Help with new Grinder for Pour Over

[Royce]

I think you made a great choice with a Baratza. Pretty solid company that comes with a hassle free customer service department, at least in my experience. I'm very pleased with my Baratza, no complaints. My Virtuoso has been a workhorse and makes for a pretty even grind for pour overs though I would not use it for fine tuned espresso. If I was willing to go down that rabbit hole and had crazy expendable income I would go the Mazzer/ La Marzocco route or something similar.


~Royce

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Virtuoso ordered today! (Along w a new gooseneck kettle). Should arrive Monday

 

[ackvil]

FYI -

I've had the Capresso Infinity for about a year now and have been very happy with it. Previously I used the Hario Skerton hand grinder but now that I make coffee for 2 (my wife and I) I appreciate the Capresso a lot more. I only make coffee using pour-over or French press and the Capresso does very well with both. As far as longevity I cannot say, but it hasn't hiccuped once since I first put it into use and I use it almost every single day.

I have had mine for five years now. It is used at least once a day and performs nicely. The only complaint I have is that static electricity can result in a few coffee grounds flying out when you open the draw. I usually tap the grinder once or twice and wait a minute to open the draw. I find that solves my problem.

My youngest son has his longer than me and his works flawlessly.

 

[marlap]

Encore is probably your best bet for pour over among your choices, the virtuoso is better yet if you don't mind the price difference. Plus you always have the choice later on to use it for espresso. Although the Breville Smartgrinder may have plenty of good reviews, it probably won't last as long as a Baratza. Plus if you run into trouble with a Baratza grinder, they offer reasonably priced replacement parts, outstanding customer service, and plenty of videos on how to repair their machines.

 

[global_dev]

I have had mine for five years now. It is used at least once a day and performs nicely. The only complaint I have is that static electricity can result in a few coffee grounds flying out when you open the draw. I usually tap the grinder once or twice and wait a minute to open the draw. I find that solves my problem.

My youngest son has his longer than me and his works flawlessly.

ive had same model capresso for 8 yrs and its doing fine. similar static issue but its nothing crazy. i clean out the burrs once every couple years and some coffee gets packed in there, but i hasnt made any issues even though some would prefer a lot less retention. not an issue for me though on this grinder.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Encore is probably your best bet for pour over among your choices, the virtuoso is better yet if you don't mind the price difference. Plus you always have the choice later on to use it for espresso. Although the Breville Smartgrinder may have plenty of good reviews, it probably won't last as long as a Baratza. Plus if you run into trouble with a Baratza grinder, they offer reasonably priced replacement parts, outstanding customer service, and plenty of videos on how to repair their machines.

I wound up choosing the virtuosso even with the price difference for two reasons, one it has a timer vs manual on/off; makes it easier from me to be consistent, then I also dont have to stand there to grind. (not that it takes all that long!) but mainly because I read many reviews that complained about the "fines" that the encore produces, that is much more controlled per se, in the Virtuosso; I am sure I would have been happy with either, (but..hey..dont I deserve something a little better once in a while? )

 

[YKMV]

(but..hey..dont I deserve something a little better once in a while? )

Darn right you do and coffee is one of those critical areas in life, is it not?

 

[Mick]

I wound up choosing the virtuosso

 

[SiBurning]

View attachment 666625

You should get a backup grinder for emergencies

 

[Shantytownbrown]

View attachment 666625

 

[Shantytownbrown]

You should get a backup grinder for emergencies

Well, gentleman,its been two years, and this AM, the vituoso stopped working, lucky i had the old Breville still in the basement for just such and emergency; I am going to tinker with the Virtuoso to the limit of my ablity, but am going to order a Hairo as a back up, and also as a backup for power outages (we get a lot of them here);

Seems that since my original inquiry, there are a few new Hairo models, and upgrade it seems the Skerton "plus" and the Mini Slim and Mini Slim "plus".

Am I reading correctly that these "new" ones now have an adjustable burr?

Hoping one of you knows something about these and maybe one of you has a tip on what may have happened to my Bartaza! went completely quiet, narry a sound except the grind timer ticking away.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

disregard above!! a little tinkering and i dislodged a stuck bean and all is working!
also i did some research and settled on the Skerton Pro (the mini slim "pro" doesn't seem to be available in the US right now, but would have been ideal), I learned more about these and their differences in the process; I guess I misunderstood the orginal, which was indeed adjustable itself, but these new ones have much more stability and the "pro" line has a stronger handle and better grind adjustment mechanism.
Seattle Coffee Gear has it cheaper on its own website than its Amazon Storefront, and if i sign up for their mailing list I save another 10%, which puts it only $10 above the Skerton "plus" including shipping.

 

[Mick]

Looks like they incorporated the OE bottom bearing mod and call it the plus

Orphan Kyocera/Skerton bearing mod on CM-50

This makes it a very consistent brew grinder but stops it from grinding fine enough for espresso.

I should say that I have OE moded 2 Skerton/CM-50 grinders. One is my travel grinder and the other is my "extra" grinder that I use when the Forte is full.

I've been VERY pleased with them over the years

.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Looks like they incorporated the OE bottom bearing mod and call it the plus

Orphan Kyocera/Skerton bearing mod on CM-50

This makes it a very consistent brew grinder but stops it from grinding fine enough for espresso.

I should say that I have OE moded 2 Skerton/CM-50 grinders. One is my travel grinder and the other is my "extra" grinder that I use when the Forte is full.

I've been VERY pleased with them over the years

.

Yes. That’s what I found. Then they added a hexagonal nut for the handle attachment and made a much more robust handle, as well as incorporated the mini slim’s adjustment knob and called it the “pro”.

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[Shantytownbrown]

Well, the Baratza was silent again this am. I did the same thing I did the other day, and nothing. So I took off the housing, cleaned it out and checked all the electrical connections. Nothing. Still silent.

Glad I have the Hairo on the way.

Anyone have thoughts before I ship this back for service. Bummed that this lasted only 2 years. I clean it regularly too. Just odd that the motor wouldn’t work one day, not the next. Then work again and then off again.


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[Mick]

There is a hopper safety relay that needs to be closed.

Make sure the hopper is on all the way

One of those things that protect you from yourself

 

[Mick]

There is also an electrical troubleshooting PDF you can go over

Troubleshooting - Baratza

 

[Mick]

Any and all repairs can be done by you at home.

All parts are reasonable and these are dead simple to work on.

I've rebuilt a number of them.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Thanks, Mick, I tried to look for the hopper thing but couldn’t locate. I will look again, I had a feeling it was something like that. If not is the motor easily replaced? I assume that’s what it is, if anything. I am a bit of a klutz.


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[Mick]

The pdf will show you how to troubleshoot the relay, fused link, circuit board, and motor.

I doubt it is anything big. Lose wire or relay not making contact

Can't get pdf links on the phone otherwise I'd send you the direct link. Pick electric troubleshooting from the list. 4 pages of "what to do"

It will save you some $$$