Seattle Coffee Gear Blog » Grinders

Shot Compare: Baratza Virtuoso vs. Breville Smart Grinder

Kat — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:02:29 +0000

In yet another grudge match (!!), Gail dialed in the new Baratza Virtuoso and the new Breville Smart Grinder for use with the Rocket Giotto, pulled several shots and then we did a side by side taste comparison.

Does either of them have the edge, taste-wise? Watch to find out.

Crew Review: Compak K10 Conic Fresh

Kat — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:55:30 +0000

Look, you know we don’t judge. In general, we are open minded, supportive and care about you finding the right equipment for you. We often say that we don’t have a horse in that race — the most important thing to us is that you end up with equipment that helps you make coffee that you love at home.

But if we’re going to throw that all to the wayside and pressure you into anything, it’s going to be the ridiculously awesome Compak K10 Conic Fresh grinder. You know that the grinder is the thing and this grinder is the serious thing.

Watch Gail take us through the features and specs, then demonstrate how this big bad grinder performs. Yow!!

How To: Dialing in a Coffee Grinder

Kat — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:32:19 +0000

A little bit of the ol’ science behind the magic! Dialing in a grinder is one of the most fearsome tasks for new home espresso enthusiasts, and we’re often asked for advice on how to get the hang of it.

While we produced a video a couple of years ago that covers this topic, we have had many folks ask more questions that weren’t covered in the original version and we’ve learned a few new tips and tricks along the way. Watch Gail dial in the Nuova Simonelli Grinta for the Nuova Simonelli Oscar, providing recommendations that can be applied to any home espresso setup.

Compare: Baratza Virtuoso vs. Breville Smart Grinder

Kat — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:10:18 +0000

For entry level espresso-grade grinders, the Baratza Virtuoso and the Breville Smart Grinder have a lot of features one might want to cuddle and caress (with the finger guards in place, of course!). At similar price points, how do their features and grind performance compare?

We asked Gail to take these out for a stroll and show them off for you. Watch her go through their features and functionality, then grind at three different settings (finest, medium, coarsest) to compare how the burrs practically perform.

Baratza Grinder Line-Up

Kat — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:56:44 +0000

Since our last look at Baratza’s offerings, they’ve added some new options and changed their line-up, so we asked Gail to provide us with an update.

Watch as she talks us through the different features of the Maestro Plus, Virtuoso, Preciso, Vario, Vario-W and the Esatto retrofit accessory. Then we demonstrate grind differences between the Maestro burrs, the Preciso burrs (used in the Virtuoso and the Preciso) and the Vario burrs (used in the Vario and Vario-W) to see how they compare at their finest and their coarsest.

Crew Review: Breville Smart Grinder Redux

Kat — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:01:53 +0000

After we tested the original Smart Grinder last year and found that it just didn’t grind fine enough for espresso, we talked with Breville and learned they had 2 solutions in the works: First, they offered a shim kit upgrade that could be added after the fact, allowing the customer to modify the grinder’s functionality in order to work well with espresso. Second, they were in the process of manufacturing new burrs with improved tolerances, with the ultimate goal of producing burrs that would grind at an espresso level of fineness without modification.

Now that we have a demo model with the upgraded burrs, we decided it was time for an update to our review of the Smart Grinder. Watch Gail take us through features and specs, then demonstrate different grind levels and see how it performs when paired with the La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi.

Crew Review: Baratza Virtuoso Model 586

Kat — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:13:57 +0000

Leave it to Baratza to take a good thing and make it better, right? Their well-loved Virtuoso has just been souped up with burrs that previously were included with the Preciso model. Why did they do this? Because they love you — of course! And also because it improves the overall consistency in the grind.

Watch Gail compare the older 585 model with the new 586.

Crew Review: Baratza Vario-W Grinder

Kat — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:24:33 +0000

Baratza’s second weight-based grinder, the Vario-W, takes the original Vario’s flat ceramic burrs and macro/micro grind adjustment functionality and pairs it with weight-based calibration. Designed specifically with pour over bars in mind, this grinder can be used for any coffee prep as long as you’re cool with transferring the coffee from the weighing container to your brew apparatus. Yeah, we said it.

Watch Gail take us through how to remove and replace the burrs for cleaning, explain its programming and demonstrate the grind consistency of this cool new option.

Crew Review: Mazzer Robur E Coffee Grinder

Kat — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:00:02 +0000

If you’re grinding coffee for a few hundred shots a day, you mean business. And if you mean business, you mean Robur E! During our field trip to La Marzocco, Gail gave us the what for on this high powered, commercial-grade grinder designed for high capacity commercial environments or very, very committed home enthusiasts.

Crew Review: Baratza Esatto

Kat — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:00:14 +0000

Designed for precision devotees, the Esatto is a retrofit for the Maestro Plus, Virtuoso and Preciso grinders that will grind a specific amount based on weight. Gail shows us how to install this on a Virtuoso and demonstrates how it functions.