I really like my Baratza Encore ESP. I bought it for about Rs. 18-19K in 2023, along with my Gaggia Classic Pro, and I've been using it for almost three years now. For what I paid, I'm very happy!
It gets used almost every day. Sometimes I use my J-Ultra for espresso, but most mornings it's the ESP grinding the coffee for my cappuccino. Especially lately, because I've been playing more tennis and dealing with tennis elbow. Hand-grinding for espresso is a little less fun when your arm hurts!
So, after writing about my Gaggia, I wanted to review the grinder I've been using alongside it. What has it been like to own? And would I buy it again today?
Why I chose the ESP
The ESP part of the name was what convinced me. I needed something for espresso, and this was being sold as a grinder that could do both espresso and filter coffee well. That sounded great to me. I could buy one electric grinder and use it for different kinds of coffee.
I was already spending quite a bit on the Gaggia, so the price helped too. Around Rs. 18-19K felt reasonable for something I would use every day.
It has 40mm conical steel burrs, with 40 grind settings. Settings 1-20 have smaller adjustments for espresso, and 21-40 cover the coarser brewing range.
These days, I mostly use it for espresso with the Gaggia. I have a ZP6 for the lighter, juicier coffees I like to brew separately.
What I like about using it
It's very straightforward. I weigh my beans on a scale, put them into the hopper, and grind.
The hopper is quite large, but that has never bothered me, even though I single-dose. I just put in the amount I've weighed. I don't need to fill it up.
I use the larger grounds collector for both espresso and filter. There's enough space to give the coffee a shake inside it, which I like, and grounds getting everywhere hasn't really been an issue for me.
The grind adjustment is easy too. You turn the hopper, and it clicks into place. Those clicks are quite satisfying, actually! It's a nicely designed adjustment.
It isn't stepless, but I feel like there are enough settings for what I'm doing. I'm making my regular morning cup, and I'm very happy with the coffee I'm getting.
I want to drink the bag, too!
Something I've realised as a home barista is that dialing in has to fit around actually drinking the coffee.
If I've bought a 250g bag for Rs. 700-800, I want to get my 10-15 doses out of it. I usually use around 16-17g. Those bags finish quickly!
I can't keep making one shot, then another, then another, just to find the perfect setting. If dialing in is part of your job, I imagine you approach that differently. At home, I'm also thinking about how much coffee I have left.
So I dial it in with each cup. I make a coffee, see how it tastes and how long it takes, and make a small adjustment for the next one. Once I'm happy, I leave it there. As I go through the same coffee, I might go a step finer every week or so.
I do enjoy sitting down and comparing things sometimes. But most mornings, I'm making myself a cappuccino. The ESP works very well for that.
How does it compare with my J-Ultra?
My ESP and J-Ultra. I use both for espresso.
The J-Ultra gives me more flavour. I've brewed the same coffee with both grinders and tasted the shots side by side, and that's when the difference becomes a lot more apparent.
I enjoy that comparison. It's similar to what I did with the C2 and ZP6: make the same coffee with both and see what I can taste.
But I'm also very happy using the ESP. Since the tennis elbow started bothering me, I've been relying on it more frequently, and the coffee has been great.
That's something worth thinking about when you're choosing between a manual and electric grinder. I like hand-grinding, but there are days when I'm very glad I can just switch this one on.
It's loud. I don't particularly mind.
The ESP is quite loud. I've known that all along, and I understand why some people find it annoying.
Personally, it doesn't bother me much. I'm grinding coffee! Sure, there are quieter grinders, and that might be important to you. It just hasn't been a big consideration for me.
Retained coffee hasn't bothered me much either. I give it a little tap when needed, and that's usually enough for my routine.
What has gone wrong in three years?
Very little, actually.
At one point, the cap holding the cone burr in place came loose. I was trying to grind for espresso and getting much coarser grounds than I expected. I was a little confused until I figured out what had happened.
I tightened it properly, and it has been fine since. I check it every now and then to make sure it's still tight.
Apart from that one niggle, I haven't needed repairs or replacement parts.
Every two or three months, I remove the burr parts that come out for cleaning and brush away the coffee that's built up. I clean the hopper separately, wipe the outside, and keep the hopper lid closed when I'm not using it.
That's pretty much it. I use it once or twice a day, and it has been easy to look after. I've covered more of my routine in the equipment-cleaning article.
The occasional bag for a friend
I've also used it to grind coffee for other people. Someone buys a 250g bag of whole beans and then realises they needed it ground. This has happened with my sister, my girlfriend, and friends more than once!
I grind those bags in smaller batches and give it breaks because I'm a little worried about overworking it. So far, so good. Touch wood!
Would I buy it again?
Yes, I would consider it again. I've had almost three years of good coffee from it, and I'm very happy with the purchase.
I would also look at the DF54 if I were buying today. There's definitely some curiosity there. I have several conical-burr grinders now, so a flat-burr grinder is the thing I haven't tried owning yet.
I've been looking at comparisons, and plenty of other people are weighing up the same two grinders. In one owner's ESP-to-DF54 comparison, they describe getting more separation between flavours after switching. That interests me.
But the experiences vary. In another discussion, someone comparing their ESP with their father's DF54 liked both, gave the DF54 a slight edge, and found the Encore more convenient for making several coffees. There are complaints about DF54 clogging in the replies too.
For me, the question is how much more I'd get out of another grinder. I already have the J-Ultra for espresso and the ZP6 for filter, and I enjoy what all of them do. A flat-burr grinder is something I'm curious about, but I'm very happy with the coffee I'm making now.
The price has gone up since I bought mine, too. On 6 November 2026, Something's Brewing listed the ESP at Rs. 21,699, although it was out of stock. So I'd look at the prices and availability of the alternatives before buying today.
For the Rs. 18-19K I paid, though, it's been a very good purchase. Almost three years later, I'm still using it regularly and enjoying my morning cappuccino. I'm happy to keep doing that!