Not the best price we've seen for the Encore ESP, but is certainly the best price at the moment.
CamelCamelCamel.
it's just a grinder :/
My phone already has one
It's intended for Espresso (with or without milk). For non-espresso, maybe go for the Fellow Opus at this price point.
pour some milk into the hopper. should be fine
It's called RDT (Ross Dairy Technique).
Very honest question for a newbie. Not sure why you got downvoted
This or HiBrew G5?
Probably the G5 based on specs, stepless lower retention, smaller and cheaper.
Waiting for the Baratza Encore ESP PRO
I've had a Baratza Encore for a few years now. It produces an excellent grind when it's actually working, the constant maintenance issues and abysmal customer service.
The core problem is a fundamental design flaw: the plastic burr holder is intentionally engineered to fail as a "safety feature" to protect the motor from rocks in your beans. In theory, this sounds reasonable. In practice, it's been an absolute nightmare.
Initially, I was replacing the burr holder roughly every month. After making a warranty claim, Breville (who own Baratza) support simply blamed rocks in my coffee beans and refused to acknowledge any potential defect. Determined to prove otherwise, I started meticulously sorting through my beans individually before grinding – an absurd process for what should be a simple appliance. Despite this painstaking effort, the burr holder continued failing every few weeks.
When I contacted support again, they still refused to honour the warranty. Instead, they instructed me to purchase additional parts (adjustment ring, calibration ring, etc.), completely dismantle the machine, and repair it myself. This did improve things – I was then only replacing the burr holder every six months or so – but it's hardly the plug-and-play experience you'd expect from a grinder at this price.
The situation has only worsened. There's now no local parts supplier in Perth, so each replacement burr holder costs $12.95 plus $11 shipping. Over five years, I've spent more on replacing flimsy plastic parts than the machine originally cost.
When it works, the Encore grinds beautifully with consistent results. But the poorly designed burr holder, combined with Breville's dismissive attitude towards genuine warranty claims, makes this impossible to recommend. There are plenty of reliable grinders on the market that don't require constant maintenance and DIY repairs.
Thank you for that comment. Considered purchasing but will avoid now
Good grinder, kind of. But the bean hopper just rattles about like a lunatic, noisey, if you remove the hopper for cleaning, push it down when reconnecting else you will get a course grind. But it is still working for now after 4 or so months, 4 coffees a day.
Can grind for a variety of beverages but it's better suited for espresso more than the breville smart grinder from my experiences.
![[Prime] Baratza Encore ESP Coffee Grinder - Black ZCG495BLK $274.55 Delivered @ Amazon AU](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/69/927669.jpg?h=3ed7c03b)
Does this only grind black coffee, or can it do lattes as well?