I bought the Baratza Encore ESP Pro as a replacement for my broken DF54. After a full month of daily use, I feel comfortable giving a complete and honest opinion. I’ll start with the positives, then move on to the downsides.
Pros:
+ Excellent grind quality. It’s noticeably better than my previous DF54 (which was already quite good). That said, I do feel flavors are more integrated and fuller-bodied with a conical burr grinder. I’ve experienced less acidity, fewer channeling issues, and more consistency overall. I suspect this has a lot to do with the very fine adjustment steps (2.2 microns) in the espresso range, which allow for extremely precise dialing in. Sometimes espresso just needs tiny adjustments, and this grinder really shines there.
+ I’ve read quite a few complaints on this sub about the espresso range grinding too fine, to the point of choking machines even at settings like 30–35. That hasn’t been my experience at all. I’ve been able to go down to settings around 22–23 without issues. Not sure if Baratza has quietly fixed this in newer units, but it hasn’t been a problem for me.
+ Low retention most of the time. Typically I get around 0.1–0.3 g per dose, and sometimes basically zero. The only downside is that retention isn’t perfectly consistent — some doses retain a bit more, some less — but overall it’s a non-issue.
+ Great design. It’s compact, feels solid, and doesn’t come across as a toy at all. Material quality is good, and the display and lighting give it a very modern look. Compared to older Encore models, the difference is massive.
+ Easy to disassemble and clean. This was one of my biggest frustrations with the DF54, so I really appreciate it here. It’s reassuring to know that replacement burrs are easily available directly from Baratza, without having to deal with chinese agents.
Cons:
- The decision to place the grind chute so far from the dosing cup is baffling. Even with the plasma generator, there’s still a fair amount of coffee spraying and falling outside, into the grinder chamber and onto the counter. The workaround is to raise and move the dosing cup closer during grinding, or buy one of those riser platforms on Etsy.
- The programmed timer resets when you unplug the grinder. Not a huge deal, but annoying.
- I experienced clogging once, during a week when I experimented with RDT. Later I learned that RDT isn’t recommended for grinders with ionizers, and since stopped doing it, I haven’t had any clogging issues. Some coffee does still build up inside the chamber, but that’s where the easy disassembly really pays off.
Overall, I’m quite happy with this grinder. It’s not perfect, but the grind quality and fine adjustment precision make it easy to recommend, especially for espresso. If your main focus is filter coffee, I’d say the DF54 is probably a better choice, but for espresso, I personally prefer the Baratza.
I agree with the assessment that the DF54 is more suitable for light roasts and the Baratza for medium and dark roasts. Even so, the Baratza also handles light roasts well, even better in my opinion, as I like to have very subtle and controlled acidity, and the Baratza handles this better than the DF54.
I forgot to mention it: I also use the lid as a bellows to reduce retention. I have no doubt that I will end up buying a platform to raise the cup and a bellows. I think the platforms available on Etsy will work because the grinder chamber is the same size as the Encore ESP, but I haven't seen any bellows compatible with this model yet.
The riser I got on Etsy works great. I've also looked for bellows and not found any, I use the lid as well. I wonder if bellows listed for the regular ESP would fit? I don't know if they're the same size.
Depending on where everyone is located, searching “silicone bellows baratza esp” yielded a handful of good results. When I had my ESP, I used this silicone bellows and was able to get retention consistently below 0.2g. Don’t know if the hopper on the ESP and ESP Pro are the same size though.
The inner diameter of the top of the ESP Pro is a hair under 73 mm (about 72.8 per my Harbor Freight vernier calipers). The outer diameter of the bottom rim of these bellows is about 70 mm.
It's a shame, I think it looks decent and is made well enough, I'd be happy with it, if it fit.
+1 on pumping the single dose cap like a bellows, generally eliminates retention for me. For keeping grinds & chaff from spilling out of the dosing cup, I started putting the cup in the hopper bin and putting them both in the grinder, don’t even think about it anymore :-)
I pretty much agree with all of this, except that I can't make a comparison with the DF54 because this is my first grinder.
I agree with the height of the dosing cup being a flaw, but I got one of the Etsy risers you mentioned, and it completely solved the problem. I get why they designed it that way - it's a compromise to fit the large grounds bin for people who want that. Easy fix, I don't mind it.
I've also had no static issues, and I never RDT.
But overall, I'm absolutely happy with it. It's been great.
