Baratza Encore vs Breville Smart Grinder Pro: Which Entry Grinder Should You Buy?

Quick Verdict: Our Pick

For espresso, our pick is the Baratza Encore ESP. It uses the same 40 mm conical burrs as the standard Encore, but half of its 40 grind steps sit inside the espresso range, which is exactly the resolution the base model lacks.

For filter and drip, our pick is the Baratza Encore. It has been the barista recommended starter grinder for years, and for pour over, drip and French press it does the job with no fuss.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro sits between the two. It has more grind steps and a bigger hopper, and it is the only one here with a digital timer and a portafilter cradle. It is a good grinder, it is just not better at either job than the Baratza that was built for that job.

Introduction

This is one of the most searched grinder comparisons there is, usually by someone who has just bought their first espresso machine and does not want to spend more on the grinder than they did on the machine.

There is a wrinkle worth knowing before you compare them. Baratza is now part of Breville, so both of these grinders come from the same parent company. This is less of a brand fight than the search term suggests.

What actually separates them is grind resolution, dosing method and what each was designed to do. That is what we will focus on.

At a Glance

All three use 40 mm conical steel burrs, so raw burr quality is not the differentiator. Where the steps land, and how you get the grounds out, is.

Full Specification Comparison

The Baratza figures come from the live Pro Coffee Gear product pages. The Breville figures come from Breville's published specification. Price stays out of this table.

Head to Head

Build and burrs

Winner: tie. All three run 40 mm conical steel burrs, and at this price that is the sensible choice. Conical burrs are cheaper to make well than flat burrs and more forgiving of an imperfect alignment.

The Baratzas are built around serviceability. Burr access on the Encore is tool free, and the ESP adds a quick release burr system, so cleaning is a two minute job rather than a project.

The Smart Grinder Pro is the largest of the three and the lightest at 5.5 lb, which tells you something about how much of it is plastic. It is well made for the money, but it is not built to be rebuilt.

Grind quality and range

Winner: Encore ESP for espresso, standard Encore for filter. This is the whole comparison in one line, so it is worth being precise about why.

The standard Encore spreads 40 steps across a range that is centred on filter brewing. At the fine end, one click moves you further than an espresso shot can tolerate, which is why people describe it as usable for espresso rather than good at it.

The Encore ESP takes the same burrs and redistributes the range, so 20 of the 40 steps land in espresso territory. You can also add or remove shims to move where that high resolution window sits.

The Smart Grinder Pro has 60 steps across the full range, which sounds like the answer but is not quite. More total steps spread across a wider range does not necessarily give you finer control at the espresso end, and in practice it lands between the two Baratzas.

Ease of use and workflow

Winner: Breville Smart Grinder Pro. It is the only one here with a digital timer, an LCD and a portafilter cradle, so you can lock the portafilter in, press once and walk away.

That is genuinely convenient if you grind by time and always use the same dose. It is less useful if you weigh every dose, which most people move to eventually.

The Encore ESP takes the opposite approach with a dosing cup, which is built for single dosing: weigh the beans, grind them all, knock the cup into the portafilter. It is slightly slower and considerably more accurate.

Retention and consistency

Winner: Encore ESP. Every grinder in this class retains some grounds, and the practical fix is single dosing, which is exactly what the ESP's dosing cup is designed around.

Grinding by timer, as the Smart Grinder Pro encourages, means yesterday's retained grounds go into today's shot. For filter that barely matters. For espresso it shows up as inconsistency you will chase for weeks.

If you only ever brew filter, this whole section is moot and the standard Encore is completely fine.

Value for money

Winner: Baratza Encore for filter, Encore ESP for espresso. The standard Encore is the cheapest way to stop your coffee being ruined at the grinder, and it has held that position for years for a reason.

The ESP costs a little more and is the honest minimum for espresso. Buying the standard Encore for an espresso machine is the most common mistake we see at this price point.

The Smart Grinder Pro is fairly priced for what it is. It just sits in the gap between two grinders that each do one job better.

