Baratza Encore ESP review: a grinder for almost any kind of coffee

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“I don’t know if I’m at step 15,” said Olympia co-owner Sam Schroeder, who was turning the hopper to adjust the size of the grind. “That’s really sloppy.”

However, things got better after that. Sam ran the grinder and Olympia’s retail trainer, Reyna Callejo, ran the espresso machine while I sat back and watched the experts work. Each time, the duo used 18 grams of Big truck blend, arriving at 36 grams of espresso. The 15 grind size was too coarse, and the 12 and 8 were too coarse. Six was too fine, and 7, as Reyna declared, “tastes like Big Truck!”

In Olympia barista lingo, that meant he was right where he needed to be.

Sam was still a bit obsessed with off-center numbering, but that one dialing session told him a lot. “I don’t like the way the numbers don’t line up, but I love the fine tuning.”

We all appreciate the flavor of coffee and enjoy the body too, something that conical burrs like the ones on the ESP can often do better than their flat burr competitors. Flat burr grinders are usually good for grind size consistency, but the coffee they make can be a little more than one note; It’s tricky, but in the end, it’s usually a matter of personal preference.

“There is more variability in the ESP grind size, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Reyna said.

Heading out for a date, Sam gave the ESP his blessing, calling it “pretty impressive for a $200 grinder.”

Reyna took it from there as we explored coarse grinding capabilities. she started to do pour over in a Hello Kalita, one batch based on 28 grind size, another on 25, praising his grind speed as he went. At grind size 20, he said this would be the one, and it turned out to be a very good cup.

Next, we tweaked the grind a bit to try Reyna’s current favorite brew method, putting a Chemex filter in a origami dropper, creating what was essentially a hybrid between classic Chemex and pour-over coffee. At grind size 30, she ground the beans at what she called “turbo speed,” revealing a slightly varied consistency in the grind.

“Stones!” she declared, “Look at them all.”

A relatively large grind rose to the top of the bed after she poured out the water, and Reyna said she would try a finer grind next time. We agreed that what she made was already pretty good, with a nice texture, and that it would be easy to hone our way to an even better cup.

“Variation in grind size is personal preference,” he said, addressing the somewhat controversial issue of grind consistency, “Some are desirable, none are too cute, but a lot can be a lot for some people.”

From there we move to the other end of grind size capabilities, exploring what fans of the French press and cold beer had to wait. To start, he poured a tablespoon of ground coffee onto the counter, where we noticed a lot of variability in the size of the grind.

“This might give you a muddier French press,” he said, with what may have been a note of disappointment in his voice, “but it’s also a more forgiving method.”

We had gotten so far in testing that I asked Reyna if we had a true all-rounder, a grinder that could do everything from fine grinds for espresso to coarse grinds for French press.

“Almost! You’re not going to have a good time grinding very coarse.”

Oh man, we were so close.

Back home, I saw what he meant; It made a good French press but muddier than I’m used to. As a regular French press drinker, I don’t mind a little mud, but I wasn’t sure I’d want that much from here on out. Still, I found this machine impressive.

In general, I hadn’t taken many notes on the machine because it was impressively capable of grinding an almost full spectrum of coffee types. If I were a normal home coffee maker, what would I want to do? Espresso—and also liked the simplicity of the drip, thoughtfulness of the pour, and the coarser grind of Chemex—may not be perfect for a coffee shop. But as Reyna reminded me, “It makes espresso. That’s a lot.”