Baratza Encore ESP grinder
A compact conical burr grinder with finely spaced espresso settings. The budget grinder we suggest for a new La Pavoni lever.
Listed for: Any espresso machine; grind into a cup and pour into the La Pavoni basket
Good for
- A first espresso grinder for a Europiccola or Professional
- Owners who also brew filter coffee (settings 21 to 40)
- Easy cleaning, with a burr that removes without tools
Watch out for
- The included dosing cup is sized for 54mm and 58mm portafilters, not the La Pavoni's 51mm basket
- Light roasts and fine adjustments may push you toward a grinder with stepless adjustment
Details from the listing
- Burrs
- 40mm hardened alloy steel conical burrs
- Espresso range
- Micro-steps 1 to 20 for espresso, macro-steps 21 to 40 for filter
- Controls
- Front pulse button and on/off switch; turn the hopper to adjust
- Weight
- 5.6 lb
- Model
- ZCG495BLK (black)
Why we suggest it
A La Pavoni lever has no pump to push water through a poorly ground bed, so the grinder sets the limit on your shots. The Encore ESP is built around that need: its first twenty settings are small steps meant for espresso, and the remaining twenty are wider steps for filter brewing.
Using it with a La Pavoni
Grind into a small cup, then pour into the basket. Baratza’s dosing cup suits 54mm and 58mm portafilters, so it will not sit on a La Pavoni portafilter. Start fine, pull a shot, and adjust one step at a time.
If you later find yourself wanting adjustments between the steps, the Eureka Mignon Specialita has stepless adjustment.
Machines it suits
Best first lever
Europiccola
The smallest La Pavoni lever. One small boiler for brewing and steaming, no gauge, and the most direct way into a manual lever.
- Boiler capacity
- 0.8 L per La Pavoni. US sources list 20 oz (manual) or 27 oz (importer).
- Basket size
- About 51mm (Millennium, made after 2000). Older machines use about 49mm.
- Pressure gauge
- None listed on the standard model (sight glass only). The Special Edition EPC-8SB adds one.
More shots per fill
Professional
The Europiccola's lever and group on a boiler twice the size, with a pressure gauge. The better daily lever for milk drinks or two people.
- Boiler capacity
- 1.6 L per La Pavoni. US sources list 38 oz (manual, Amazon) or 54 oz (importer).
- Basket size
- About 51mm (Millennium, made after 2000). Older machines use about 49mm.
- Pressure gauge
- Yes, on the boiler. The US manual says it should top out at 0.7 to 0.8 bar and never pass 1 bar.
Questions buyers ask
Is the Encore ESP fine enough for a lever?
Baratza designed settings 1 to 20 as small steps for espresso, which is the range a La Pavoni needs. It is a sensible starting grinder.
Sources
Amazon US product listings.