The catch
Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
If the recipe changes, you still need to recheck the timer settings.
Side by side
Baratza Virtuoso+ vs Baratza Encore: Virtuoso brings a timer, but no extra bean capacity or grind positions
Quick verdict
If you repeat a filter recipe and want a digital timer plus an illuminated grounds bin, choose the Virtuoso+. If you already weigh each input and prefer simple manual control, choose the Encore. Both have 40 settings and a 300 g hopper, so the upgrade adds neither bean capacity nor more numbered grind positions.
Before you buy
Why, and what it costs you
The same dose every weekday
With Virtuoso+, you set the run duration in tenths of a second and reuse it for a steady filter recipe. You skip pressing the Encore's stop control at the right moment. How much this helps depends on keeping the recipe and the coffee fairly consistent, since a different bean or setting can change how much gets ground in the same time.
Where this comes from
That comes from comparing timed control with manual control. Adjusting by 0.1 second does not promise dosing accuracy of 0.1 g.
The catch
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
No digital grinding duration can be saved.
Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
- Why pick it
- The timer's 0.1-second adjustments are something you will use.
- During your morning routine, an illuminated bin helps you see the grounds.
- The catch
- If the recipe changes, you still need to recheck the timer settings.
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Why pick it
- You already weigh single doses and stop the grinder yourself.
- A digital display and timed repeat operation are not things you need.
- The catch
- No digital grinding duration can be saved.
We may earn a commission from qualifying Amazon purchases. How we make money
What this page compares
Virtuoso+ vs Encore on repeat filter-coffee doses, manual single dosing and whether a digital timer earns its place.
This one comes down to dose control and burr set first, then to the limits of your own setup.
Which one fits
Pick the situations that sound like you
Reuse a grind duration you saved
The digital timer comes with Virtuoso+.
- Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
- Better fit
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Depends
Weigh the beans ahead of every brew
Weighing the input is possible with both grinders.
- Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
- Good
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Good
Need extra hopper capacity
Each states 300 g.
- Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
- Similar
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Similar
Want a view of the bin in dim morning light
Virtuoso+ comes with a lit bin.
- Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
- Better fit
- Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- Depends
In practice
Differences you will notice
The same dose every weekday
With Virtuoso+, you set the run duration in tenths of a second and reuse it for a steady filter recipe. You skip pressing the Encore's stop control at the right moment. How much this helps depends on keeping the recipe and the coffee fairly consistent, since a different bean or setting can change how much gets ground in the same time.
How we worked this out
That comes from comparing timed control with manual control. Adjusting by 0.1 second does not promise dosing accuracy of 0.1 g.
A household that weighs every input already
When you weigh the beans before each brew, both grinders get the dose you chose. Encore then gives you manual start and stop, with no timer setting to manage. Virtuoso+ still brings an illuminated bin and the M2 burr, but its timer matters less in this workflow than it does for repeated grinding from a loaded hopper.
How we worked this out
The shared 300 g hopper and 40 settings leave no upgrade argument based on capacity or number of positions. The page does not claim the two burr designs have been measured as equivalent.
The upgrade does not include a bigger hopper
Take a hypothetical 20 g input per brew. 300 divided by 20 equals 15 input doses for either hopper. This is an arithmetic loading illustration. It is not the number of drinks to expect after retention, and it is not advice to keep beans in a full hopper.
How we worked this out
With the same rated capacity, how often you refill is an unlikely reason to switch between these two models.
Option A
Baratza, ZCG587BLK
Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
A well-finished hopper grinder for brewed coffee. The lit bin and the timer make weekday doses easy to repeat.
- Best for
- The timer's 0.1-second adjustments are something you will use.
Facts we checked
- Controlling the dose: A digital timer in 0.1-second increments
- Set of burrs: M2 conical steel, 40 mm
- How it adjusts: 40 settings
- Hopper: 300 g
Option B
Baratza, ZCG485BLK
Encore Conical Burr Grinder
This filter grinder keeps things simple, with a wide hopper and a clearly numbered dial. Its serviceable design has kept it going for a long time on home counters.
- Best for
- You already weigh single doses and stop the grinder yourself.
Facts we checked
- Controlling the dose: Manual on/off, front pulse
- Set of burrs: Conical steel, 40 mm
- How it adjusts: 40 settings
- Hopper: 300 g
Spec by spec
Where they really differ
| Spec | Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder | Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dose control | Digital timer with 0.1-second increments | Manual on/off and front pulse | The added control sets duration. It does not stop at an automatic weight. |
| Burr set | 40 mm M2 conical steel | 40 mm conical steel | The M2 spec as documented does not amount to a controlled flavor result. |
| Adjustment | 40 settings | 40 settings | The marked positions stay the same in number after the upgrade. |
| Hopper | 300 g | 300 g | The stated bean mass is the same in each. |
| Grounds-bin visibility | Illuminated bin | Standard bin | Virtuoso+ improves visibility, and it gains no weighing sensor. |
Trade-offs
What each pick costs you
With Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
- Compared with Encore, it states no extra hopper capacity or numbered settings.
With Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
- There is no light on the grounds bin.
Change of plan
When the answer changes
What your routine lacks is a repeatable run duration
Go with Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder. The timer comes with Virtuoso+.
You weigh inputs already, and manual control suits you
Go with Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder. That workflow is covered by Encore.
Decision guide
How to decide
The Virtuoso+ fits when you repeat a filter recipe and want a digital timer plus an illuminated grounds bin. The Encore fits when you already weigh each input and prefer simple manual control. Both have 40 settings and a 300 g hopper, which means the upgrade does not add bean capacity or more numbered grind positions.
Pay for the control you use
For someone repeating a known recipe from one hopper, the Virtuoso+ upgrade is easy to justify. It is less decisive for a person who weighs a fresh single dose every time. Write out your current sequence and work out whether stopping the grinder by hand is an inconvenience for you.
Time and mass are not the same
Fine adjustment of the timer is possible, but there is no scale underneath the grounds bin. Use a separate scale to establish the duration for your coffee. Recheck after grind adjustments, and do not assume that a saved duration always fills the same brewer with the same mass.
Avoid counting the same capacity twice
Each hopper is rated at 300 g, and each adjustment ring has 40 positions. Keep those shared specifications out of the upgrade argument. Burr construction and bin illumination do differ, but a claim that one makes a particular coffee taste better would need evidence beyond the specifications.
What this page can’t tell you
- No controlled difference in taste, retention or noise has been established.
By the numbers
What the data shows
What we found across the premium coffee grinders we compare, plus the checked facts behind each finding.
Show the facts and the math
| Product | Needs it meets | Facts we checked | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder |
|
|
|
| Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder |
|
|
|
Ready to buy
See today’s price and what owners say
Open either model on Amazon for the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.
Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
The timer's 0.1-second adjustments are something you will use.
See price & reviews on AmazonBaratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
You already weigh single doses and stop the grinder yourself.
See price & reviews on AmazonEach link opens in a new tab.
We may earn a commission from qualifying Amazon purchases. How we make money