Baratza Forte BG vs. Virtuoso for pourover

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
RyanJE
Posts: 1519
Joined: 9 years ago

#1: Post by RyanJE »

Hello all! So I had a Forte AP and a Virtuoso. The AP was for espresso but I now have a new dedicated grinder.

Question is, what's better for drip brewing, the Virtuoso or the steel burrs on the Forte? I have enjoyed my Virtuoso for drip but will sell wichever I don't use.

I contacted Baratza and they just said both are great options. Not much help there!
I drink two shots before I drink two shots, then I drink two more....

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SonVolt
Posts: 686
Joined: 11 years ago

#2: Post by SonVolt »

Considering the Forte is Baratza's top of the line grinder and $600 more than the Virtouoso I would say Forte.

Bob_M
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Joined: 16 years ago

#3: Post by Bob_M »

I also would keep the Forte. For better build quality. With metal burrs it works well with brew methods. I use a metal burr clad Vario and Chemex every Sunday morning at friends house.

F1
Posts: 699
Joined: 13 years ago

#4: Post by F1 »

One of the coffee bars I visit often has 4 Fortes and 4 Preciso they use for pour overs. I have had coffee from both several times and I can't tell the difference. I've asked the baristas if one is better than the other and they say that for pourovers they have no preference. They just have to be good enough for pourovers. Now, for espresso that's a whole different thing.

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weebit_nutty
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#5: Post by weebit_nutty »

I had the AP and used both steel and ceramic burrs on it. Both served brew duty perfectly fine and the difference between them was slight but not necessarily bad or good. Between them , quality of the coffee dictated 95% of the cup, when all other variables were the same. Of course it goes without saying some of that remaining 5% is probably attributed to your mood as well. :)

That said, if it were down to cost, get the Forte only if you are good for it. Otherwise the Virtuoso will brew a fine cup as well. I think always very hard to quantify how much better one grinder is from another. You just have to drink them side by side to really know, and if you have the means to do so, I always recommend it. But otherwise just take the word of those you can trust.

I've owned the Virtuoso for a small time and I can't say for certain Forte was a real upgrade in the cup, given I had sold the Virtuoso months before getting the Forte. I will say that I brewed with the Lido 2 in time between and compared to that, the Forte is about the same. Again we're talking drip brew here. If this were espresso, there would be no comparison. But I always contend that in-cup quality for drip brew is much less dictated by the brew method than by the beans---not to say the variances in brewing techniques isn't noticeable. But at the end of the day, with drip brew, if you start with damn good beans you'd have to try pretty hard to screw up a damn good cup, so long as your grinder is adequate and the Virtuoso is more than adequate for the job.
You're not always right, but when you're right, you're right, right?

monkeybongo
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Joined: 10 years ago

#6: Post by monkeybongo »

Perhaps keep the Forte as it can be a good backup espresso grinder. Also, grinding by weight is very nice time saver if you make multiple brews.

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turtle
Posts: 458
Joined: 11 years ago

#7: Post by turtle »

RyanJE wrote:Hello all! So I had a Forte AP and a Virtuoso. The AP was for espresso but I now have a new dedicated grinder.

Question is, what's better for drip brewing, the Virtuoso or the steel burrs on the Forte? I have enjoyed my Virtuoso for drip but will sell wichever I don't use.

I contacted Baratza and they just said both are great options. Not much help there!
I used both a Forte BG and a Preciso/Esatto as brew grinders side by side for a couple years.

If you get a Virtuoso make sure you get the Preciso burr set if you want consistency equal to a Forte BG

I recently got a 3rd Forte BG and retired the Preciso/Esatto combo. Not sure why I did this... It just sort of happened



Mick - Drinking in life one cup at a time
I'd rather be roasting coffee

borisblank
Posts: 134
Joined: 10 years ago

#8: Post by borisblank »

Forte BG owners - is there a burr seasoning/break-in period for these steel burrs, like there is for other grinders? Minute rice and the like, or just 10 - 30# of cheap coffee? Or are they read to rock and roll right out of the box?

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tegee
Posts: 172
Joined: 8 years ago

#9: Post by tegee »

monkeybongo wrote:Perhaps keep the Forte as it can be a good backup espresso grinder. Also, grinding by weight is very nice time saver if you make multiple brews.

I agree. You can always install a ceramic set of burrs in a pinch and have a rock solid espresso grinder for that price point. Plus the Forte has value add in the fact it has a great user interface with weight and time controlled grinding.

So if dollars aren't a factor stick with the Forte imho

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weebit_nutty
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#10: Post by weebit_nutty »

borisblank wrote:Forte BG owners - is there a burr seasoning/break-in period for these steel burrs, like there is for other grinders? Minute rice and the like, or just 10 - 30# of cheap coffee? Or are they read to rock and roll right out of the box?
No break in was needed in my experience.. Also, rice, particularly par-boiled rice, is a terrible substitute for coffee beans. It behaves different when ground, plus the Forte has self-tightening burrs and you may find yourself burning out your motor if the self tightening kicks in. If you do decide to go with rice because others said they used it on their grinders, just remember you've been warned.
You're not always right, but when you're right, you're right, right?

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