Encore or Encore ESP when breakfast needs two kinds of coffee?

A place for both cups

On Saturday evening, Amal Owen Fox put a small coffee cup beside his father's mug. Silas's filter brewer stood in its usual place. Amal could already picture a slow breakfast with an espresso of his own and the coffee his father liked. The brewer could stay.

They had the espresso machine, its 54 mm portafilter and single-wall basket, a matching tamper and a scale. Their coffee still came preground. A first electric grinder would give Amal something to adjust, and it would have to serve Silas's filter coffee too.

Amal liked controls he could turn with his fingers. An app would have been one more thing to tend. He opened the two Baratza manuals and wrote the model names in a notebook: Encore and Encore ESP. Beside each, he wrote 40.

Where the forty settings go

Forty settings sounded like the same amount of choice. Then Amal found the division in the ESP manual. Settings 1 to 20 make small changes for espresso. From 21 to 40, the changes become larger for filter brewing. He drew a line after 20.

That was the detail he needed. Choosing an espresso recipe involves adjusting the grind, and the ESP gives those adjustments a dedicated, finer range. He could use that range for his small cup and the coarser range for Silas's brewer.

The ordinary Encore remained capable of grinding for espresso. Its manual even suggests 8 as an espresso starting point. Both models having forty numbers did not mean that each turn offered the same change. For a first grinder bought to adjust espresso as well as make filter coffee, Amal chose the Encore ESP.

Two lines in the notebook

Under espresso, Amal wrote the ESP manual's starting suggestion: 15, for a medium roast and an 18 g dose. Under filter, he wrote 28, the suggestion for an automatic brewer. He left space beside both for changes as he found the settings he preferred for their beans.

The parts had different jobs too. The ESP's included dosing cup would transfer grounds to his portafilter. For their 54 mm portafilter, the 58 mm adapter ring comes off the cup. A 58 mm portafilter uses the ring. Silas's filter coffee would use the grounds bin.

Changing recipes meant changing the grinder setting. Baratza says to adjust the ESP while it is running or completely empty of beans. Amal added that instruction beside the two recipe lines. A scribbled number alone would leave the next person with half the job.

Cleaning had its own place in the plan. Unplug the grinder first. Hand-wash the removable containers and let them dry, and keep the burrs out of water. They had a dry spot for the grinder beside the brewers.

Who leaves it ready?

Amal checked the Black US listing: Encore ESP ZCG495BLK, with Amazon item model ZCG495BLK1AUC1A and a listed 120 V supply. That matched their power supply. Before ordering, he would agree the full checkout cost with Silas and check the selected package.

Amal still wanted quiet mornings. Grinding would wait until both were awake. He would only order an electric grinder if its motor noise was something they could live with.

The choice was clear enough to put a name at the top of the page: Encore ESP. Below the two recipes, Amal wrote that he would empty it and restore the filter setup after making his espresso. Silas's mug went back beside the familiar brewer. Amal left his small cup next to it.

When this does not matter

Your current grinder already gives you the espresso adjustments you want.

You have no espresso recipe to adjust and are choosing solely for filter brewing.