When one of my fellow colleagues moved to Australia, he left me with the Baratza Preciso Conical Burr Grinder. I wasn’t sure if this was something I need, but he convinced me when he said you won’t be disappointed by the drip (filter) coffee.
So…use it I did. Here’s the rundown on the product itself and what I thought about it:
Baratza Preciso - Main Features
The Baratza Preciso weighs 8.8lbs (4kg) and dimensions of 14.8 x 7.9 x 6.6’ (37.6 x 20.1 x 16.8cm), which is quite small. This coffee grinder has an aluminum frame, 40mm conical burrs, a stainless steel exterior, plastic bean hopper, and a plastic ground container. It looks similar to the Encore and the Virtuoso.
The Preciso got its name because of its MICROadjust feature. Instead of just having the standard 40 grind settings by turning the hopper, the machine also comes with a lever that divides each setting further into 11 steps. This means the machine has a wide grind range and allows you to make minor grind adjustments at the same time.
Lastly, it’s easy to use and clean. The grind settings are straightforward, it comes with a timer, and an anti-static ground container – which is rare for burr grinders at this price range.
Is the Preciso Right For Me?
The Baratza Preciso is a great coffee grinder for beginners. As mentioned above, it uses stepped adjustment settings, which is easier to control. The grinder is also a massive step up if you’re currently only buying pre-ground coffee or use a blade grinder.
The grinder is also perfect for people who are looking to brew a filter or press pot. The grinder produces excellent and consistent grinds from medium – coarse range. However, I’ve noticed my grinder is unable to produce consistent fine grind that’s good enough for espresso grind.
NOTE: I’ve never recalibrated the machine before, I read that might fix things.
You can get the Virtuoso Preciso on Amazon. There is currently the option to get a 2 – 3 year protection plan in place if you buy directly from the manufacturers (through Amazon).
Video Review
What's So Precise About The Preciso? [ADVANTAGES]
The Virtuoso Preciso’s precision should be an absolute dream for any coffee enthusiast out there. The machine uses stepped adjustments that are easy to use. It also offers 440 different micro-settings, which is a very high degree of customization and rare for a stepped adjustment grinder.
The Preciso is also one of the fastest grinders (1.8 – 2.5g/sec), which is great for people who are always in a rush! Other than the speed, the machine is very powerful for its size and price range. This burr grinder uses 480w DC motor and 2nd generation gear box; this transmits more power to the burrs and gives it more torque, which makes them more stable and less likely to get jammed.
Reduction gear box makes the burrs turn slower (450 RPM) but gives it more power. This is great because that produces less heat and improves taste retention.
What I Disliked... [DISADVANTAGE]
If you’ve read my other posts, you’ll see that I’m lazy and just want to enjoy my coffee. Well, that won’t happen when you use this Baratza grinder. I can’t use the espresso portaholder (the portafilter holder) because it’s super messy; I always end up with coffee grounds all over the place. There’s a simple solution though, just use the ground bin instead. There’s always a small amount of coffee left in the chute. There’s an easy (but annoying) fix though, just tilt the machine forward and pat it.
What’s more annoying is the machine uses lots of plastic parts inside. They wear quite quickly and from experience, you have to replace them around once a year (I only did it once so far). The good thing is these plastic parts are very cheap and are there to protect the more expensive components from breaking – the machine should last a good while as long as the major parts don’t fail.
There are lots of video guides from the manufacturers and YouTube. They helped me fix all the problems I had when using the machine.
Alternative & Similar Products
At this price range, there are lots of other good coffee grinders available. I personally prefer the better looking, easier to use Breville Smart Grinder.
Alternatively, if you have the budget and really want a proper espresso coffee grinder, then you should check out the Mazzer Mini or Rancilio Rocky.
Lastly, I understand some of you might not be ready to invest in an expensive burr grinder. If that’s the case, you should check out the more affordable and compact…manual coffee grinders. The Hario Skerton is the blog’s favorite choice at the moment.
The Coffee Barrister's Verdict [CONCLUSION]
Overall, my experience of the Baratza Preciso is acceptable. I enjoyed the pour-over and French press I made with this machine. It’s also very easy to control and use. However, the coffee grinder also needed more maintenance than what I would like, which can get really irritating.
Therefore, I would recommend this coffee grinder if you’re a beginner who’s willing to learn or a coffee lover who’s on their way in developing a palate that’ll appreciate the 440 different grind size that the grinder offers.
