Most of you will agree with me, a truly superior quality grinder is absolutely crucial for preparing a perfect cup of coffee.
I’m just not the one who will accept whatever swill that comes out of my coffee machine. I truly love coffee, and it’s an essential part of my daily life, so I make sure every cup should be packed with maximum freshness and aroma that touch my soul and satisfy every tastebud on my tongue.
The easier and best possible way is to invest in a top-quality coffee grinder.
There’s so much love for Baratza; the baristas and home-brewers around the world love having Baratza grinders on their kitchen counters.
Virtuoso+ is excellent quality and latest upgrade of Baratza Virtuoso that lives to its name in terms of technical skills, classic styling, and most importantly, in providing consistent and quality grounds.
Baratza Virtuoso+
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Let’s have a detailed look to understand the real sense and what makes Baratza Virtuoso+ a perfect choice for coffee junkies.
The Geeky Stuff
Conical Burrs
Baratza Virtuoso+ uses professional-grade 40mm conical burrs for grinding as opposed to a blade grinder. And why not? After all, your good beans deserve a good grinder.
The Virtuoso+ lives up to your expectations; it grinds your coffee and grinds it really well.
Undoubtedly, it always grinds the beans in a consistently uniform manner and gives you more control over the grind size, no matter if you want to make them coarser, fine, or anything in between. It’s wholeheartedly a great multi-purpose grinder for anyone for making espresso, drip coffee, French Press, or pour-overs.
Gearbox and Speed Control
The secret to its efficient operation is hidden in two-fold: a DC motor keeps your beans cool even during extended grind durations, while the combination of gear and electronic speed reduction controls the rotations of the burr to 550 RPM, ensuring a smooth beans feed and reduced heat, noise, and static build-ups.
Pro Tip: The electronic speed controller can be adjusted from 405 to 495 RPM in case you need modifications of the speed to overcome heat and noise issues.
Design
Baratza Virtuoso+’s exterior is also as fine-tuned as the interior.
With the Virtuoso+, the looks go beyond being functional only. The shining metal top and base give this grinder an expensive feel and top-grade look that adds the real sense of class and quality to your kitchen counters.
Grind Adjustments
There’s a plastic bean hopper at the top that stores up to 8 ounces of whole beans. Just like previous model, it also comes with 40 grind adjustments which are clearly visible on a surrounded metal ring. Turn the hopper to the 1 for “very fine” espresso and 40 to get “very course” French Press grounds. The grind range is from 250 to 1200 microns.
New Digital Timer
This updated model replaces the analog timer of Virtuoso with the digital one that’s nicely placed in the front with a conveniently mounted display.
A timer dial just below can be programmed in 1/10th of the second to deliver you the perfect amount of coffee grounds and ensures easy repeatability of the ideal dose each time.
Grounds Bin with LED-backlit
An LED-backlit ground bin, however, steals the show; it’s made of translucent plastic and holds about 5 ounces of coffee grounds for manual brewing. As the grinder starts grinding, blue light shines on the interior of the bin that makes it easier to keep track of the amount of coffee grounds.
About specs, the machine measures 5.9 x 2.6 x 5.3 inches and weighs about 8 pounds which makes it ideal for storing in the kitchen cabinet (if you wish so) and easy to move along every day.
Please Note: Baratza mentions it wasn’t mainly for the show. Some of their customers’ complaint about not being able to figure out the grounds fill-up. There were chances of overfilling that could affect the burr mechanism and may even cause damages. So, it was mainly added as a safety measure.
Ease of Cleaning
Cleaning the Virtuoso+ won’t be a heck of a job. Neither, you’ll have to attack the machine with a screwdriver, nor there’s anything to wash or rinse. You can leave the machine alone until it’s time to use it again.
Maintenance of Virtuoso plus involves cleaning the burrs, which are easily removable with no tool needed, I’d recommend using a dry rag rather than a wet one as there’s simply no need to involve water for anything.
What’s included in the box
Here is what you’ll get by unboxing:
- The Virtuoso+ Unit
- 400g Beans Hopper
- Grounds Bin
- Grounds Tray
- Cleaning and Maintenance Accessories
What we like
Here are the advantages of taking Virtuoso+ to your home.
- Baratza Virtuoso+ offers 40 grind adjustment settings that give you any grind size you need to make anything from drip coffee, pour-over, French Press to espresso. In addition, it ensures the grind retention for maximum freshness, and there’s no ground coffee left in the grinder.
- The new digital timer allows extremely precise adjustments and takes all the guesswork out of the process. Every time, you can easily get just the right amount of coffee with the touch of a button.
- A powerful DC motor effortlessly drives the burrs to produce perfectly consistent grounds with a distinct lack of fineness across the grinding range. And the best part? These 40mm burrs are extremely durable and can last you long without losing their sharpness.
What we don’t like
- Remember, this grinder is mainly designed for home use, so if you aren’t careful, it may burn your grinder and coffee beans. This actually never happened with me, but some users complained about it. However, Baratza does great in this regard by providing a thermal overload cutout to prevent the damage by overheating – due to excessive use.
What’s the bottom line?
Virtuoso plus is the replacement and an improved version of an incredibly popular Baratza grinder. In response to customer feedback, Baratza added a 40-second digital timer and an in-built lit ground bin while kept all the trusty parts the same.
No, it isn’t a flawless grinder, but this multi-purpose grinder offers great value for the money and gives you the perfect amount of coffee grounds as fast as 1. 2. 3.
This machine is a step-up for all levels of coffee lovers for multiple styles of brewing.
Grinding for espresso? How about French Press? Virtuoso+ handles all that with consistency and uniformity.
With an elegant look and metal casing, this high-performance grinder adds real class to your coffee corner and makes your coffee journey more consistent and reliable.
And the best part? It comes with a 1-year warranty from Baratza that takes all the risks off your shoulders.
So, in a nutshell, if you’re looking for a beginner-friendly grinder, Baratza Virtuoso+ deserves a place in your kitchen.
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