Baratza Encore ESP: A 14-Month Long-Term Review

We are not sure how Baratza managed to ship the Encore ESP at a sub-$200 price in a category where every other grinder we'd recommend now starts above $300, but we are glad they did. Fourteen months ago we bought one for our kitchen test counter, and we want to walk you through what's worked, what's broken, and whether it's still the grinder we'd hand to a friend.

The headline

Buy it. With caveats. The Encore ESP earned the "budget pick" slot in our grinder roundup for a reason: it remains the only sub-$200 grinder we'd recommend to someone who plans to make espresso at home. The trick is that it's a filter grinder Baratza has refit with a finer-step adjustment cone in the espresso range. It's not a flat-burr hero — but it's competent, it's well-supported, and it'll let you grow into the workflow.

What's working

The grind range is the headline. We dialed in workable espresso between roughly setting 4 and 8, and filter from 18 to 32. After fourteen months the burrs hold their setting (we marked it with masking tape at month one and have not adjusted more than three settings since).

We are also charmed, not for the first time, by Baratza's parts and service network. When the hopper threading stripped at month 11 we got a replacement in five days under the warranty. We ordered a spare burr set off Baratza's parts site without drama.

What broke

The hopper threading. At month 11 we noticed the hopper was a little wobbly; at month 12 it stopped tightening down all the way and started leaking grounds. The replacement was free under warranty, but it's a known weak spot — Baratza has redesigned the part, and a small number of older units still have the old design.

The other thing we'd flag is retention. We measure roughly 5 g of beans staying in the grind chamber after a single 18 g dose, which means single-dosing this grinder is a workflow with a permanent "purge shot" tax. Our recommendation: just use the hopper as designed. The Encore ESP is not a single-dose grinder, and pretending otherwise will frustrate you.

Espresso vs. filter

For espresso, the Encore ESP is competent and slow. It will get you a workable shot but you'll feel the limitations on a more demanding bean. For filter, French press, and pour-over, it's genuinely excellent. If you're a multi-method household, that's actually a good fit — the grinder can do all of it.

The bottom line

Fourteen months in, the Encore ESP is still the grinder we point friends to when they ask for an espresso starter that won't immediately become e-waste. Buy it, learn on it, ride it for two years, and when you've outgrown it, Baratza will be the kind of company that sells you the burrs to hand it down to a friend. That's still a rare thing.