The home grinder market is flooded with options for the modern specialty coffee fan, but go back just 10 years and there was one name that stood above the rest: Baratza. (Begging pardon of the Rocky.) Whether it was the Encore or the Preciso or even later with the Vario, Baratza was the brand on everyone’s counter. And for good reason. Their mix of reliability and affordability—as well as their modular design and top-notch customer service when repairs were needed—made them the go-to at a time when $300 seemed like an insane amount of money to spend on a piece of coffee gear.
And today, April 24th, Baratza is back with the latest in their line of Encore grinders. The Encore ESP Pro is a souped up version of their introductory grinder model and it will make its debut at SCA Expo in Houston tomorrow.
Occupying the same small countertop footprint as others in the Encore line, the new ESP Pro packs a bunch of new features in a similar silhouette. At the heart of the new grinder is Baratza’s espresso-ready M2 precision steel conical burrs. Making dialing in even better is the ESP Pro’s new stepless grind adjustments, allowing for micron-level control. Each adjustment degree amounts to 2.2 microns of “vertical burr movement,” and with the stepless, you can make even smaller adjustments.
The ESP Pro also comes equipped with two grinding modes: Single Dose Mode and Timer Mode. Single Dose Mode has an automatic shut off after the last bit of coffee has been ground, and Timer Mode grinds to a pre-set amount of time down to a tenth of a second, which can be selected via the grinder’s new digital display and dial interface.
Other new features include “ion generating technology” that will reduce grind retention and help reduce the mess, LED barista downlights that “keep the key areas of the grinder illuminated during use,” and an all-new anodized, heavy-duty die-cast metal exterior, in a matte black finish.
The Encore ESP Pro retails for $299.95 and is available for purchase via Baratza’s website, various coffee roasters around the country, and finer home appliance retailers and e-tailers. There will also be demo units on hand at the SCA Expo this weekend in Houston for anyone looking to take it for a spin.
For more information on the Encore ESP Pro, visit Baratza’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