Who Each Grinder Is For

The Baratza Encore buyer brews pour over, drip or press and wants a burr grinder that will last. They are not pulling espresso, or not yet, and they want something serviceable and simple.

The Encore ESP buyer has just bought an espresso machine and needs a grinder that can actually reach and hold an espresso grind. They are willing to weigh a dose and single dose it, and they want room to improve.

The Smart Grinder Pro buyer wants one grinder for a household that brews several ways, likes the timer and the portafilter cradle, and values convenience over the last ten percent of espresso precision.

Best For: Which One Is Right for You

• Best for espresso on a budget: Baratza Encore ESP. Twenty of its forty steps sit in the espresso range, and the dosing cup makes single dosing easy.

• Best for pour over and drip: Baratza Encore. The long standing entry recommendation, and still the right answer for filter brewing.

• Best for hands free grinding: Breville Smart Grinder Pro. The portafilter cradle and 0.2 second timer let you grind straight into the basket.

• Best for a mixed brewing household: Breville Smart Grinder Pro. Sixty steps and a 450 g hopper cover several brew methods without changing settings constantly.

• Best for long term serviceability: either Baratza. Tool free or quick release burr access, and parts that are easy to get hold of.

Thinking of Stepping Up?

If you are pulling espresso daily and already dialling in by weight, the next real step is a grinder with larger flat burrs and a stepless adjustment. That is where grind consistency stops being the limiting factor in your shot.

It is a genuine price jump, so there is no rush. When you are ready, our home coffee grinders collection has the full range from entry conical burrs up to single dose flat burr grinders.

Pricing and Availability at Pro Coffee Gear

Both the Baratza Encore and the Encore ESP are in stock and ship free within the contiguous US, with the full manufacturer warranty and lifetime Pro support from our team.

If you are not sure which one your machine needs, tell us what you are brewing on and we will point you at the right one. You can also browse the wider home coffee grinders range if you want to see what the next tier looks like.

• Free shipping within the contiguous US

• Full manufacturer warranty, handled by our team

• Lifetime Pro support: setup, grind adjustment and troubleshooting

Bottom Line

If you are grinding for espresso, buy the Baratza Encore ESP. Half its grind range sits where espresso lives, and the dosing cup pushes you towards single dosing, which is the single biggest consistency win at this price.

If you are grinding for filter, buy the Baratza Encore. It is the long standing entry recommendation and nothing here beats it at that job.

The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is a competent grinder with the best convenience features of the three, and if you want a timer and a portafilter cradle it makes sense. Just do not buy it expecting it to out grind a Baratza built specifically for your brew method.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the standard Baratza Encore grind for espresso?

It can reach an espresso grind, but its 40 steps are spread across a filter focused range, so each click at the fine end moves further than espresso really tolerates. It is workable on a forgiving machine and frustrating on a demanding one. The Encore ESP exists precisely to fix this.

What is the difference between the Encore and the Encore ESP?

Same 40 mm conical burrs and same motor, but the ESP redistributes the grind range so 20 of its 40 steps sit in espresso territory. It also adds a quick release burr system, an included dosing cup for single dosing, and shim adjustment so you can move where the high resolution window sits.

Is 60 grind settings better than 40?

Not on its own. What matters is how many of those steps land in the range you brew in. The Smart Grinder Pro spreads 60 steps across the full range from espresso to press, while the Encore ESP concentrates 20 steps in espresso alone, which gives finer control where it counts.

Are Baratza and Breville the same company now?

Baratza is part of Breville, which is why this comparison is closer to a Breville versus Breville question than the brand names suggest. The grinders are still designed around different jobs, so the comparison is still worth making.

Should I grind by timer or by weight?

By weight, once you are pulling espresso seriously. Timed dosing drifts as beans age and as grounds are retained in the grinder. That is why the Encore ESP ships with a dosing cup rather than a portafilter cradle, it nudges you towards weighing beans in and grinding them all.