Hey all, I’m in the market for a new burr grinder. I’ve read good things about the Baratza Virtuoso+ and have a friend who enjoys their Virtuoso but says it’s gotten less consistent over the years even with a burr replacement. It’s right in the middle of my desired price range however.
I’m looking to mostly do Aeropress and V60 pourover, not espresso, but I’m not against a grinder that has more espresso options, if it’s still capable of good coarser grinds. I’m also not interested in hand cranking so the grinder must have a timer/automatic setting so I can add the beans and let it grind while I work on prepping the rest of the brew.
What should I be looking at in the $200-400 USD price range?
Most new “enthusiast”/community fave grinders are single dosing, mean you weigh the beans out and grind them until they’re ground. Does that work for you or do you need a hopper-based timer setup?
Another factor to consider is whether you have a strong existing preference between conical and flat burrs, or for burrs that produce a particular style of coffee. (e.g., do you value “high clarity” or are you more concerned with body/texture)
As long as I can grind 60-100g for larger batches in a Chemex or drip machine, I’m fine. I don’t need to fit an entire 12oz bag in a hopper (where it’s liable to get stale anyway).
I drink mostly light roasts so it seems like flat burrs might be more up my alley, with the subtle notes like floral and citrus? I used to read that conical burrs were the gold standard and that most flat burrs were poorly made, but maybe that’s just at the low end? I definitely like a good mouthfeel so I don’t want some thin and ultra clear tasting coffee; I’d prefer it to have some body but usually with my Aeropress method (which I really like for a punchy cup) I get some fines that add to the body anyway. Sooo… Not sure where that leaves me!
I’m not a grinder expert, but my understanding is that a lot depends on the specific burrs, but that flat burrs do have a higher ceiling for clarity.
However, some flat burr grinders are optimized for espresso (such as Eureka) and will give more body and less clarity.
100g might be on the high side for some single dosing grinders, although with an electric it’s not that hard to just grind twice. I think the filter/all-purpose grinders that folks are mostly looking at in this price class are the Ode Gen 2 and the DF64 (flat, and you might want to change the burrs) along with the Lagom Mini and the new MHW3 Bomber grinder (conical). And a bit over budget, I think the next widely regarded step up would be the Timemore Sculptor 078.
At the lower end of the range, the Fellow Opus and Baratza Encore ESP are supposed to be pretty good all-arounders if you need to do espresso and filter both, but if you don’t need to do espresso and can afford one of the nicer ones you’ll probably be happier with it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me-Q1M3NZNU