Baratza Virtuoso Espresso Grinder - Any thoughts? experiences?

[pravspresso]

Hi.

As some of u know..i'm in the market for a good grinder.

This grinder sounds great and priced incredibly well. Any thoughts? experiences?

http://www.espressotec.com/1560BaratzaVirtuoso.asp

[miKe mcKoffee]

More a step sideways than an upgrade from the Solis. Maybe alittle better, but not substantially better. Couple suggestions already given by others in your other upgrade thread.

[HB]

I had a Solis Maestro for thirty days, if you know what I mean (buyer's remorse). Although it may sound like a huge chunk of change, a top-end grinder will literally last a lifetime. Even if by some inexplicable reason you wish to sell any of the grinder's mentioned in the Feature Spotlight a year later, you'll recover 60-70% of your original purchase price if you keep it in primo condition (maybe more on eBay where buyers sometimes lose sight of used espresso equipment's value).

PS: It's the Barista, Stupid has the longer version of my thoughts on the subject.

[another_jim]

I would think the jury is still out.

The burrs are as large as the smaller commercial conicals, as is the 400 watt DC motor, the grind speed is 300 rpm, and the grinds are channeled straight through, as in the M3. The burr mount is still plastic, but fixed at three points, not two, so there's no more of the Solis wobble.

This one could be a world beater for low volume use; but as always, the devil is in the details. The old solis conical burrs had no fine grinding ring (the burrs ran all the way to the edge), which makes it suspect for espresso since there is no zero point (i.e. the burrs will lock before it can grind a powder). If anyone has one, I'd appreciate a close-up pic of the burrs, which would reveal how long the coarse grind burrs are, and if there's a fine grind ring at the outer edge.

[rjkramek]

If anyone has one, I'd appreciate a close-up pic of the burrs, which would reveal how long the coarse grind burrs are, and if there's a fine grind ring at the outer edge.

I have a Virtuoso and will post some pics tonight if no one else does.

I will admit that when I bought mine I assumed I would buy another espresso only grinder so I wasn't concerned about buying it. It is incredibly clean, no static and as mentioned because of the chute design no stale coffee. It is really great for press pot/drip.

My only issue to-date is because of the steps I'm pretty much set at one setting for any coffee and because they are fairly far apart (i.e., 10-12 sec pour difference) don't really change it. The downside obviously is there isn't much in the way of "tweaking" besides dose/tamp. The advantage is it's really easy to "dial" something in. The only other thing that I'm not sure about is for certain coffees like Toscano (versus something like Kid O's) the acidity level of the espresso seems really high and I never determined if that was due to the grinder or the rest of my setup.

[randomperson]

I returned my Virtuoso because even after recalibration I found that it did not grind nearly fine enough for espresso.

In my opinion this machine is a general-purpose grinder that has been inappropriately positioned as an espresso grinder. I had to pay a 10% restocking fee for the privilege of returning this grinder to WLL even though it did not work as advertised for my stated use: espresso only. The whole experience soured me to both Baratza and Whole Latte Love.

My advice? Skip this puppy. There are many better choices out there -- choices that actually work as promised!

[another_jim]

... The only other thing that I'm not sure about is for certain coffees like Toscano (versus something like Kid O's) the acidity level of the espresso seems really high and I never determined if that was due to the grinder or the rest of my setup.

People have reported increased brightness on commercial burr grinders as well. Please do post a pic when you have time. Just the removable inner cone will be fine, but so that the burrs have good contrast.

[pravspresso]

Well, the two stand side by side...

I was a little taken back by the sheer size and weight of this grinder.

Eventually I tested out about 6 pulls on the rancilio and finally got into the proper range.

Results: Rancilio is heads and tails better then the Solis.
The grind kinda looked the same but the results were different.
The final taste of 1.5oz shot from rancilio was not bitter at all, much thicker flow, ie .slower, texture as well.


I now understand the difference between a "get me by" grinder and a really good one.

Thx for info. all

[rjkramek]

Please do post a pic when you have time. Just the removable inner cone will be fine, but so that the burrs have good contrast.

Here are a few pics of the grinder and burrs.

[rjkramek]

Well, the two stand side by side...

......

Mmmmm .... the grinder in the photo isn't a Virtuoso. In fact it doesn't look like it's even a Maestro Plus. I assume you compared an older Solis grinder?

[another_jim]

These look almost like the Antigua/Barista/Maestro burrs -- relatively small overall, a very narrow coarse grinding section, no fine grinding section (a solid ring at the end of the burr). The mount is improved, and according to the literature, the steel; but the design of the burr will still make it marginal for espresso.