One thing that has changed in 15 years is that people expect different and new things from a quality home coffee grinder. One desired, yet missing element was more glaring than any other on the original Virtuoso. In 2005, there were zero consumer grinders on the market with a digital timer built in. By 2012, there were a dozen. And by 2020, every grinder in Baratza’s lineup save for the Virtuoso and the Encore had digital timers, not to mention dozens and dozens of competitor grinders on the market. The Breville grinder has 60 grind settings and the Baratza only offers 40 settings. While Baratza will perform great for manual or drip brewing methods, the Virtuoso grinder isn’t sufficient for making espressos. When looking at the differences in performance, the Breville grinder has a less powerful motor that has a tendency to break, with inferior construction to that of the Baratza grinder. The Virtuoso+ has a metal casing and new branding on the front and side that helps it stand out on your countertop. Some key differences from the original are the new clear bean hopper and grinder bin, which allows you to see how much ground coffee you have with the additional LED light installed inside. A grinder is the most important piece of gear in your coffee-making arsenal. Without a consistent grind, your coffee will never live up to its full potential, and some of the money you spend on high-quality specialty beans will go to waste. The Baratza Virtuoso+ is a mid-range grinder aimed at intermediate homebrewers looking to improve their coffee game by taking their grinding to the next level. The Virtuoso+ isn’t Baratza’s top-of-the-line model, but it isn’t an entry-level grinder either. If you already own a low-priced entry-level grinder, the Virtuoso+ will probably be a significant improvement, but for beginners, it might be a bit on the expensive side.

It’s a step grinder (as opposed to stepless), so you’ll hear the step changes as you change the grind size.

To protect the high-performance motor and burr, Baratza has equipped the Virtuoso + with a thermal cutoff switch. It prevents the motor from overheating due to excessive use. Hopper & Grounds Bin: 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. When it comes to grinding speed on the Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso, there is no comparison. The Encore will process your coffee beans at a speed of 0.8 – 1.1g per second, while the Virtuoso Plus is almost twice as fast at 1.5 – 2.4g per second. If it’s just you drinking coffee, the Encore should be fast enough, but you’ll be grateful for the Virtuoso’s added speed if you need to grind for multiple cups of coffee. To maximize freshness, the Virtuoso+ minimizes the ground coffee left in the grinder. BREWING METHODS That’s why Baratza has equipped the Virtuoso + with a removable top burr to make your cleaning routine more manageable. Durability – 4.5/5

I also have something else I always do, but this is definitely optional: I run a cup of rice through a brand new grinder before putting beans in. If there’s any kind of manufacturing oil or residues inside, the rice will take care of that. Then I grind through about 50g of stale, old coffee just to do a light seasoning and get any rice starch out of the machine. Once all that’s done, coffee gets loaded up and the grinder is put to use. The Virtuoso features 40mm conical burrs. A DC motor provides ample power for the grinding procedure. Speed controls regulate the rotation to 550 RPM, which will reduce noise, heat, and static generation during operation. You may experience some excess noise and popcorning of beans when grinding small batches. Bean Hopper & Grounds Bin The older model’s side-mounted timer switch has been replaced with a centrally-placed timer dial that also acts as a pulse-grinding switch. Above this knob sits the digital display that helps you set the timer for grinding. The digital timer can be adjusted from 1 to 40 seconds in 0.1-second increments. This gives you a level of dosing control that was previously missing from the Virtuoso.

Our Verdict

Most small-scale, consumer appliances are built to wear out or cease being useful in a short time. This kitchenware is expensive and difficult to repair. So consumers are expected to dump and replace which do have big environmental ramifications. Their products are built to support the specialty coffee community. Whether you are a seasoned barista or just learning about coffee, they have products that will meet your needs. Their goal is to innovate with every product. The Virtuoso+ has two LED lights that light up the grinds bin and grinds area of the grinder. This is especially welcome when you’re grinding directly into a portafilter, or a catch bin (like the increasingly popular 54mm and 58mm catch cups to use with portafilter baskets). I use the Virtuoso+ for cupping coffees, and grind directly into our cupping cups, and can easily see the grind output, quality and quantity with these lights. On the other hand, if you desire to amp up rotation speed or bring down the grind time, you can just open the gearbox and do that. Instead of going for the standard 450 rpm, you can change from the 405 to 495 range. Also, you can alter the ground speed from 1.5 to 2.4 g/sec. Now that’s what we call pretty impressive. In this Baratza Virtuoso Plus review, we dig into usability and performance, as well as cleaning. Everything you need to know to find out if the Virtuoso Plus is ideal for you.