What to expect from an upgrade to a Baratza Vario

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
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Dave_ZA
Posts: 15
Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by Dave_ZA »

Hello All,

This is my first post here. Although I have been a coffee fan all my life, I have only really gotten serious over the last 9 months or so. It started when I volunteered to be on a "coffee team" at my local church. Using commercial equipment and learning how to use it led me down this journey where my usual press pot setup, with month old supermarket coffee just wasn't cutting it.

Anyway, enough ramble. My wife got me a Capresso Infinty for Christmas, which definitely upgraded the blade grinder I used for about a month. This of course started when I was introduced to freshly roasted beans by a friend of mine, who roasts his own coffee.

I now have a Simonelli Oscar. Now this produces much better coffee than I can get usually. But it's bit temperamental. I attribute this to the grinder of course.

My question is really, what can I expect to change if I upgrade to a Baratza Vario? I mean in terms of flavour/consistency/etc...

Home espresso coffee kit in South Africa is really expensive, being a relatively small market (except for the super automatics and pod machines). So a vario would cost me roughly $700+ here. The 2nd hand market is practically nil. So I really need to make sure of the benefits.

p.s. I drink almost exclusively cappuccino's, but I want to delve into espresso when I can be sure I am tasting what I hear about on these forums.

DanoM
Posts: 1375
Joined: 11 years ago

#2: Post by DanoM »

From a Capresso Infinity to the Baratza Vario you should see an infinite upgrade! :D
I have a Baratza Vario and it's much better than the Capresso. You should be able to get consistent shots from the Vario, but at $700 I'm not sure it's worth that much. That's double what it costs here in the USA.

I bought my Vario brand new, and within 1 week there was a failure of the machine that required a swap to a refurbished unit. That refurbished unit has been working well for over a year now. So make sure you have warranty support, as I'm not the only one to encounter problems with the grinder early on.

If you aren't adverse to hand grinding I'd recommend the Pharos, as it's a better grind. Hand grinding isn't for everyone though.

Are there used grinders like Super Jolly's available? Sometimes a commercial unit cleaned up with new burrs is cheaper and better.
LMWDP #445

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boar_d_laze
Posts: 2058
Joined: 17 years ago

#3: Post by boar_d_laze »

There's a huge difference between an Infinity and a Vario. You can expect, among other things:
  • Easier and more accurate dosing;
  • Better looking grinds with far less clumping;
  • Less mess;
  • More precise adjustment;
  • Better dial-in;
  • Less frequent need to tweak your settings;
  • The need for less grooming to avoid channeling;
  • More consistent, and therefore easier to adjust flow rates; and
  • An expanded palette of tastes in the cup.
Comparing the Infinity to the Vario is night and day. The Infinity doesn't offer sufficiently fine adjustment at an espresso grind size to control or shape espresso tastes. In other words, as an espresso grinder, it's completely "inadequate." The Vario, on the other hand, is "good."

"Temperamental" is a good description of how unmodified Oscars behave. The "thermosiphon" porting is so large, they overheat in the middle of a pull. The pump is unregulated, runs to very high pressure against load and makes it difficult to build a good puck for a normale -- let alone a ristretto. Fortunately, with a few relatively inexpensive DIY modifications -- gicleurs, OPV, and a vacuum breaker valve -- you can civilize them nicely.

If there's any way you can afford them at the same time you buy the grinder you should do both as soon
Drop a nickel in the pot Joe. Takin' it slow. Waiter, waiter, percolator

cmin
Posts: 1379
Joined: 12 years ago

#4: Post by cmin »

Pretty much what they said, the Infinity isn't capable of espresso, I owned one before. There will be a night and day difference between it and the Vario

angman
Posts: 160
Joined: 12 years ago

#5: Post by angman »

It would be a significant difference in quality. However, based on your price that youre paying and obvious lack of warranty support i would be wary if purchasing a Vario if longevity is a concern. They are excellent grinders but are known to have issues albeit with excellent customer support from Baratza. I would suggest purchasing a commercial quality grinder for longevity and ease of obtaining parts.

BruceR
Posts: 19
Joined: 11 years ago

#6: Post by BruceR »

I have a Vario and although I am very happy with it, I can't say I would pay the current prices. Fortunately I bought mine before the rand crashed.

Depending on where in SA you are you should be able to find a super jolly or similar on Gumtree. I've seen new SJ burrs for sale from an SA online store for around R750.

If you want to go new I have seen the Compak K3 and Wega 5.8 for quite a bit less than the Vario. Haven't used either of them myself so can't comment but they might be an option.

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Dave_ZA (original poster)
Posts: 15
Joined: 10 years ago

#7: Post by Dave_ZA (original poster) »

Thanks for all the responses guys. I am sure the Vario (named the Mahlkonig Vario here) will have a standard 1 year warranty, but there will probably not be much local support for repairs.

Some of the reasons I like the Vario, are:
  • small size - The SJ's are quite large for a small kitchen. (my wife would not be pleased!)
  • Small grind retention - from what I see, the other grinders have quite a large grind retention
  • Doserless
  • Doesnt weigh the same as my car
The Mazzer Mini is even more price wise, so not much choice here.

Bruce, I am very interested in your experience, i.e. do you know where I can search for used machinery? I have tried the usual places, gumtree, olx... I even asked the coffee mag if they knew, but no real answer.

I even had to import the infinity, as the other choices were all rubbish.

Are the Compak/Wega comparable to the Vario?

BruceR
Posts: 19
Joined: 11 years ago

#8: Post by BruceR »

I have no experience with the Wega or Compak. To my (rather vague) recollection they both have 58mm flat burrs which would put them in the same class as the Mazzer Mini. The general opinion seems to be that the Vario produces a better grind than this class of grinder but at the cost of longevity/reliability. It's worth repeating that I have no first hand experience of this.

In terms of second hand I think Gumtree would be your best bet. My experience is that often they are put up for sale together with used commercial machines. There aren't tons of them for sale but if you're in a main centre you should see something fairly regularly. Another option is catering equipment auctions which will sometimes have used equipment for sale. I'm currently keeping an eye out to upgrade my Silvia.

In terms of warranty/support I found the Mahlkonig distributor's support here less than helpful. I was having trouble grinding fine enough for light roasts and when I contacted them about recalibration they didn't seem to know much about it and weren't particularly interested in sorting it out. I was near the end of my warranty period so I just did it myself but was left less than impressed.

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Dave_ZA (original poster)
Posts: 15
Joined: 10 years ago

#9: Post by Dave_ZA (original poster) »

Thats a real pity, especially when Baratza has such a stellar reputation, all to be let down by the usual poor service locally.

One of the main reasons I like the vario is it's small footprint and doserless design. Not sure if there is any other grinder quite like it?

Can I ask where you bought yours? And who the Mahlkonig distributors are?

oh, and how do you find out about such auctions?

angman
Posts: 160
Joined: 12 years ago

#10: Post by angman »

In my experience the vario's motor labor's when grinding light roasts. It works but the sound isn't reassuring. I have owned both a Compak and the Wega as well. These are different beasts altogether because of their size and are made by the same manufacturer. Great grinders that will last a lifetime in a home environment. However, retention and size seem like they won't be suitable for you.

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