Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso: What's The Difference? [Updated For 2022]

Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso: What's the difference?

It’s a question people ask all the time.

That’s because investing in a quality burr grinder is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to dramatically improve your morning cup of coffee.

If you’re still using a blade grinder, forget about buying those expensive beans. Your grinder doesn’t have what it takes to make them truly shine.

But a Baratza burr grinder does.

So, Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso — what’s the difference between the two and which is right for you?

That’s what we’re here to answer.

Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso: The Similarities

There are a ton of similarities.

  • 40 mm stainless steel conical burrs
  • 40 different grind sizes ranging from fine to coarse
  • 8 oz bean hopper made from UV-resistant plastic
  • 5.1 oz (145 g) usable grounds container
  • Same internal gear system
  • On-demand grind buttons
  • Same dimensions: 12.0″W x 35.0″H x 16.0″D

Both the Encore and the Virtuoso are designed to be entry-level grinders for people who are either (a) looking to dip their toes into the world of burr grinders, or (b) are drip, pour-over, or manual coffee drinkers and don’t need the precision of a dedicated espresso grinder.

Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso: The Differences

But, of course, they aren’t the same grinder! These are the key differences.

M3 vs M2 Burr

Though both the Encore and Virtuoso have 40 mm stainless steel conical burrs, they aren’t the same burr. The Encore comes with Baratza’s M3 burr; the Virtuoso comes with the M2 burr.

There’s a subtle difference between the two, which you can see in the images below.

Encore M3 burr (left) vs Virtuoso M2 burr (right)
Encore M3 burr (left) vs Virtuoso M2 burr (right)

Images courtesy user “skipdaddy” on this Home-Barista.com thread

The M3 burr on the left, used in the Encore, has a duller, flatter cutting edge as it radiates downward from the top of the burr. The M2 burr on the right, found in the Virtuoso, has a sharper, steeper cutting edge. The M2 burr that the Virtuoso uses is actually the same burr found in the Baratza Preciso, which, as the name implies, is designed for precision espresso grinds.

However, the Preciso has been discontinued and replaced by the aforementioned Sette series.

The M2 burr on the Virtuoso delivers a more uniform grind with fewer fines, and is better suited to espresso than the Encore (if you’re not willing to spend up for one of the Sette grinders, that is). The M2 burr design also leads me to the next key difference.

Virtuoso Grinds Much More Quickly

With the M2 burr’s sharper, sleeker cutting edge, it’s able to grind much more quickly than the Encore’s M3 burr. The Virtuoso’s burr also rotates at 500 RPM vs the Encore’s 450 RPM. Those two factors combine to yield the following grinding speeds:

  • Encore: 0.8-1.1 g/sec
  • Virtuoso: 1.5-2.5 g/sec

Faster grinding speed means less contact time with the burr, which means less heat generated in your grounds. Less heat is a good thing, as heat is associated with undesirable flavors in your resulting cup. But to be honest, any differences in temperature are likely negligible for the home barista — unless you’re going to be grinding many servings in succession.

Also, fast grinding speeds mean less time waiting for the grinder to finish. If you save 10-20 seconds every single day, that’s 1-2 hours saved every year!

(Just to be clear, that was sarcasm.)

Virtuoso Has a 60 Second Grinding Timer

Both grinders have a rotating knob on the right side of the machine (as you’re looking at it). The difference is that the Encore has a simple on/off switch whereas the Virtuoso has a timer knob with a maximum grinding time of 60 seconds.

Virtuoso Is Made From Superior Materials

As Baratza’s most entry-level grinder, their goal with the Encore was to provide a quality grinding experience for the lowest possible price. That means a 100% plastic casing.

The Virtuoso is a step up in grind quality (see: M2 burr) and case construction as Baratza replaced the plastic front panel with a brushed stainless steel panel. By weight the stainless steel panel adds an extra 1 lb to the Virtuoso, which weighs 8 lbs vs the Baratza’s 7 lb weight.

Which Grinder Is Right for You?

Ah, my favorite question. Ready for your least favorite answer?

It depends!

Both the Encore and the Virtuoso are designed for home baristas looking for a less expensive but still well-designed burr grinder for their coffee setup. These two grinders are best used for brewing standard coffee — French press, AeroPress, drip, pour-over, etc. — but will suffice for espresso in a pinch.

If you’re an espresso drinker, I really recommend you start your search in the Sette series.

When is it worth upgrading from the Encore to the Virtuoso?

This is the key question. When push comes to shove, the Virtuoso is the better grinder. It grinds more quickly with fewer fines than the Encore, and fewer fines is a good thing for all standard brewing methods. Regarding the 60 second time, I don’t necessarily think it’s a huge deal; I don’t mind waiting to switch the Encore’s knob to the off position when I’m done grinding.

The grinder is the most important part of your coffee setup, so if you have the wiggle room in your budget to upgrade to the Virtuoso, I’d invest in what is objectively the better machine. But if you want to go with Baratza’s true entry-level grinder, the Encore won’t fail you.

Baratza Encore vs Virtuoso

The Coffee Maven's Official Comparison
Baratza Encore
Overall
90

Baratza Encore

Great Entry-Level Grinder
One of the most-recommended entry-level grinders, the Baratza Encore is an easy way to perk up your morning cup and features 40 different grind sizes from 200-1200 microns and an 8 oz UV-resistant bean hopper.
Baratza Virtuoso
Overall
91

Baratza Virtuoso

Encore + Upgraded Burr Design
An upgraded version of the Baratza Encore, the Virtuoso features the improved M2 burr and higher RPM for a more uniform grind with fewer fines. The improvements are subtle, but they make a difference.

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About The Coffee Maven
bryan de luca
Bryan De Luca

I'm Bryan but most people know me as The Coffee Maven. I grew up outside Boston, Massachusetts and received my Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Providence College. My first introduction to coffee was during my college days, when I used it as a source of caffeine to fuel late-night study sessions, but soon I became obsessed with the chemistry of coffee. How did changes to water temperature or contact time affect its taste? Why do beans from Africa taste fruity while beans from Indonesia taste spicy? I launched The Coffee Maven in February 2017 to explore these questions and help others brew their perfect cup. Welcome to my site, and thanks for reading!