Encore

You should see my Baratza Encore ESP lol. Sometimes it is generous enough to share the coffee with me.

I'll paste my usual recs at this price point from cheapest up. Definitely drop the sage smart grinder, it is no longer a good option. Baratza Encore ESP - This is your basic low budget option. Conical grinder, high retention, plastic exterior, low quality internals including plastic but they compens

lol I see the confusion. You’re using a grinder to grind, not blend. Anyways a cheap Amazon coffee grinder like the ANZCHEF or similar will get you pretty decent results. I honestly like it more than my Baratza Encore. Proper extraction will have a much bigger impact, than just new beans.

The Breville Bambino Plus is a great option, especially if you can secure one around $350-400. The machine is very competent in both shots and frothing, though do not expect extremely high end with either. It is incredibly fast to heat up, versus more fancy boiler heat exchange units. For the price

Are you moving from the Baratza Encore or the Baratza Encore ESP? I moved from the Baratza Encore (non ESP) to the CF64 (bought an open box model on sale) and it is a significant upgrade for me. It takes far less attempts to dial in the grind. That said if you don’t change beans often then you might

K6 requires more arm muscle, but it has much better grind quality than a Baratza. The only reason to buy a $200 electric grinder would be for ease of use. An electric grinder with better grind quality than the K6 will cost much more than $200. If you decide to get the Encore, make sure you get the E

Turkish grind is the finest of all coffee types (literally powder), so it really puts grinders to the test. Honestly, manual grinders give you the best bang for your buck for Turkish coffee. Check out the 1Zpresso J-Ultra or a classic Sözen hand mill. If you really want an electric grinder, you'll n

At this level the grinder matters more than the machine, so put the budget there. Between those two, the Eureka Mignon (flat burrs) holds a finer, more consistent espresso grind and adjusts more smoothly than the Baratza Encore ESP. The Encore ESP is a good grinder, just a step down for espresso spe

If it's Americano you mostly drink would you consider filter coffee, or filteresque? I have a Gaggia Classic espresso machine, and a Baratza encore esp grinder, and used the combo uniquely for a number of years, but as I moved to drinking more Americanos and drifted towards filter coffee, it kinda s

When my Encore ESP died, I got a Starseeker E55 Pro for ~$200 something (I'm not from the US) on ali express. Having used it for a few months, I can say I'm pretty impressed with the quality. It's considerably better than the Baratza, better build quality, grinds faster, less noise, less retention,