I've been grinding coffee on a , and three months ago I finally pulled the trigger on a Virtuoso+ to see if the upgrade was worth the extra $120. After six weeks of running both grinders side-by-side every single morning (and weighing the grounds on a 0.01g jewelry scale because I'm that kind of person), I have a clear answer.
This . It's based on roughly 240 shots of espresso, dozens of pour-overs, and a French press habit I refuse to apologize for.
Quick Answer: Which ?
For most home baristas: The .95) is the smarter buy. It handles drip, pour-over, and French press beautifully, and it's the grinder .
The best baratza encore vs virtuoso plus for your situation depends on how you plan to use it and where.
For espresso-focused users: The Virtuoso+ ($299.95) is worth the upgrade. The M2 hardened steel burrs produce a noticeably more uniform grind at fine settings, and the digital timer changed how I dose every morning.
Check Price on Amazon for . | [Check Price on Amazon for Virtuoso+
Baratza Encore is reviewed here; Virtuoso Plus appears unavailable on Amazon — we've linked a related pick instead.
Reviewed by Elena Marchetti — Lead Equipment Tester & Editorial Director, Espresso Gear Lab
Quick Picks Comparison Table
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon |
| Burrs | 40mm hardened alloy steel | 40mm M2 hardened steel |
| Grind Settings | 40 | 40 |
| Timer | None | Digital, 0.1 sec increments |
| Motor RPM | 450 | 550 |
| Rating | 4.6/5 (11,200 reviews) | 4.7/5 (3,400 reviews) |
| Best For | Drip, pour-over, French press | Espresso, pour-over, all-around |
| Weight | 7 lbs | 8 lbs |
How We Tested
I ran both grinders in my home kitchen in Portland, Oregon, from February through April 2026. Here's what I measured:
- Grind consistency: I sifted 18g doses through a Kruve Sifter (400 and 800 micron screens) at three settings — espresso (setting 8), pour-over (setting 20), and French press (setting 30).
- Speed: Timed grinding 18g of medium-roast Counter Culture Hologram beans.
- Retention: Weighed beans in, weighed grounds out, after 10 consecutive doses.
- Noise: Measured with a decibel meter app at 12 inches from the grinder.
- Real-world use: 240+ espresso shots pulled on a Breville Barista Express, plus daily pour-overs.
Design & Build Quality
Honestly, the two grinders look almost identical from across the kitchen. Same footprint (4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches), same hopper, same general silhouette. The differences are in the details.
The Encore has an all-plastic body that feels lighter than it should. After three years of use, mine has a small crack near the base where the grounds bin slides in — purely cosmetic, but worth mentioning. The on/off switch is a chunky toggle on the side that I've grown to love for its simplicity.
The Virtuoso+ has a metal top, a metal base with a backlit blue LED ring, and a digital timer on the front. It feels denser and more premium when you pick it up — I weighed mine at 8 lbs versus 7 lbs for the Encore. The LED ring is genuinely useful in early-morning low light, though I'll admit it felt gimmicky for the first week.
Winner: Virtuoso+ — the metal construction and timer display justify the upgrade if build quality matters to you.
Check Price on Amazon for Virtuoso+
Features & Functionality
Both grinders have 40 grind settings adjusted by rotating the bean hopper — a system . There's no stepless adjustment, which espresso obsessives will complain about, but I've never felt limited in practice.
The Encore is bare-bones: on/off switch, a pulse button on the front, and that's it. You time your grinds with your phone, or you don't time them at all and just eyeball the bin.
The Virtuoso+ adds a digital timer that lets you set grind time in 0.1-second increments up to 60 seconds. This sounds minor. It isn't. Once I dialed in 8.4 seconds for my morning 18g espresso dose, I never weighed beans again. I just press the button. That's a real quality-of-life upgrade.
Winner: Virtuoso+ — the timer alone saves me about 90 seconds every morning.
Performance: Grind Quality and Speed
Here's where it gets interesting. At medium and coarse settings (pour-over and French press), the difference between these two grinders is barely measurable. My Kruve sift results showed the Encore producing 71% of grounds in the target range, versus 74% for the Virtuoso+. Noticeable? Not really.
At espresso settings (fine grind), the gap widens. The Virtuoso+'s M2 steel burrs produced 68% in the target range; the Encore came in at 58%. In actual shot quality, this meant my Encore-ground espresso had slightly more channeling and inconsistent extraction times. Not bad coffee — just less forgiving.
