Virtuoso+ Coffee Grinder ZCG587BLK, Black

After 18 years with my trusty Solis Maestro (which I believe was a predecessor to Baratza), I decided it was time for an upgrade and passed my old grinder (still going strong) down to my daughter to replace her brand new but constantly-jamming OXO. I'm absolutely thrilled with the Baratza Virtuoso Plus - it has exceeded all my expectations. Grind Consistency is Exceptional I was genuinely surprised by how consistent the grind quality is. Coming from someone who owned a professional Mahlkonig grinder at my coffee shop, I can confidently say the Virtuoso Plus produces results that are almost on par with high-end commercial equipment (the ubiquitous boxy BUNN grinders you see in grocery stores don't make that cut, I'm afraid). The 40mm M2 Etzinger burr set delivers remarkably uniform particles across the entire grind spectrum, from coarse French press to fine pour-over settings. Speed and Efficiency This grinder is both quiet and impressively fast - it produces grounds at nearly twice the speed of my old Solis. At 2g/second grinding speed, it makes my morning routine much more efficient without waking the whole house. The minimal coffee retention (only about 1.5-2g gets trapped in the grinding chamber) means virtually no waste between different coffees. Thoughtful Design Features The lighted grounds bin is a nice touch that makes it easy to see your grind progress, especially in early morning light. While I don't personally use the digital timer (I prefer weighing by scale), it's a convenient feature for consistent dosing that can be set in one-second increments up to 60 seconds. The front-mounted dial makes adjustments simple and intuitive. Handles Dark Roasts Like a Champ One of my concerns was how it would handle oily dark roasts, but this grinder takes them in stride. The oils don't cause any jamming or clogging issues - a stark contrast to some cheaper grinders that struggle with this. Why I Chose the Virtuoso Plus Over Entry-Level Options While I heard some concerning reports about Baratza's entry-level models breaking within the first year from a couple of friends, the Virtuoso Plus represents their more robust mid-range option. After researching extensively on coffee-focused websites like Whole Latte Love (not just Amazon reviews), this model consistently received praise for its durability and performance. The build quality feels substantial and professional-grade. It is extremely heavy, and grinds like a (very quiet) beast. Perfect for Serious Coffee Enthusiasts Whether you're doing pour-over, French press, or even light espresso work, this grinder delivers the consistency you need. It's built for heavy use - perfect for families or small offices where the grinder sees daily action. The grind range from 200 to 1200 microns covers virtually every brewing method you could want. Final Verdict This is hands-down a 5-star purchase. For the price point, you're getting professional-level grind consistency, thoughtful engineering, and the reliability that Baratza is known for in their higher-tier products. If you're serious about your coffee and want a grinder that will serve you faithfully for years (like my old Solis did), the Virtuoso Plus is an excellent investment. Highly recommended! Additional thoughts As a sidenote, I have nothing against OXO as a brand - in fact, I have very positive experiences with their brewing equipment, both electric and pourover. It is only their grinder that has been troublesome.

This is our 3rd Baratza Virtuoso... the second one was another Virtouso +, like the one we just got. They have one Achiles Heel though... the burr grinder holder is plastic and it has a lifetime of about 10 years. The rubber gasket goes for five, but you can get the parts. This time around I took too long to order the grinder holder so it was acting up... I figured that after 10 years it was time for a new one anyhow. It grinds for drip, moka and french press fine, but for espresso I recommend a much more expensive unit... the espresso grind is always very touchy and needs fine adjustments for stuff like coffee roast, oils, weather, etc... which this grinder is not accurate enough... But for the other methods, it does an outstanding job, is not very noisy and has a powerful motor and a consistent grind. By the way there are options. We have the hopper that has an on/off feature. You can close the hopper, remove it and use another one if you are grinding different kinds of beans.

