When I decided that coffee was going to be one of those things I paid more attention to back in 2016 I went out and bought a Baratza Virtuoso. I chose that grinder because of Baratza's reputation as well as the reasonable price. And primarily because that grinder excels at larger grinds for french press which is my preferred brew method, until I can justify the expense of an espresso machine. Anyway, I was grinding about 45 grams of Java Love Good Morning Brew this morning and towards the end the grinder started to make strange sounds and just stopped grinding. I couldn't get it to go back on. I had ground 41 of the 45 grams so I made my coffee. Later I decided to take the hopper off and check the burr. I cleaned it all out and still nothing. I then decided to email Baratza's support team and told them exactly what happened. I received a response in no more than a half hour. He made some suggestions and I tried them all as instructed. It sort of worked but ulimtely the motor worked twice out of ten times. And it still wasn't working so I emailed my results. I was told it was an issue with the motor. I was hoping it was just a clogged dispenser or a faulty safety latch. Nope. And the technician said all he needed was my mailing address and he'd send me a new motor to install if I felt like I could handle the job. I watched the video he sent and thought I could do that. So I now have a new motor on it's way to me. Fingers crossed that I can install the thing without any issues. In the meantime I'm going to be drinking Donut Shop Coffee in Keurig K Cups. I suppose I should have a backup manual grinder. But I don't. Feeling very fortunate right now.
Grinder Issues
- Thread starter MntnMan62
- Start date
Their customer service is top shelf.
Motor replacement is not difficult.
Their grinders are designed to be user serviced.
I've rebuild a few over the years.
Motor replacement is not difficult.
Their grinders are designed to be user serviced.
I've rebuild a few over the years.
I'm looking at purchasing an encore so this post makes me happy.
Fantastic customer service. Good to hear that they are taking care of you.
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Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Sorry you're having issues. But that is fantastic customer service.
I've just encountered a similar issue with my variable temp kettle - it just stopped working, completely dead. An electronics-savvy friend inspected it and showed me a blown resistor. I need to email the firm to see if they're willing to assist - hopefully they respond as helpfully as Baratza have to you.
I've just encountered a similar issue with my variable temp kettle - it just stopped working, completely dead. An electronics-savvy friend inspected it and showed me a blown resistor. I need to email the firm to see if they're willing to assist - hopefully they respond as helpfully as Baratza have to you.
- Thread starter
- #6
I've been thinking about getting an espresso machine, possibly a Lelit Mara. I'd get a Baratza Vario as my singe purpose espresso grinder. My neighbor has the Vario and when he had a problem with it he was able to fix it himself with the help of their staff. So far, Baratza is showing some real class. @PeteVK I would not hesitate to get the encore if I were you.
I've used my Virtuoso daily, sometimes 2 or 3 times daily, for the past seven years. I've replaced the burr once. Works like new. Love it.
- Thread starter
- #8
I finally got my grinder back up and running. It was not without a couple of minor hiccups but that was mostly due to me. Baratza sent me a new motor. I followed their video to remove the old motor and replace it with the new one. The video was immensely helpful. Until I lost my grip on one of the tiny little nuts that was immediately drawn to the magnetic casing of the motor and proceeded to find it's way into one of the openings in the casing. I could still see the nut sitting there laughing at me. I got a tweezer but that only caused it to move deeper into the motor. I finally got a paper clip and unfold it. I was able to stick it in the opening of the nut and drag it out of there. I was then able to complete the assembly. The grinder has both a timer knob on the side and a pulse button on the front to activate the grinder. The timer worked just fine. The pulse button wasn't working at all. And I've always used the pulse button exclusively because I only grind smaller amounts of beans for a couple of cups for myself in the morning. I took the outer casing on and off several times to no avail. I wrote the support person at Baratza and he made one suggestion that did the trick. Then I noticed that the hopper was jiggling while grinding and the size of the grounds was not the way it was before based upon the setting and was inconsistent. I took the hopper off, adjusted the burr and gasket and replaced it all. Bingo. A perfect grind with no jiggling hopper. This morning I made a fantastic pot of french press. I'm back in business. Hopefully this motor will last me longer than the 3 1/2 years the first one lasted. I'd like to see a good 10 years out of this thing.
@MntnMan62 good to hear you were able to get everything back together. You inspired me to pick up an Encore and I'm loving it!
- Thread starter
- #10
Nice. Are Baratza products the best on the market? No. But they are well priced for the level of quality and support you get and they do an admirable job for a reasonable price. I'm thrilled with how quickly they helped me out. And each and every email I sent (there have been many) received an equally quick response. Enjoy your new grinder and the coffee you'll be drinking because of it.
Good to hear - I have the same grinder.
- Thread starter
- #12
The Virtuoso is really good for the courser grind needed for french press. I'd get their Vario if I bought an espresso machine.
I've had great experience witht them as well. When my 10-year-old grinder eventually gave out from a gear failure I was pleased to find that not only did they have replacement "transmission" for a very reasonable price, they had improved it in the meantime with better materials, and had instructions sheets and videos. Not many appliance makers are that keen to keep you up and running without shelling out for a complete new unit. I definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a coffee grinder.
garyg
B&B membership has its percs
+2, as said by Mick, they are great,my Encore had what I thought was a hiccup, Baratza sent a new part without making me feel stupid.
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