Comparing products from Baratza seems to be a no end journey. Previously, we compared the Baratza Sette 270 and the little brother Sette 30. There are pretty much differences that are noticeable in terms of grind quality and overall user experience that is clearly way better on the Sette 270.
It’s highly understandable though, since it actually has a way lower price., But what if we look for a product within the price range. Looking for a good grinder at 200 to 250 dollars can be pretty challenging. We expect to meet some drawbacks from several products, even within the same Baratza brand.
One of them that is claimed to be the best is Baratza Virtuoso. Comes with more simplified design, Virtuoso seems to be more compact and easy-to-handle. The traditional-looking grinder that is really familiar to the eye. Virtuoso is actually 20 dollars cheaper than Baratza Sette 30, and somehow seems to be better.
Is that really true? Or just the words just a rumour? Let’s find out below:
Baratza Virtuoso
Just like the previously mentioned Sette 270, Baratza Virtuoso is actually an old brother or an upgraded version of a cheaper Baratza Encore. If you look closely, there’s some similarities in the physical design. Despite it having some plastic materials, Virtuoso has something new that is the stainless steel finishing on the upper and base body.
The physical build is strong enough, and may last longer for home use. You won’t use Virtuoso as a main grinder in your coffee shop. Usually, it is used as a backup grinder. Plus, the minimalist design is more suitable for making a cup of a joe for you personally in the house. Read also: Nespresso citiZ vs Nespresso Vertuo.
You may notice a pulse button on the upfront, that needed a simple twist to operate. But there’s no indicator whatsoever to give a clear meaning to the users. So they need to learn to find the correct setting for themselves. Despite lacking any indicators, it’s still easy to use, and even the beginners can understand it clearly.
The thing that is most loved from Baratza Virtuoso is the grind consistency. The users can adjust and choose their favorite with 40 different settings to choose from. The 0 creates a very fine grind that is useful for making espresso, while the 40 is for creating much coarser grind, French press for example.
Baratza Sette 30 | Virtuoso | |
---|---|---|
Product Dimensions | 5.1 x 9.4 x 15 inches | 5.12 x 9.45 x 14.96 inches |
Shipping Weight | 10 pounds | 7.04 pounds |
Best offer | Check price | Check price |
Users can grind more coffee on this product. It has ultra fast grinding speed, about 1,5 grams to the maximum 2,4 grams per second. The filter setting that it has is actually proven to be very similar and even to the one produced by Mahlkonig EK43, which costs 10 times more expensive than Virtuoso’s actual price.
It’s also known to be a less-noisy grinder as well. This due to the technology of the gear speed reducer installed within. It can slow down the speed to 450 RPM for making smoother grinds. The Gearbox 2.0 technology is really useful for increasing the speed transmission, as well as cancelling many noises at the same time.
Despite its almost-perfect presentation, Baratza Virtuoso has several noticeable minus points. First off is the missing indicators. Without the additional indicators, the users are somewhat forced to meet their best settings, doing trial and error in the process. This can make some amount of coffee going to be wasted along the process.
Right after removing the drawer, there’s always a number of grounds that are falling off. It’s not making a big waste, but still highly noticeable. It’s a common problem in the general grinders within this price range.
If you want to look for an alternative, there’s always the Encore waiting for you. It has a much affordable price, outstandingly 100 dollars cheaper. But it’s not as perfect. You need to deal with several drawbacks like less fast grind speed, less grind consistency, and a bit noisiness.
Baratza Sette 30
Sitting at a 250 dollar price tag, Baratza Sette 30 is actually 20 dollars more expensive than Virtuoso. Its design is clearly unique, and really tells you the special Sette 270/30 designs right to your face. It’s called straight true design, with a clean physician build with black and white finishing. It includes the grinds bin plus the special for that designed especially for easy espresso making.
It shines outstandingly as an espresso maker. Able to operate really fast for doing so. It can go for the maximum 3 grams per second for espresso making, so the user is actually able to make more cups within a short period of time.
But other than making espresso, the quality seems to be fat better than Virtuoso in terms of consistency. There’s a timer, fully digital that has only one setting. Any user will be using the one second grind timing always. It’s a bit hard to do some personalized setting on this product, since almost everything is limited.
It’s also known to be a noisy grinder. Very noisy. This product doesn’t have a noise cancellation technology whatsoever. Unlike Virtuosos that has the Gearbox 2,0 technology, sadly there’s no additional feature on this product. So you may expect to hear some loud noises while making a cup of a joe.
Also thing to notice here, there’s no micro adjustments. It has a very limited espresso range, even worse than Virtuoso. It could grind espresso fast, but not as good quality as Virtuoso. It can’t perform the press pot grind as well, making it limited for making some types of coffee.
Well, as a great alternative, you can switch to the more expensive but way better Sette 270. It has some aspects that lack from 30, like the micro adjustment, and better grinding performance. The higher price can be worth it to trade for such good quality grinder.
Baratza Sette 30 vs Virtuoso
Verdict
Offering a better grind consistency, more specialized settings, and more compact design, Baratza Virtuoso is the one that is better, especially with a more affordable price as well. It’s a good grinder, able to deliver almost similar results with the higher quality grinders out there. Despite its low price, it has a very high value for money.