Baratza Encore ESP / ZCG495 review

Espresso and filter coffee with a deliberately manual routine

The Baratza Encore ESP suits someone who wants to adjust grind size for espresso and everyday brewed coffee while staying in charge of when grinding stops. The standard machine uses an on/off switch or a held pulse button, then collects the grounds in a cup or bin. Its practical appeal is that straightforward workflow, rather than a timer, an integrated dose scale or an automatic end-of-load program.

Check the ESP name carefully. This assessment covers Encore ESP, not the original Encore and not Encore ESP Pro. Features belonging to those different models should not decide whether this particular grinder fits your routine.

The adjustment range has two different jobs

The operating guide divides the dial into an espresso section from 1 to 20 and a broader filter section from 21 to 40. Changes in the espresso section are smaller. That distinction is more useful than simply saying the grinder has forty settings: it explains where the maker intended finer adjustment and where it intended larger steps between brewing methods.

The same guide provides starting positions for espresso, pour-over, automatic brewing and French press. Treat those as starting points for your coffee and recipe. A number that works for one bean is not a transferable guarantee for another roast, dose or brewing device.

If you often switch between espresso and a larger brewed batch, write down the settings you actually use and check the next brew after switching. The numbered dial helps you return to a location; it does not automatically reproduce extraction or compensate for a different coffee.

The included cup is a transfer workflow

For espresso, the instructions have you grind into the dosing cup, place the portafilter over it and invert the pair to transfer the grounds. The included adapter changes that cup arrangement for the documented 54 and 58 mm portafilters. Those are cup-transfer sizes, not a promise that the grinder holds those handles directly under its outlet.

This matters if your question is whether you can leave a portafilter in a cradle while the grinder works. Choose a machine with that documented direct delivery if it is essential. If moving a cup is comfortable, the Encore ESP's method also lets you take the grounds elsewhere for distribution and preparation.

The larger grounds bin is intended for filter brewing. Keep the coffee below its maximum fill line. A bin that is still under the outlet needs room for the grounds to fall; allowing a mound to reach the chute can turn a simple batch into a cleaning job.

You control the dose and the stop

Holding the pulse button gives brief user-controlled operation; releasing it stops the motor. The side switch can run the grinder continuously until you turn it off. Neither action measures a target weight for you. If repeatable grams matter, include an appropriate external weighing step in your routine instead of expecting the grinder's setting number to specify a dose.

The standard US product reference lists a 300 g bean hopper. Baratza also documents a separately available single-dose hopper. That accessory can support a different loading routine, but its capacity and fitted height should not be mixed with the standard hopper's specifications. Decide which configuration you intend to use before checking a cabinet or a particular one-load requirement.

Cleaning access is a concrete advantage

The original instructions describe removal of the ring burr and a quick-release arrangement for the cone burr. That gives the user access for routine care without treating a service drawing as a cleaning procedure. Follow the actual sequence, retain the small parts in order and check the marked alignment when putting the ring burr back.

The cleaning rules differ between parts. Designated plastic containers can be hand-washed and fully dried; the steel burrs must not be washed in water. Keep the powered housing out of water. Easy access is useful only if the machine is also put back together correctly.

Check the standard configuration against your space

The current US reference lists a body approximately 130 mm wide, 150 mm deep and 340 mm high. Those are assembled body measurements, not a guarantee of clearance to refill or remove the hopper. Leave working space above and around it, especially if it will sit beneath a wall cabinet.

Choose the standard Encore ESP for documented espresso-to-French-press brew guidance, cup or bin collection and manual dose control. Compare a timer model if you want a saved run time, a genuine grind-by-weight model for target-weight stopping, or a direct holder arrangement if cup transfer is the step you want to remove.

Sources: Baratza's exact Encore ESP reference, January 2023 operating manual and model-specific accessory and support hub.