New Baratza Grinder - Forte - Page 11

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

mgrobins wrote:Thanks Joel :).
.

Do you need to grind a few grams and dump it at the start of each session?

No, not something that I do. When you open the Vario for cleaning, you'll see that there's virtually no retention. I use the HG-One for me, the Vario for company.

You do know, of course, that Baratza sells reconditioned units for a most reasonable price. That's how I bought mine.

Joel

I worked out that whilst my Breville was 'losing' 2g for each does ground, the actual chamber is holding 6-8g of stale coffee. I weighed what I cleaned out of it today. I'm really not certain how other grinders compare in that respect.

Intrepid510
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#102: Post by Intrepid510 »

You can also find an ebay seller who sells them with free shipping brand new for the price of the reconditioned units and has been doing so for years.

andykho
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#103: Post by andykho »

Hai.. I just got my Forte earlier this week, as an upgrade to my previous Preciso. I was actually satisfied with the Preciso for pulling espresso in terms of flavor complexity, but really disappointed with the build, since the plastic burr-holder [which meant to be a protection feature for the burr] just doesn't allow the grinder to be used as espresso grinder. I always use medium roasted specialty grade coffee, and I've broken 4 burr-holders within a year, and that means with less than 10kg of beans.

Back to the Forte, I enjoy the firmer grind setting knobs compared to the Vario, which we know easily slides down with espresso grind setting. And also satisfied with the presettable weighing feature. And the design & build of the porta-holder. Yet for now, I'm still exploring the smart dose feature.

Predictably, after several tries, I've come to a conclusion that we'll need to keep a consistent volume of beans in the hopper to keep the smart dose feature smart. Gravity rules. I've set the grind with weighing mode with half-hopper, and when I use the timer mode with about just quarter hopper then weight the portafilter with a scale, I got 3grs less ground. Does anyone share the same experience?

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Shenrei
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#104: Post by Shenrei »

I gotta post my thoughts on the Baratza Forte BG in this thread seeing as I've had it for a few weeks now.

I'm loving it. I'm noticing much better grind quality against my Baratza Virtuoso (with Preciso burrs). Cups are cleaner, juicer, and consistent. However, I wouldn't say better. Just different. I've gotten some damn good cups from the Virtuoso that I probably won't be able to get with the Forte BG just because of the difference in grind consistency. The Forte BG is close to the Lido 2 in terms of cup quality, albeit tighter and clearer. The Lido is is cleaner/clearer than the Virtuoso, more "sterile." The Virtuoso is less "boring." This might not make sense but I know there's some people on here that understand what I'm saying.

Brewed a cup of Counter Culture's Haru and it was incredible: super smooth, silky, fruity, and glorious. The type of coffee where if you just add a tiny bit of sugar, it tastes just like those snapple iced teas, except cleaner, raw, and more flavorful.

Single dosing is a breeze with the old hopper. The new hopper with the shut off valve is terrible for this.

Also, turns out you can use the steel burrs for espresso, and it works great. This is confirmed by Baratza. You just need to adjust the calibration. I don't have the ceramic burrs so I can't compare, but this is looking like a win-win.
- Tim

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Shenrei
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#105: Post by Shenrei »

In case anyone's interested, here's how the distribution looks like for a medium-coarse grind with the Forte's Steel burrs:

- Tim

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Shenrei
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#106: Post by Shenrei »

Interesting email I received from Baratza regarding the difference between Steel Burrs and Ceramic Burrs for espresso:

Your recent question regarding which burr set is best for espresso is hard to just answer. Sarah Dooley, Educator and Quality Control for Baratza did have these observations to share with you regarding her collection of conversations and taste comparisons around this particular inquiry.

"With regards to tasting espresso specifically we have noticed the ceramic burrs produce a traditional espresso flavor profile. Great for blends and particularly coffees roasted for espresso. The cup flavors are complex, usually have more body and mouth feel in comparison to the steel burrs (depending on the coffee).
The steel burrs produce more of a modern espresso flavor profile, with simple flavors and a clean mouth feel. We like this burr set for single origin coffees not necessarily roasted for espresso.

Which set is best for you? Oddly when we did a side-by-side taste test our test audience was split down the middle on preferences. The biggest differences really came into play for taste when we separated coffees roasted for espresso and coffees not roasted for espresso. With that isolated variable the ceramic had more sweetness for coffees roasted for espresso and the steel burrs clarity of flavor seemed better for espresso with coffees at production or non-espresso roasts.

In the end, it's what tastes best to you. We don't even pretend to know how to tell you how to taste and are just sharing our taste experiences thus far. We hope our opinion has been of assistance."


I'm about to purchase the Ceramic Burrs myself to add to my Forte kit.
- Tim

Capitol
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#107: Post by Capitol »

Just curious if anyone has put the Forte BG up against any of the titan brew grinders (i.e. Mahlkonig, Ditting, Bunn, etc.) for a blind taste test? I'm curious how it stacks up against one of the titans.

I'm very happy with my Forte BG after having used it for almost a year now. My brew methods vary depending on what beans I'm currently using, but I've had excellent and consistent results across the manual brew spectrum.

If this hasn't been done, anyone interested in having a blind taste test/brew-off? I have a Forte BG to contribute to the mix.

Thanks!

caddderly
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#108: Post by caddderly »

I'd be interested in hearing about comparisons to Titan brew grinders!

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Shenrei
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#109: Post by Shenrei »

Short answer:

Does the Forte BG have the clarity of the EK?

No.

Can the Forte BG brew cups that are just as tasty as the EK?

Absolutely but realize this is a subjective question. Some of the best cups of coffee I made were on the Forte.

Is the Forte BG a noticeable upgrade from the Lido 2 and Hausgrind in terms of cup quality?

Based on my experiences (I've owned all three), yes by a significant margin.

What the EK excels at is usability (easy to adjust grind) and forgiveness. I can often change my brew stength just by adding more/less water while using the same grind setting without much impact on the flavor profile.
- Tim

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