Starbucks (Virtuoso) Grinders - $80

[BoldJava]

You wouldn't be a sucker if you bought one for vacpot use?

I've used mine for vac pot for over two years. It works great! Jim

Jim echoes the blog that Muddy Dogg Roasters just put out.  Scroll down to the matrix:

http://muddydogcoffee.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/which-baratza-grinder-should-i-buy/

[Ascholten]

I use my maestro for a vac pot frequently and never had a problem with it.  I also use it for a swiss gold, and french press and even a drip.  It does em all good.
Im not into the espresso .. yet.. so can't comment on that....yet

Aaron

[Ghoti]

The Starbucks (Maestro Plus) Grinder arrived today. It is definitely not a refurbished unit. Not a mark on it. No coffee ever has gone through it. It's going to be a Christmas gift so I cannot address the quality of grind. For that you will need to trust what others have posted here. Definitely a thumbs up deal.

[mbsims]

Too good to pass up.  Thanks for the tip!

[BoldJava]

It's a fine machine.  I will be putting my daughter's through its paces over this holiday.

B|Java

[milowebailey]

You know for $90 more you can have one of these.

[BoldJava]

It's a fine machine.  I will be putting my daughter's through its paces over this holiday.

B|Java

On closer examination up here, these are rebadged Virtuoso grinders, not Maestro Pluses.

240W DC motor
40mm milled German burrs, conicals
40 adjustment steps

This appears to be the old Virtuoso rebadged for Starbucks.  The old Virtuoso had 40 increments, without the micro-steps within each increment that the new Virtuoso has.

Excellent grind throughout the 30 mid-range steps. Excellent application for Krups Moka brew all the way up to a course pourover, such as a Chemex.  I would not use it for espresso or press pot.  The press pot grind is much too inconsistent, throwing irregular fines and boulders.  Keep in mind I am comparing this to the relatively uniform grind press pot grind offered by my Macap 4, a $550 machine.

Very good investment.  Might just grab one for a backup.  Excellent offering for the office set-up.  $80 is a no-brainer.

B|Java

[maggie]

Great find!  Glad to hear it's the Virtuosa - much better deal - just ordered one.
Thanks for the posting, Dave.

[Ron_L]

Well... My refurb'd Barista grinder arrived today, and I am pretty disappointed.  I understand that refurbished means used equipment, but it also means reconditioned to original factory condition.  This grinder is far from original condition.  It has gouges in the plastic all around the base where someone tried to open the case the wrong way!  There is also a crack in the shell and something rattling around inside the case.





Also, this is not a Virtuoso. Try as I may, I can't find a picture of a Virtuoso with a rotary on/off switch.  The virtuoso has a timer on the side.


In doing some web research, the best information that I can find is that it is a hybrid between the Maestro, the Maestro Plus and the Virtuoso.

From a thread on Coffeegeek from an owner of this grinder...

It's indeed featuring various parts of Maestro (the 4-state on-off switch on the right), Maestro Plus (the push-button on the front, the burrs, and the shape of the base) and Virtuozo (the 480-Watt motor and the silicon bean gasket).

I also found this sticker on the bottom with the original price...


Since it has the upgraded motor, I would be happy with a $150 grinder for $80, but the physical condition is a problem.  I didn't open the box until a little while ago since I was in meetings, but I will be contacting Baratza on Monday to see if I can exchange this for one with out the physical damage.  If not, I'll just return it and buy a brand new Maestro from Whole Latte Love for $99 and free shipping.

I have other pictures showing the full grinder, the burrs and the adjustment steps if anyone is interested.
http://picasaweb.google.com/rclewen/Grinder?authkey=Gv1sRgCOuD5ueC98fU7AE&feat=directlink

[BoldJava]

Well... My refurb'd Barista grinder arrived today, and I am pretty disappointed. 

That is unacceptable.  I am bowled over at that piece of junk.  Baratza is known for customer service.  They dropped the ball here.

B|Java

[chef glenn]

Hi Guys,

Contact Joe Meeks at Barat]za, he took care of my Virtuoso Knob fall-off problem in a heartbeat, sent me a replacement knob for...
$0.00, I had even disclosed I purchased it used on the 'bay for $100. Pretty decent grinder for price.
 I can't imagine anyone dumping Virtuosos for $80, refurbs usually bit more than that.
 It is definitley a step up from the Maestro tho, I had one of them also.
Virtuoso great for Vacpot, Drip, you will need to be reaming out drop chute if you doing any espresso grind,
 pick up a used (read cheap) Super Jolly for that, bulletproof once it's dialed in.

Good Luck!
Glenn

[Ron_L]

Thanks, Glenn...  I sent Joe an e-mail and I'll follow up with a call on Monday.

I plan on using this grinder for brewed coffee only (drip, press, vac pot, etc.) I have a six year old Maestro Plus that died and the cost to send it back for repairs was about the same as buying the refurb grinder so i went that route.  i also have a commercial grinder that i use solely for espresso.

[ecc]

I bought one for Mom, a small cosmetic blemish on the front.  If they last, Baratza seems to have a pretty high bang for the buck at the moment, entry level grinders with this kind of quality grind really set a nice foundation for spreading good coffee.  It will certainly help highlight the tabletop vacpot my kids bought her!

[dfluke]

For what it's worth, I'm still using my red Solis Maestro plus almost 5 years now as a daily coffee drinker..mostly for drip/pourover. These grinders are just a magnificent value..and replacement burrs are pennies compared to a new one, although I haven't changed mine yet.

[Ron_L]

I just received a call from Baratza support and they agreed that the condition of the one that I received was unacceptable.  She mentioned that there will almost always be a couple of blemishes or scratches, particularly on the Barista model because of the silver paint job.  She is send out a replacement grinder for me.