level, but you’re happy to dig just slightly deeper into your pocket for a grinder that has the ability to produce slightly better cup quality, and also has the ability to be an all rounder for both espresso and filter (although you’d probably be better off going for a different grinder if you’re mainly espresso focussed) then the Virtuoso+ is definitely worth considering.
