A Grinder Almost as Good as Baratza Vario?

by **bigredted** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:36 am

I understand that the Baratza Vario is supposed to be a fabulous espresso grinder (@ $435.00). I am a newbie and am wondering if there is a near comparable grinder for $350 or less? ie: better than the Rocky but perhaps not as good as the Vario?

How are those Acasco i-minis or the K-10 "Touchless" (I think thats the correct model name) compared to the Vario? I believe these are approx. $350 or less.

Comments are very appreciated.

Ted.

by **akallio** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:20 am

Baratza Virtuoso Preciso will probably be what you are looking for, when it is out:
New Baratza Grinder: Virtuoso Preciso $275

by **zin1953** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:35 am

Ted, the thing that is so remarkable about the Baratza Vario is that it "competes well above its weight class." In other words -- yes, it's $459 (CDN), but it equals the performance of grinders costing over $200-250 more (again, USD). Also, it's one of the very few, if not the only grinder that does an excellent job across a wide range of coffee preparations, press to espresso.

That said, I am a bit confused . . .

From Canadian vendors, the Baratza Vario is indeed $459 CDN, but the Rancilio Rocky is $430 CDN.

However, keep in mind no one wants you to file bankruptcy because you over-spent on your espresso equipment. For example, I used a Gaggia MDF ($299.95 CDN) for 25 years, and was quite happy with it. As good as the Baratza Vario? No. Would I pair my old Gaggia MDF with a prosumer machine? No. Was it fine with my Gaggia Coffee? Sure.

You might also also look at the Le'Lit PL53 stepless grinder for $299.95 CDN . . .

Cheers,
Jason

by **DigMe** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:08 pm

You might consider just saving up another month or two and then calling one of the vendors and asking if they can give you a better price. They all have a minimum advertised price that they can show on their websites but some may be willing to go lower.

brad

by **sbien** on Wed Jan 27, 2010 7:27 pm

i've had a refurbished virtuoso for about 6 months and am very happy. the results have been consistent once dialed in with the help of a 0.1 gram scale. cost ~ $150. i think the preciso, which offers finer adjustment for the fussier will be about 200, although i'm not sure of that price.
and then there are hand grinders, which work quite well if you are not serving up lots of cups.

Steve

by **yakster** on Wed Jan 27, 2010 9:50 pm

I think that hand grinders are great for people who are looking to improve their espresso, but are on a tight budget. They can also bring portability for camping or travel. I have a hand grinder and use it primarily for espresso and it works well. It works well for camping too. Single dosing is the norm and I weigh all my doses before grinding.

Sadly, my other grinder is not really cutting it for vac pot and I don't even really try French press because of the fines, so I'm keeping my eyes open for reviews of the announced Baratza Virtuoso Preciso, hoping that it's something that I can use for both coffee and espresso.

I was looking for a while at the Le'Lit PL53 which looks to be a capable espresso grinder, but would not work well when used going from espresso to drip.

by **rivera618** on Wed Jan 27, 2010 9:57 pm

i had a pl53 before the vario and found it to be an OK grinder. it does not like oily beans at all though, so keep that in mind. it's on the noisy side too, much louder than the vario. but for the price is a good buy.

by **mini** on Thu Jan 28, 2010 1:03 am

Since no one else has mentioned it...

For pure espresso grinding, the Mazzer Super Jolly is as good as the Vario. In the States it is pretty common to pick up a used Super Jolly for $350 (USD) or less. I'm not sure if similar deals are floating around in Newfoundland, though.


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