Baratza Encore ESP Grind Settings Chart

These ranges are starting points. Your beans, roast date and brewer will move the ideal number a little, so treat each as a starting point and adjust by taste and brew time.

The Encore ESP uses 40mm conical burrs: a cone-shaped burr turns inside a fixed outer ring, and the gap between them sets the particle size. Turning the collar moves that gap.

The collar is split into two zones. In the espresso range (1–20), each numbered step is small, so one step is a fine correction. In the filter range (21–40), the steps are larger, because pour-over and French press tolerate bigger changes. There are no half positions: every setting is a whole number.

Espresso is the most sensitive brew method by far. A tiny change in grind can move a shot from fast and sour to slow and bitter, which is why fine adjustment in that range matters more than the total number of settings. Our coffee grind size chart explains how grind size changes extraction across methods. For a starting point, use the coffee grind size calculator.

1. 1

   Weigh about 18g of beans and spray them once or twice with water.

2. 2

   Set the collar to your roast's starting number from the chart.

3. 3

   Grind into the catch bin, then transfer to the portafilter with a dosing funnel.

4. 4

   Distribute evenly, tamp level and pull a shot into a cup on a scale.

5. 5

   Aim for about 36g of espresso in 25–30 seconds.25–30 seconds

6. 6

   Fast and sour: go finer by a step or two. Slow and bitter: go coarser.

7. 7

   Change one thing at a time and note the setting that works for each bag.

Most bags settle within a few shots. Our dial-in guide covers tasting cues in detail, and sour espresso fixes helps when shots won't sweeten up.

Changing methods is quick: turn the collar to the new setting, run the grinder briefly with a few grams of beans to purge the grounds left inside, then grind your real dose. The purge matters because coffee retained from the previous setting ends up in your next brew.

Mark your favorite settings on the collar with a small piece of tape or a paint pen. Espresso, pour-over and French press are a good start, and it saves guesswork every morning.

• RDT (Ross Droplet Technique): weigh your beans, then give them one or two light sprays of water and wait a few seconds before grinding. It cuts static sharply and reduces the coffee left inside the grinder. Don't spray into the hopper or soak the beans.
• WDT: stirring grounds in the portafilter with fine needles breaks up clumps before tamping. See what WDT is.
• Regular cleaning: brush the burrs every few weeks; oily dark roasts need it more often.
• A dosing funnel and scale: the Encore ESP grinds into a bin, so a funnel that fits your portafilter and a 0.1g scale keep doses accurate.

A setting is right when the shot tastes balanced, not when it matches a chart. Charts, including ours, assume medium-roast beans a few weeks off roast. Darker or older beans usually need a coarser setting; lighter or very fresh beans usually need a finer one, sometimes by several clicks.

Change one thing at a time and keep the dose and ratio fixed while you adjust. A scale reading to 0.1 g makes this far quicker, because you can separate a grind problem from a dosing problem. Our sour espresso guide and bitter espresso guide cover the other causes if grind changes do not fix the taste.

Choosing a grinder for one of these machines? Our best espresso grinders under $300 compares the Encore ESP with electric and manual alternatives, and the Bambino Plus review covers the most common pairing.

The Encore ESP is an entry-level espresso grinder, and it does that job well for medium and dark roasts in a machine like the Bambino Plus or a Gaggia Classic Pro with a pressurized or standard basket. You are likely to outgrow it if you move to very light roasts, want to fine-tune shots in smaller steps than its espresso range allows, or switch between espresso and filter several times a day. Our full Encore ESP review covers build, retention and value in more depth.

If that sounds like you, compare options in our best espresso grinders under $300 guide, or read how to choose a burr grinder to see which features matter for your brew method.