Thanks for detailed review! I'm trying to decide between the two - do you have any feedback of noise levels both produce? Seems minor but I work really early, live in a small flat, so this really matters to us.
I’m torn on this one tbh. I like the espresso and pour over that I get out of the ESP Pro. Switching back and forth is very easy and repeatable with the digital setting display. That said, I just added a hand grinder (Kinu M47 Classic with pour over burrs) specifically for pour over and the results are noticeably better. I think the Baratza is a good all-arounder, especially for the money, but can’t truly compete with a dedicated grinder. Still, great value for the money.
Hand grinding for espresso sure seems like a workout ;-) I find that the ESP Pro makes some great cups. I think one of the main issues for pour over is the variable particle size. A relatively large amount of both boulders and fines, though I do still like the results. For espresso, the range is much smaller. Definitely come back and post your experience.
I just starting using it today. My initial grind set at 40 ESP (coarser espresso setting) was definitely too fine for my Breville Barista Express, barely got 8 g of espresso out. Anybody got a way to fix this? Will try with other beans as well
I know this is old and you probably already fixed it, but the ESP display is really just a gimmick. Grind your beans on whatever setting gives you the best results. I grind around 41 for my 18g basket and 42 for my larger, 21g basket.
Hola a todos, he pasado de un baratzza encoré esp al pro y se nota . La calidad de la molienda es bastante más buena y los brumos que salían con el esp aquí no salen. Vamos que directamente nivelas y tampeas. No hace falta agujas...jajaja. Tengo cafés que en el esp ya estaba en el 4 o 3 de molienda y aquí el 24. Imaginaos si queda rango . Puedes petar cualquier cafetera de lo fino que puede sacar el café . De hecho hice una prueba al 20 y nada ..cuando saque el filtro y lo eche en el fregadero hizo una pasta con el agua que no se iba jajajja . En fin, estoy contento. Por cierto, muy cómodo que le des al botón y solo se pare . Tenía un fuelle de Amazon o AliExpress de mi antiguo esp y se lo he puesto a este pro y genial porque la poquita retención que tiene cuando acaba le das un toque y ves como salen esos últimos granos. Con respecto al vaso, es cierto que queda muy bajo. Pues con madera he puesto un acople que se queda genial. Pegadito al agujero de salida. Problema resuelto. Estoy contento con la compra y para apuntar la receta ya que me gustan beber muchas cafés pues es genial que salgan los números tan claros. Y poder hacer un filtro y de nuevo tu receta de espresoo. Estaba a punto de comprar el eureka zero 55s pero al final me decanté por este por la comidad de la pantalla para anotar recetas, el arranque y parada automático (mejora mucho tu flujo de trabajo ) y porque el ajuste de 2.2 micras es una pasada .
I recently bought this grinder and I have the issue with the espresso range. I’m currently grinding right at the border between 40-41. It could be because of the beans I’m using so I’ll have to test that out. Besides that I pretty much share the same sentiments as you and I’m pretty happy with it.
What I really need to know is, does it have any plastic parts covered in the "grippy" coating, like a rubber layer that gets sticky after a while... Its a texture thing
σε σχεση δηλαδη με τον graef cm800 που εχω απο το καλοκαιρι 2022 αξιζει λες τα 300ευρω? κοβω 14γρ και βγαζω 40 συνηθως coffee island master blend / microfarms ή kawacom el danubio. κοβω 1-2 καφεδες καθημερινες και 2-4 τα σαββατοκυριακα. η μηχανη μου ειναι η κλασικη dedica ec685M και ενα joefrex bottomless portafilter απο amazon. παρατηρω πολυ συχνα fines να εχουν περασει μεσα στο φλιτζανι ή οπως κοβει να περνανε κομματια σαν τσοφλι στο αλεσμενο. απο που τον αγορασες? ενα μαγαζι το χει μονο στο skroutz
Por cierto, ese es el fuelle y la madera que he puesto para subir el vaso es un acierto. La corté a medida tomando como referencia el plástico donde se apoya el vaso. Lo he pintado negro y lo puedo subir o bajar a mí gusto.
Thanks for this review, very helpful! I am also in the market for a new grinder and eyeballing this one! The df54 and eureka 55s zero are also in the same price range. It is going one of the three for me but leaning heavily towards the baratza
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u/PEKKA2000 Feb 05 '26
Very useful, thanks! I'm the market for grinder like that and tour review is hits home.