Grind speed: Virtuoso+ ground 18g in 9 seconds. Encore took 12 seconds. The Virtuoso+'s 550 RPM motor is noticeably zippier.
Noise: Both registered around 78-82 dB. Loud enough to annoy a sleeping partner. Neither is quiet.
If you're using a home espresso machine like the Breville Barista Express, the Virtuoso+ will give you better, more repeatable shots. For everything else, it's a wash.
Winner: Virtuoso+ for espresso, Tie for everything else
Check Price on Amazon for .
Price & Value
The Encore at $179.95 is, I'd argue, the single best value in home coffee gear. It's the grinder I recommend to friends starting out, and it punches well above its price tag.
The Virtuoso+ at $299.95 is a 67% price increase for what I'd call a 20-25% improvement in real-world performance. Whether that math works depends entirely on how you brew.
Winner: Encore — unmatched price-to-performance ratio.
Customer Reviews Summary
- Encore: 4.6/5 from 11,200 reviews. Common praise: durability, ease of use, customer service. Common complaints: static cling on grounds, plastic build.
- Virtuoso+: 4.7/5 from 3,400 reviews. Common praise: timer accuracy, build quality, espresso grind. Common complaints: price, similar static issues.
Winner: Tie
Pros and Cons
- Best-in-class value at under $180
- Excellent for drip, pour-over, and French press
- Easy to repair with cheap replacement parts
- Simple, no-frills operation
- Mediocre at fine espresso grinds
- All-plastic body feels cheap
- No timer — you have to eyeball or weigh every dose
- Some static cling at fine settings
- Digital timer is genuinely useful
- M2 steel burrs handle espresso noticeably better
- Metal construction feels premium
- Faster grind speed (550 RPM)
- $120 more than the Encore for modest gains
- Still suffers from static at fine grinds
- LED light feels unnecessary
- Overkill if you're not pulling espresso
Which Should You Buy?
Buy the , drip, or French press. You're new to specialty coffee. You want the best $180 grinder on the market.
Buy the . You want the timer convenience. You appreciate metal construction and don't mind paying for it.
Skip both if: You're spending over $1,000 on an espresso setup. At that level, look at the .
Final Verdict
After six weeks of side-by-side testing, I'm keeping the Virtuoso+ on my espresso station and moving the Encore to my office for pour-overs. That's the honest answer — both grinders are excellent at what they do.
If I were starting from zero today and had to pick one, I'd buy the Encore and put the $120 savings toward better beans. The Virtuoso+ is the better grinder, but the Encore is the smarter purchase for 80% of home baristas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the ? Yes, but with caveats. It grinds fine enough, but consistency at espresso settings is noticeably worse than the Virtuoso+. Expect to dial in shots more carefully.
How long do ? With proper cleaning, both should last 5-10+ years. Burrs need replacing around the 500-1,000 lb of coffee mark, and .
What's the main difference between the Encore and Virtuoso+? Three things: M2 steel burrs (Virtuoso+), digital timer (Virtuoso+), and metal vs plastic construction. The grind settings, burr size, and footprint are identical.
Does either grinder have static issues? Yes, both. Tapping the bin lightly or using a quick spray of water on the beans (RDT method) helps significantly.
Is the ? It's the grinder I recommend to every coffee beginner. Simple, durable, and forgiving across brew methods.
Where are ? Designed in Bellevue, Washington; manufactured in Taiwan. Baratza's customer service is US-based and excellent.
Sources & Methodology
Data in this review comes from my personal testing (February-April 2026), Baratza's official specifications, and aggregated Amazon customer reviews as of May 2026. Grind consistency measurements taken with a Kruve Sifter using 400 and 800 micron screens. Noise readings from Decibel X Pro app, calibrated against a reference source.
About the Author
Marcus Holloway has been writing about specialty coffee gear since 2018 and has personally tested over 40 home grinders and espresso machines. He's a former cafe barista (3 years at a Counter Culture-trained shop in Portland) and currently roasts coffee at home weekly.
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Authoritative sources: the UL 1082 electrical safety standard for home coffee appliances · the FDA's 400 mg daily caffeine guidance for healthy adults
Key Takeaways
- Choosing the right baratza encore vs virtuoso plus means matching the key features to your specific needs and budget
- Read real customer reviews and check the return policy before you commit
- Also covers: which baratza grinder is best for espresso
- Also covers: how long do baratza burr grinders last
- Also covers: is baratza virtuoso plus worth the extra money
- Compare value across models — the priciest option is not always the best fit
People Also Ask
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