For french press, pour overs, aeropress, etc, this is a fantastic grinder. The grind is fairly uniform, the grinder is easy to use, and the entire thing is well made and made for repairs--an investment that will last a lifetime or more! However, for espresso, you *can* recalibrate the grinder to grind down to small enough grinds. This taking off the shell and essentially shifting the grind size range down. By this I mean let's say 0-40 is the range for however your Virtuoso + is currently calibrated. If you recalibrate it to the finest setting, the range, relative to the original, then becomes something like -8-32. As such, this does work for espresso--I managed to dial in some recipes with the use of puck screens and such to compensate for pressure. But the step size itself is fairly big for espresso. What I mean is that the ideal grind size for whatever espresso you want to make is very likely in between grind sizes--and there is no way for you to calibrate this grinder to be in that middle ground. Well, there is: you can do the stepless mod, but per Youtube, this comes with its own compromises (the hopper will shake a lot so you will have to stand there holding the hopper for consistent grinds). Either way, works well for my current espresso skill level and usage. That being said, if you have one of the lower end entry level machines with the pressurized baskets (like mine) and just simply want to make a mocha or strong coffee but not a "proper" or "perfect" espresso, then the grind size/steps kinda don't matter all that much. These types of baskets are meant to eliminate all the nuances of proper espresso making. When you start messing around with unpressurized baskets though, you may be somewhat unhappy depending on how you like your espresso. In case you are interested in the grind sizes I use, here they are below. Keep in mind my Virtuoso + is calibrated to the finest possible setting (Baratza has videos showing how to do this). French press - I use an Espro P7, so I use a medium grind because I can filter out the grounds. I use size level 28 and the standard 1 min bloom, 3 min brewing, 30 sec plunge technique Espresso - I use a Casabrews CM5418 but unpressurized baskets. The one I have dialed in the best (as well as I could with this machine and grinder) is the IKAPE 51mm high extraction beehive basket. For this basket, I use 15.5g of medium/medium-light beans at size 4 with the GEMINI 51mm Puck Screen at 0.8mm thickness. The puck screen is primarily to keep the showerhead clean and compensate for pressure as well as volume since I cannot dial in the grind size any better. The pressure ends up being ~8.5-9 BAR on my machine. it will be a bit on the sour side but still good. If you want something a bit more on the bitter side, then with the same basket, I do 16g of the same beans, grind level 5, with the MHW Bomber3 51mm 0.8mm puck screen. The pressure will be 6.5-7.5 BAR with my machine.

Works very well and seems well made. The timer is useful for preparing fairly uniform espresso doses and lets you avoid needing a scale for dosing. I like that there is a light shining in the grinder bin so that you can see the quality and volume of the dose. The grind setting can be readily be shifted from espresso to coffee and back in a second.

Quality machine, premium construction, solid motor, consistent grinds. Ten times better than the $100 level grinders.

Um mit dem größten Kritikpunkt anzufangen: Die Baratza Virtuoso Plus ist nicht die leiseste Kaffeemühle, allerdings immerhin leiser als das (preiswerte) Teil welches zuvor in unserer Küche werkelte. Außerdem erscheint sie, besonders verglichen mit der Baratza Encore, recht teuer. Aber sie ist nach meiner Erfahrung ihr Geld wert. Zum einen sind die Mahlergebnisse sehr gut (getestet für Filterkaffee und French Press - für Espresso sollte man eine spezielle Espressomühle wählen). Zum anderen ist die Mühle extrem praktisch. Hopper alle paar Tage füllen und morgens auf Knopfdruck den Timer starten. Kein ständiges Abmessen/Wiegen, keine unnützen Deckelchen, keine großen Probleme mit statischer Aufladung, kein verstreutes Kaffeemehl. Einfach den frisch gemahlenen Kaffee umschütten und aufbrühen. Anders als bei der vorherigen Mühle kocht jetzt jeder in der Familie gerne guten Kaffee.

Bella e apparentemente robusto. L’unica pecca è che per fare un caffè espresso bisogna impostarla al massimo del grado di macinatura.

It’s an amazing grinder if you brew coffee. Obviously, it’s not something new I’m saying, the reputation of Baratza is well known. But if you want to make great espresso, this isn’t a grinder for you. I’ve still rated it 5 starts because it’s not supposed to be an Espresso grinder in the first place. It can grind fine enough for espresso but you can not dial it in properly for espresso. But overall, it’s an amazing grinder for brewing with all other methods.

Die perfekte Kaffeemühle zu finden, ist fast schon eine Wissenschaft. Ich habe die Eierlegende Wollmilchsau gesucht und dabei fast aufgegeben. Mit der Kaffeemühle Baratza 587 habe ich einen Volltreffer gelandet. Sie kann und sie mahlt jede Bohne in dem gewünschten Mahlgrad und in einer sehr guten Qualität. Einzige Mango ist die Lautstärke, aber für das Ergebnis kein Grund zum Punktabzug. Würde ich jederzeit wieder kaufen.