Baratza Vario with Forte Portaholder

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
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ufergus
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#1: Post by ufergus »

I picked up the stainless steel Forte portaholder for use my Vario. Let me start by saying the new portaholder is solid! It must weigh as much as the entire Vario. It also looks great. When inserted into the Vario, it adds a level of class that wasn't present with the stock Vario portaholder. The Forte portaholder is a very tight fight with the Vario. You really have to force it to slide into place. I contacted Baratza about this, they said it was normal and it would not damage the Vario. I think this is due to the Forte using a different mechanism for holding the grounds bin and portaholder in place. This force fit keeps it from moving around in the Vario. The function of the new portaholder is excellent. The grounds drop into the portafilter and form a nice mound. No issues with static throwing grounds out the sides. After pulling two days worth of shots, I have only a few grounds to clean up. My portafilter also fits very nice in the new holding mechanism. Much improved over the original Vario portaholder. Even with a $40 price tag, I am very pleased with the upgrade. The Forte portaholder has improved my espresso experience. If you currently use the stock Vario portaholder, I definitely recommend giving the Forte portaholder some consideration.

rich

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HB
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#2: Post by HB »

That looks great! For those who are curious, for comparison's sake, here's the Forte:



It's got all-metal construction, but I agree adding the Forte portaholder to the Vario looks great. By the way, what may not be clear from the photo is that the portaholder fork height is adjustable. You loosen two screws on the back and they move up/down enough to accommodate even the tallest portafilter I own (the Cafelat convertible bottomless). There's a small tab on the back edge that catches the lip of the basket; when properly adjusted, the portafilter "hooks" under the small tab and is held perfectly centered over the grounds exit. It's a very clean design and very stable.
Dan Kehn

rawman
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#3: Post by rawman »

I have to add a "Me too" to this thread. I picked up a metal portaholder from Baratza when I recently placed an order for a replacement belt and metal pulley for my Vario. I really am liking it so far. Grinding into the PF is much cleaner than the original which kind of had a bit of an overspray issue. It also feels really solid. It fit very snugly into the Vario, but I didn't feel like I had to force it at all. I thought I read on the Baratza site that they don't recommend it for the Vario because of the snug fit, but now I can't find it so either I was imagining it or they removed it. Either way, for 18 bucks, I found it well worth it. It did take me a while to figure out how to lower the fork. It fit my Penny bottomless PF for my Cremina but it was very tight. I couldn't image how anyone could put a larger PF in there. After turning it over a few times the light came on and I tried the 2 screws.
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danmc
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Joined: 15 years ago

#4: Post by danmc »

That is a nice setup. Going to have to look into getting one of those holders.

Dan

danmc
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#5: Post by danmc »

On the purchase page for the Forte Portaholder there is the disclaimer about the fit in the Vario being really tight and removal being difficult. Anyone had issues getting the Portaholder out?

Dan

mart
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Joined: 10 years ago

#6: Post by mart »

Another me too. After an adjustment, the portafilter with the OE funnel fits perfectly for hands free, no mess grinding. Much better than the stock Vario portaholder. Its not hard to remove, you just have to use a fingernail on each side near the base and urge it forward evenly, not a problem.

rawman
Posts: 237
Joined: 18 years ago

#7: Post by rawman »

danmc wrote:On the purchase page for the Forte Portaholder there is the disclaimer about the fit in the Vario being really tight and removal being difficult. Anyone had issues getting the Portaholder out?

Dan
I haven't had any issues removing it and putting it back in.
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danmc
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#8: Post by danmc »

Good to know.

Thanks!

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canuckcoffeeguy
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#9: Post by canuckcoffeeguy »

rawman wrote: Either way, for 18 bucks, I found it well worth it.
Where did you get it for $18? It really jazzes up the Vario. Wouldn't mind one for mine.

rawman
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#10: Post by rawman »

Baratza website:

http://www.baratza.com/cgi-bin/commerce ... n&key=1150
Metal PortaHolder

Price: $18.00

This solid cast-metal PortaHolder is designed for the Forte grinders. It comes standard with the Forte-AP. It is adjustable to fit any Portafilter. At this time we are not recommending this for the Vario. The fit is very tight, making the holder difficult to remove from the Vario once it has been installed
The above is directly from the Vario website. I do not agree that it's difficult to remove. Mine is pretty easy to remove, and actually doesn't need to be removed that often anyway.
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