# Barista Express Grinder Question



## Bycraft (Nov 3, 2015)

I'm brand new to the coffee world and I'm in the market for a Barista Express but I have a couple questions to the people that have used one.

I understand the grinder isn't the best but I'm new to this and I'm sure it's going to be fine for me, no doubt I'll upgrade in the future but for my first machine I'm going to be more than happy.

My question, as I'm new to proper coffee I would like to experiment with different brew methods, whether that be Aeropress or maybe pour-over in the future. Does the grinder on the Barista Express have enough range in order to achieve good results with these methods? I realise the grinder is tailored towards espresso grinds but I can't seem to find information anywhere on the internet answering this question. If it isn't I'll buy one of those Hario hand grinders but it would be great if this grinder could do everything for me.

Any help or feedback would be amazing.

Many thanks,

Ryan


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## jakebyrne (Feb 22, 2015)

I'd say not. With the BE having such limited steps it's more tailored to a fine adjustment range at the espresso side of things.

It may be worth looking in to something like a Baratza Encore for your brewed coffee. I believe that there are a few on eBay at present.


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

Changing the grind settings between brew methods on any grinder I find annoying .... When you go back to espresso having had a single pourover ... Your chance of getting the same grind you were on is minimal (well with step less) ... A second grinder is always useful if not a little decadent .. I say buy the sage ... And another grinder !!


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## 7877 (Aug 14, 2014)

Personally I don't understand the idea of a built in grinder regardless of how good it is or not. Sooner or later you will want to replace it for whatever reason but you then can't do that separate to the coffee machine itself. Maybe it's just about form factor and kitchen space?

I would consider carefully what type of coffee drink you are going to use the most often even if you do experiment with other things. I decided that 95% of the time I would be drinking espresso based drinks so spent the bulk of my money there. For how often I drink French press or pour over a hand grinder works fine for me and can be pretty inexpensive (check out rhino)....it is laborious I admit, but I don't mind as its for infrequent use. Alternatively I could get a small electric I suppose, that I could stick at the back of the cupboard somewhere when not in use, but the hand grinder is I think better quality and I can take it with me to work or camping etc..


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Not everyone who drinks and makes coffee goes down the rabbit holes that we do on this forum . We are a really small minority of the total coffee drinkers out there . so space saving stuff like a built in grinder that fits in the kitchen is a market and a device that a lot of people want .

The vast majority of coffee drinkers don't want a super jolly or to hand grind , they want a decent , cheapish , good coffee experience . If someone could deliver a great small , temp stable , easy to use machine for under £400 it might encourage people to make and buy decent beans .

There will only ever be a small % of people who will want all the gear like us . They won't sit at home thinking about upgradeitis, they just want a decent appliances in the house just it capable of among better fresh coffee .


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## 7877 (Aug 14, 2014)

Fair comment. But it sounded to me that bycraft had already gone down the rabbit hole so to speak.....I mean, I know it's a dirty word round here but there is nespresso


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

The Sage Smart grinders which aren't built in are quite adjustable for espresso and brewed coffee so might be an option paired with a Sage Temp Duo or other similar sized machine. Some people on here haven't liked the Smart grinders and I sold one and went much bigger on an on demand espresso grinder but if you don't think you'll get completely carried away they may be a good option.

They're pretty compact and kitchen friendly or the higher end Baratza grinders are supposed to be able to handle brewed and espresso in one. I've got a Preciso which I like for brewed coffee but never tried on espresso

I've got some self interest as I'm selling another smart grinder that came with a Dual Boiler but price wise they're pretty reasonable I'd say.


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## JoeDorcia (Nov 3, 2015)

If your on the downward spiral of coffee obsession then you'll find the Barista Express Grinder may start to annoy you sooner than you think. Don't get me wrong the BE is a great machine for most users who want a better caffeine fix than capsule/pod or the cheapy thermoblock machines out there.

But if you're using more single origins or lighter roasts it's going to struggle to get fine enough. Smart Grinder Pro and Duo Temp would work well. I'm new to the forum so haven't fully heard the general consensus on Duo Temps but they're PID temp control, quick heat up for steam and purge to 93 again. They do use a 54mm portafilter but there's still no wholly proven argument as to why 58mm are bigger - La Spazieles are 53mm for example.

The Smart Grinder Pro is good bang for the buck, it would benefit from a bigger powered motor but this would be a higher price again. Going up to a Baratza Vario/Preciso etc would be the next step.

If you're in the area Has Bean sell the Duo Temp and Smart Grinder Pro and have machines they can demo for you too if you ask nicely!

Fyi, contrary to everything I just said Sage are giving away a free Juicer when you buy a BE... Just saying...


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## Bycraft (Nov 3, 2015)

1 month later I'm back in this thread and I still haven't made up my mind









I'm ordering this weekend and I'm still deciding between the Duo Temp Pro + Smart Grinder Pro or the Barista Express. Both are literally the same price on Lakeland but the BE comes with that £130 juicer, which I will sell on.

I have 1 question that I would like to ask you guys before I finally pull the trigger;

Does the Barista Express grinder go fine enough for Aeropress? How about one of those Bonavita Immersion drippers? From what I've read the Aeropress is very forgiving with the grind so I'm hoping the BE could do the job well enough.

I realise if I plan on making espresso and some brewed coffee, the Smart Grinder Pro would be better but other than that I prefer the BE in every way and brewed coffee is definitely secondary over espresso for me anyways.

I realise this subject has been beaten to death but any help would be massively appreciated.


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

Bit confusing. The benefit of buying the duo temp is that you have freedom to buy any grinder. You aren't limited to the sage offerings.

When you say "fine enough for Aeropress" do you mean course enough? Aeropress requires a courser grind than espresso and the grinder will certainly be able to deliver that.


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## Bycraft (Nov 3, 2015)

Sorry, yes I meant course enough for Aeropress. And seeing as this is my first endeavour into the coffee world I want the security of buying new and would prefer the matching set of Sage products if I went with that option.


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## Bycraft (Nov 3, 2015)

risky said:


> Aeropress requires a courser grind than espresso and the grinder will certainly be able to deliver that.


Are you referring to the BE grinder or Smart Grinder? I know the Smart Grinder covers everything, I'm questioning the BE grinder.


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

http://www.rousette.org.uk/blog/archives/sage-barista-express/

The grinder will do Aeropress no problem I'd say. Scale is 1-16 and spro is about the half way point.


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## Bycraft (Nov 3, 2015)

Thank you! I haven't seen that post before and It's really well written. Thanks again.


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

There is no such thing as an "aeropress grind". There are grinds sizes that are commonly used in AP but that's not to say they are in any way definitive. All types of grinds from espresso to coarse can be used in an AP or French Press. It just depends what you are trying to achieve.


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