A NEW DAILY GRIND: BARATZA VIRTUOSO+

It looks stealthy, entices you to brew, and does not disappoint with the results!

Let's have a first look at the Baratza Virtuoso +

A grinder that boasts its consistency for both filter and espresso brewing at home

First Impressions

Stylish. Minimal. Sophisticated.

Imagine being told you've won a Baratza Virtuoso +, the excitement, it arrives, you open the box...….and it's red! I was super excited that it turned out to be a 20 years special edition, it looks great on the brew bar! The UK coffee gear supplier Coffee Hit ran an Instagram competition, with this grinder as the prize!

Imagine being told you've won a Baratza Virtuoso + , the excitement, it arrives, you open the box...…and it's red! 20 year special edition."

First impressions, this grinder is really well built. A metal outer casing , 40mm conical burrs, 40 grind settings (fine to coarse) , a digital timer, and, the most thrilling thing I've seen on a coffee grinder, a light above the grounds bin! A light! Talk about thinking of everything!

It didn't take long to assemble everything, put the rubber gasket on, set up the burrs, place on the hopper, adjust the grind and away I went, grinding coffee to my hearts content.

It's worth noting I have only tested this grinder out for filter brewing so far, I have separate espresso setup, so note my opinions are purely based on filter coffee brewing so far.

As most home coffee grinders are, it's not the quietest, however it's worth noting that in my opinion it's quieter than some other home grinders I've used, and the speed in which it grinds is relatively fast. The retention in this grinder seems to be very good. I've lost roughly 0.3g coffee which really, I find rather impressive. Nobody likes those lost grounds that could reappear in another brew if you don't purge!

One minor annoyance I have noticed with this grinder, is you will get one or two beans that will remain popcorning around the hopper once grinding is finished, but it's not really something that matters to me, considering I tend to put a small amount of beans through before using a new coffee, just to purge out any leftover.

The overall look of the Virtuoso + is stylish as far as home coffee grinders go in my opinion. It's actually quite sleek and measuring 12x35x16 cm with a 5oz grounds bin. Its a perfect size for my filter coffee station, not being intrusive but still robust enough you trust in it's capabilities.

The timer is a feature you can easily adjust, depending on how much coffee you need to grind, and simply press the dial in to halt grinding. Usability wise this grinder is really simple to use, I feel a beginner and a pro would enjoy using this. If you're new to home coffee brewing and you have the budget, I would say go for this over the cheaper options out there, a good grinder is key for good coffee. Invest more into your grinder than your espresso machine or brewing devices. If you're more experienced in coffee brewing, but on a budget then this will not disappoint in my opinion!

"The overall look of the Virtuoso + is stylish as far as home coffee grinders go. It's a perfect size for my filter coffee station, not being intrusive, but still robust enough you trust in it's capabilities."

There's a great range of adjustment for filter coffee brews on this grinder. Baratza provide you with a helpful grind guide in their booklet, so this was a good starting point. I then adjusted to my preference depending on the recipe and coffee used. It can go from Aeropress grind all the way to a Chemex grind, with options for even coarser if needed. I've brewed Kalita, Chemex and Aeropress with this grinder and I'm really impressed with the results and consistency of the grind.

I haven't tested this grinder out for espresso yet, simply because I have a dedicated stepless grinder currently, however I am keen to experiment and see what results I can get using this with the Gaggia Ruby espresso machine. More to come on that topic so stay tuned!