Something you didn't touch on, but which I feel compelled to mention: the grinder is actually *stepless*, which makes ultra-fine adjustments between stepped clicks doable. I got this as my first grinder and backed the 064S at the same time, thinking this would hold me over. I can't wait for the the less noisy and hopefully cleaner + possibly actually better grinding of the 064S, BUT the Encore ESP has punched well above it's weight and it's a perfect entry level grinder pairing for my Bambino.

The single dose hopper really improves things FWIW. My take? There's nothing as good at twice the price. Especially as an all around grinder. Mine sits next to a Niche Zero and I often reach for the ESP, which says a lot.

I found out about your channel from the Coffee 101 podcast. Really enjoyed your conversation with Kenneth about the French press and other stuff. Just want to take a moment and congratulate you on the quality of your videos! After watching a few of your videos, I was surprised that you don’t have a bigger following! Keep up the good work, and you will surely get many more! I’d also like to say, I always read comments on the videos, I watch, and I am also impressed with the sophistication and knowledge of your subscriber base. Obviously, a lot of smart and knowledgeable people watch your content! I have also subscribed on Instagram and Facebook.

I’ve had a standard Encore for a while. If they’d had the ESP at the time I would have gotten that. But recently I upgraded to the M2 burr and now I can get a good espresso dial-in sometimes. Doesn’t work for every coffee but sometimes I get lucky and one of the big steps happens to work!

Having had one for a while now I highly recommend an aftermarket single dose hopper with bellows. Yes, Baratza makes a SD hopper but the bellows, to me, is the important part because the retention for me is fairly high. Maybe not shot to shot but it builds up over the week and you will get it all at once randomly. Particularly if you like darker roasted specialty coffees (Onyx Eclipse) and for sure if you like stuff like Lavazza. Just my experience though.

Friendly correction: Pretty sure the regular Encore actually came with an M3 burr. I remember because I swapped mine out for the M2, and I thought it was an odd distinction.

Thanks for the great video. Like with every one of your videos that I've watched, it's extremely informative, and you have a great way of speaking and presenting things! I had one question that maybe you can answer: what would you say is the next level (or levels) up from this machine, budget-wise? I'm looking for something exactly like this, that does both espresso and filter reasonably well, accepting that it's going to be hard to to have one excel at both in the same machine (or if it does, dialing back and forth from espresso might be too annoying). I have watched all the reviews, the NZ, the DF, the Timemore, etc., and they all seem to come with their detractors and critics, so I was wondering what your take is. If you had say a $500 or $1000 budget, what would your upgrade to this machine be? Thanks!

Is it possible to grind very finely (to a powder) for turkish coffee?

@daddy got coffee - what is the espresso machine you are using?

nice vid - thoughts on DF54? review of that?

I currently own the Baratza Virtuoso and waiting on 078s to arrive. Where does this esp rank compared to those to your opinion?

Hey there! I’m new to the espresso world. I enjoy watching your videos. I was hoping you could help. I just got a Giggia Classic pro and a baratza encore ESP Burr. Tools that I am using: 18 gram IMS baristapro nanotech precision ridgeless double portafilter basket Normcore 58.5mm Coffee tamper FusedLine Metal WDT tool. Coffee - Philz ( I bought the bag a week ago) I’ve tried every espresso setting wasting an entire bag of coffee! My coffee is coming out way too fast. I’ve tried 18grams, 16grams and 14grams dry. It doesn’t matter what setting I use on my Baratza, the coffee comes out way too fast. I get around 34 or more grams of coffee coming out in just 6 seconds. I’m beyond discouraged and about ready to send my entire setup back. I’m super disappointed. Wondering if you could give me any suggestions. I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much!

which would you say is louder? this or the df64 gen 2? not true db reading, but which one is the most pleasant to your ear lol

I do have the Oxo grinder, and it's good for many things. But it is lacking when it comes to espresso. I do wish this had a portafilter fork. It just makes dosing easier.

the entry level boss to all medium to darkroast drinkers

200 dollars is entry level for a grinder….wowza

Looks like it should be no more than $60. It looks like cheap plastic. I get that it does espresso but i agree with you on the counter appeal. As a plain old drip coffee drinker that's not knowledgable about high end espresso stuff. Aestetically it looks like the cheap plastic stuff from Target or off of no name brand Amazon.