Prior to using a Virtuoso+ grinder for the 1st time, The model remained unchanged until the release of the Virtuoso Plus in 2019, which replaced the original. The Baratza Virtuoso+ Grinder is the latest addition to the Baratza range. This new model has all the best features of its predecessor, the Virtuoso, but with a few important upgrades. It’s the tried and true, quality-driven grinder that most baristas have at home and even in their cafes! The Virtuoso+ delivers a clean, café-quality taste to your cup thanks to a high-performance conical burr set that produces uniform grind particles for balanced flavor notes. The only brewing method it struggles a bit with (but can still pull off) is espresso. The main problem is the big “macro” jumps in grind size going from, say, 7 to 8 on the adjustment collar. This can result in a shot running an extra 5 seconds longer or shorter.

Say you want to know the timer setting for 21g of coffee for a 300ml Hario V60 pour over. Have a scale handy, and weigh the grinds bin, zeroing it out. Insert the bin, and press and hold the control knob to start the grind-on-demand mode. Stop pressing when it’s around 7 or 8 seconds. Remove the bin, weigh it. Depending on what you read, (my guess is it will be about 16g for 8 seconds), reinsert the bin and press the button again. The counter will continue to count up – 9, 10 seconds. Stop, weigh, and once you get near your 21g dose, look at the display: that timer number is what you’ll set to get this same dose next time you use the grinder. Nevertheless, this is an absolutely easy-to-use grinder without all of that tinkering. You can even (for grinding directly) into a pressurized portafilter utilize the handy pulse grinder. External Build Quality While we certainly didn’t enjoy this process, it’s something that only needs to be done once in a while and thus shouldn’t be considered a dealbreaker. – Tech Gear Lab Best Baratza Virtuoso Plus alternatives Baratza Encore Both the Baratza Virtuoso and the Breville Smart Grinder Pro are good-quality conical burr grinders that will ensure good grind consistency and balanced extraction when brewing your coffee. Breville was established in 1932 in Sydney, Australia, and makes coffee grinders, machines as well as other kitchen appliances such as toasters or food processors.Moisture can play a role and affect the flavor of the grind as well. Moisture in the air can dilute your beans. Pre-ground has increased surface area and can cause more moisture issues for your brew. CO2 Depletion This isn’t a feature, really, but the Virtuoso+ is noticeably quieter than other grinders we’ve used. A grinder doesn’t have to be quiet for us to like it, but your family or roommates will thank you if your grinder doesn’t make grinding coffee beans sound like putting nails in a blender. Retention Issues Near the middle of the 40 grind range, around the grind size, you should ply for drip methods. It is where this machine performs with the most consistency. Around 20 to 30–no complaints there from us! At the lower, the finest end, the bean grind remains consistent also. Speaking of grinding directly into a portafilter: this whole experience is upgraded by the digital timer real time readout and the grind on demand feature the Virtuoso+ has. With the previous version of this grinder, you had to eyeball your dose into the portafilter, guessing when to stop pressing the front-mounted pulse button. On the + model, no more guesswork once you know the timing of your espresso dose (which you would figure out using the dial in procedure I outlined above). Then you twist the central knob until it displays the length of time you would like to grind for. You have the choice of 0-40 seconds, changing in 0.1 second intervals, allowing excellent precision and repeatability. Though it goes up in 1-second increments and only down in 0.1 second ones.

We love coffee, and learning how to brew like a pro has been fun and exciting. This grinder has been a great addition to our morning ritual. It makes fine-tuning the perfect mug or shot simple. It is on the more modern end of the scale when it comes to a grinder. So, if you prefer a more “old-fashioned” look, then it may not be for you. Read on as we do a deep dive on the Baratza Virtuoso+, cover its pros and cons, what type of brewing it’s good for, and list some of the best alternatives. The Virtuoso+ has a solid build and has a metal case surrounding the top of the grinder where the important stuff lives. We were surprised at how beefy it felt compared to the Encore, and it is definitely a step up in how it feels to hold. The switch is also solid and easier to use than the Encore’s switch, which pops off every fourth or fifth use. The Baratza Virtuoso+ is a 40mm conical burr grinder that’s adjustable across 40 degrees of fineness. Its updated digital timer allows you to program grinding times within 1/10th of a second with a new “pulse” feature which allows you to add time to your grind to get exactly the right amount of coffee.This machine comes with 40mm steel burrs manufactured in European standards with a DC motor. That means you can simply rely on this machine for years of consistency as well as durability before even thinking about going at any replacement parts. Even then you won’t have to substitute the whole machine itself. Baratza Customer Service The Virtuoso+ uses a gear reduction system on its DC motor. This means that the burrs rotate at a steady 550 RPM. Doing so not only reduces heat build-up from ruining the grounds but also means it isn’t as loud as some other coffee grinders around this price point. If you are using pressurised baskets on your espresso machine, like those that come with many home espresso machines, you should be able to get away with this grinder for espresso. This is because the pressurised baskets are more forgiving of incorrect grind size. Ease of use

The grinder is quiet, measuring 78db in our initial testing. Baratza says the DC motor, combined with the mounts, rubber feet, closed lid on the bean hopper, and the amount of metal in the construction contribute to this being one of the quieter grinders on the market. Another important feature is that the Breville hopper size is 16oz , twice as big as the 8oz hopper of a Baratza grinder, which means more capacity and less frequent refills. The design of The Virtuoso looks impressive. It has a durable build and feels solid, and the build presents a sense of style and elegance. There is a front-mounted digital timer, display, and dial for customized grinding. You can also utilize the 60-second timer for consistent grinds. The drinks produced tasted great and had fantastic aromas. After extensive use and experimentation, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience during this Baratza Virtuoso review. You want the most high-tech grinder – If you’re a fan of high-tech gadgets, you’ll love the Breville Smart Grinder Pro. You can micro-adjust your grind with 600 grind settings and program it to dose multiple cups based on custom settings. To maximize freshness, the Virtuoso+ minimizes the ground coffee left in the grinder. BREWING METHODSThe Virtuoso + has a physical footprint measuring 4.7 x 6.3 x 13.8 inches. It’s ideal for storing in your kitchen cabinet (although, why would you want to do that?). And weighing in at 8 lbs, it has a solid heft to it, which might not be great for moving it around every day. Ease Of Cleaning: This grinder really does excel at most other brewing methods. Let me just talk about one: the Espro Bloom brewer. I have a love-hate thing going on with this brewer because the filter papers are so expensive and so hard to manage. But I’ve settled on the Bloom as one of my main test-brew devices for grinders because using it without paper filters can produce an absolutely stellar brew, if the grinder and grind size are really good. While oxidation begins before you grind the beans, grinding creates more surface area, which releases more oxygen. This means pre-ground will lose some of its flavors and aromas. Over time, you may experience staleness from the grounds. Moisture The Virtuoso+ is a great multi-purpose grinder for many styles of brewing from espresso, to drip, to French press. The Virtuoso+ is a relatively easy grinder to clean and maintain. The grind chute and grind cup effectively contain most of the grinds, which reduces spillage.