Baratza Encore and Encore ESP Grind Settings for Espresso

The Baratza Encore is one of the best-known home coffee grinders, and it now comes in two versions that behave very differently for espresso. Knowing which one you have saves a lot of frustration.

Which Encore do you have?

	Original Encore	Encore ESP
Designed for	Filter coffee	Espresso and filter
Settings	40 even steps	40 steps: 1 to 20 fine-pitch, 21 to 40 coarse-pitch
Espresso capable	Marginal	Yes
Dosing cup for portafilters	No	Yes

The ESP has “ESP” on the front and a dial where the first twenty settings move the burrs in much smaller increments.

Encore ESP: where to start

Baratza’s manual gives 15 as the starting point for espresso. Set it there, grind your dose and pull a shot.

Shot result	Change
Under 20 seconds	Go finer by two or three settings
20 to 25 seconds	Go finer by one
25 to 30 seconds	Taste it
Over 35 seconds	Go coarser by one or two

Each step in the 1 to 20 range changes the grind only slightly, so single steps are the right size for fine-tuning.

Where people usually end up

It varies with the coffee, the dose and the machine.

• Medium to dark roasts, 18 g dose, 58mm basket: often around 10 to 18.
• Lighter roasts: lower, sometimes 5 to 10.
• Smaller baskets with smaller doses: a little lower.
• Older beans: lower than the same beans when fresh.

If you see a different number recommended elsewhere, that is why. Use the shot time, not someone else’s setting. See how to dial in espresso.

Other brew methods on the ESP

Method	Baratza’s suggested start
AeroPress	22
Hario V60	25
Automatic drip	28
Chemex	30
French press	32

Original Encore: can it do espresso?

It was built for drip, pour-over and French press. For espresso there are two problems.

• Step size. One click changes the grind too much. You jump from too fast to too slow with nothing between.
• Fineness. At its lowest settings it may still be too coarse for a non-pressurized basket.

If you want to try:

1. Use a pressurized basket, which tolerates a coarser, less precise grind.
2. Set the grinder to its lowest few settings.
3. Adjust the dose by half a gram to fine-tune shot time, since the grind steps are too coarse.

For non-pressurized espresso, a grinder made for it will serve you better. See the best budget espresso grinders.

Tips for both

• Adjust finer only while the motor is running or when the grinder is empty, to avoid jamming.
• Discard a gram or two after changing setting.
• Weigh your dose. See how long to grind beans for espresso.
• Clean the burrs every few weeks. See how to clean an espresso grinder.

If you run out of range

On Baratza grinders the burr position can be recalibrated to shift the whole range finer. Baratza publishes instructions and offers support for this, and sells replacement burrs and parts.

The principle

The setting is a means to an end. Fix your dose, aim for about twice that weight in the cup in 25 to 30 seconds, and move the dial until you get there. The reasoning is in espresso grind size.

For our view of the grinder as a whole, read the Baratza Encore ESP review.