Last Updated on February 14, 2023 by Marie Cooper
Let’s address the big question first – should you buy the Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Coffee Grinder? The answer is yes, so if that’s what you needed an answer to, then feel free to skip the rest of this article and buy it now.
Here are the reasons why I think you should buy this product:
Reasons to Buy the Baratza Virtuoso+
- A significant number of coffee professionals and baristas prefer Baratza grinders, not just because they are exceptional machines, but because they have excellent support ready to help with any issues you have.
- This model has 40 grind settings for everything from fine to coarse, which means it supports a wide range of brewing methods including Aeropress, espresso, French Press, Chemex, and more.
- It’s made of high quality, durable parts, which means it will work for a long time before you’ll have any reason to change it. Its burrs are commercial-grade ones, manufactured in Europe and made of high-quality alloy steel.
- It’s powered by a powerful motor, so you’re guaranteed to get the best grounds out of this machine every single time.
- It has extra features such as a backlit grounds bin and digital timer. The LED backlight makes it easier to see how much grounds are in the bin. There’s a fill line on the bin and you’ll need to empty it when the grounds get to the fill line, and the backlight helps with that process.
- The digital timer allows you as much precision as you want, up to a 10th of a second. This makes it possible to get the exact grind quantity you want by setting the timer to the exact grinding time needed for your brew.
- It also has a convenient pulse feature. You hold the front button and the machine runs in pulse mode, showing you the total run time during the process.
- This is a stylish coffee grinder that will enhance the look of your coffee corner or kitchen. Its sculptured metal top is especially pleasing to the eyes.
- 1 year warranty.
Cons
It’s an expensive coffee grinder. It costs about $250. Also, there’s a bit of static buildup which you’ll experience with most models, and it’s a bit noisy, which, again, is a common annoyance in products like this.
Baratza Virtuoso+ Amazon Ratings
Here’s how customers like you have rated this coffee grinder (at the time of writing this). Maximum rating is 5 stars:
- Overall rating: 4.7 stars (more than 1600 ratings, 86% of which are 5-star ratings)
- Flavor: 4.9 stars
- Ease of use: 4.6 stars
- Cleaning: 4.4 stars
- Noise level: 4.0 stars
- Value for money: 4.5 stars
Baratza Virtuoso+ FAQs
- Do the grounds spill over the countertop while grinding? No, they don’t, thanks to the fully encased grounds bin.
- How do you clean this coffee grinder? The process is explained on Baratza’s YouTube channel here.
- What’s the capacity of the hopper? The hopper can hold up to 8 ounces of whole beans.
- What speed does it grind at? This machine grinds at a speed of 2g/second, although this can range from 1.5 to 2.4g/sec depending on what setting you select.
- Does it have the automatic shutoff feature? Yes, it does. When the timer elapses, it shuts off automatically.
- How long does it take for the machine to go to sleep? The Baratza Virtuoso+ goes to sleep after 3 minutes of inactivity.
- Is the grind time saved? Yes, the timer saves the last grind time you set so you don’t have to set it up again if you wish to use the same settings again.
What People Are Saying About this Grinder
Reviewer 1 — “Outstanding Product”
“An outstanding product” is what Steven calls this burr grinder — a buyer that was in the market for a new grinder after their old one stopped producing uniform grounds and evidently needed to be replaced. As you’d expect based on what you know about this product so far, they bought the Virtuoso+ and it lived up to their expectations. Using this machine to produce coffee grounds led to a noticeable difference in the quality of their brews.
Steven talks about the noise this machine produces, and, according to them, it’s not a cause for concern since it’s not overly noisy and it’s a product that only runs for a short period of time to give you what you want out of it. As is recommended to everyone that makes coffee at home, it’s important to clean your grinder regularly. Steven mentions how easy it was to take it apart and clean it just by following instructions from Baratza’s video guide.
This is a huge plus since cleaning is something you’ll have to deal with if you grind your own coffee beans whether you like it or not. If you’re considering buying this grinder, it’s reassuring knowing that you won’t have any trouble cleaning it when the time comes.
Reviewer 2 — “Good Choice”
This review is from a reviewer whose username is DVM, and his verdict on the Baratza Virtuoso+ is “good choice”. According to this user, this product is an excellent grinder for the money and they’re absolutely satisfied with its performance and build quality. I’m not surprised to hear this because this product is an excellent, top-of-the-range grinder and it’s definitely worth the money in every area it’s evaluated. This user settled on this model after reading a lot of reviews. I definitely would buy this product in a heartbeat if I was in a similar situation because I’m sure those reviews had nothing but good things to say about it.
This same reviewer had already used the Baratza Encore prior to buying the Virtuoso+, so they already had some experience with products from this brand. However, if you’ve read a review of the Encore, you’ll know that it’s a very similar model to this one and it possesses most of the features you’ll find in the Virtuoso+, with the digital timer being one of the features it lacks in comparison. This user wanted that timer feature, and that’s why they decided to upgrade to the Virtuoso+.
If you can do without the timer and you don’t care about sacrificing a little bit of quality and aesthetic appeal, you can save a good bit of money and buy the Encore instead.
Reviewer 3 — “Grinds Evenly”
Buzzsaw is another reviewer that is happy with their purchase of this burr grinder. The one they’d been using for about 12 years finally died, so they had to buy a new one and one of the main reasons why they chose this model is because Baratza allows you to purchase replacement parts off their website. This means you can easily replace damaged parts and extend the life of your grinder considerably and with ease.
Compared to their previous one, the Virtuoso+’s grind accuracy is exceptional. Their preferred brewing methods are drip, cold brew, and pour over, and they use the coarse setting for making their coffee grounds. According to Buzzsaw, this grinder produces the coarse grounds they want with only a tiny bit of fine particles among them. That’s the kind of grind accuracy a high quality burr grinder produces.
Reviewer 4 — “Love this Machine”
Reviewer 4 has good and not-so-good things to say about this product, and I’ll start with the cons they mentioned. The first con is the top burr not being as heavy and not seating as snugly as the one in their previous grinder, but they also mention that they don’t consider it a flaw, rather it’s a concern. I’ve not seen any other users mention this, so perhaps they got a defective unit. Defective units are easy to return, and you get a new one in exchange.
The good: It’s grinds coffee beans fast and it does so accurately. This user mentions how they almost don’t even have to use their brush anymore thanks to its much lower static build-up. It also doesn’t create as much mess as their former grinder did, which must be a huge relief. They also talk about its quietness, which as you already know, is relative. No grinder is quiet, but some are irritatingly noisy. The Baratza Virtuoso+ isn’t one of those. Another huge benefit which has already been mentioned in one of the featured reviews above is the availability of replacement parts on Baratza’s website.
To prevent messy counters, this user taps the side of the machine twice to remove any particles left in the chamber. They do this before removing the container, which helps to avoid causing a mess on the counter. This reviewer went on to explain how this machine works, which indirectly described how easy it is to use. When the machine is turned on, a simple push of the grind/start button will cause it to start grinding. If it’s asleep, you’ll have to wake it by pushing the button, and then start grinding by pushing it again. Easy!
You can tell this is someone that is meticulous about proper usage and maintenance by reading their review. They recommend you read all the information provided by Baratza about this grinder, and I recommend you do too if you buy one. If you follow all the instructions regarding setup, usage, and maintenance, you’ll be using this burr coffee grinder for a long time to come.
If you like this burr grinder and wish to read more about it or read more customer reviews like the ones above, click here to do so.
