Birdman86 Senior Member Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Minneapolis, MN Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Bodum Press Pot Grinder: Zassenhaus Hand Burr Drip: Capresso MT500
Posted Wed Mar 31, 2004, 11:56am Subject: Maestro Plus Conical Burr Grinder
I read the consumer and the official review on the Baratza Maestro Grinder. From what I read about it I was going to buy it. So I went to the Baratza web site and I saw that they had a Maestro Plus Conical Burr Grinder. So, I guess I’m wondering, should I buy the Maestro or the Maestro Plus? Thanks. - Josiah
DEchelbarger Senior Member Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 416 Location: Negaunee, MI Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Solis SL-70 Grinder: Macap M 4, Rocky,... Vac Pot: Bodum Santos, Nicro Drip: pour over, Chemex, FR Press,... Roaster: RK Drum, I-roast, manual...
Posted Wed Mar 31, 2004, 12:51pm Subject: Re: Maestro Plus Conical Burr Grinder
I have the Maestro Plus and it is my understanding that it will give you a wider variety of grind. I use mine for espresso, press pot, and drip. No problems -- in fact I love it, given the price.
pcharles Senior Member Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Houghton, MI Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Krups Maximo and Krups... Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus Drip: Filter Cone and Kettle,... Roaster: Zach and Danis, Popcorn...
Posted Wed Mar 31, 2004, 6:19pm Subject: Re: Maestro Plus Conical Burr Grinder
I've been very happy with my MP grinder. I use it mainly for espresso and arabic coffee, although it works great for other methods. When set to press-pot, the coarsest setting, the coffee is not as coarse as my other grinder, a Cuisinart, that I have started using for presspot and drip. The MP grinder does produce an incredibly even grind though and very little dust at the coarse settings.
The main reason I use the Cuisinart for larger quantities is that I can tell it to grind enough beans for 4, 8 , or 12 cups and then do something else, not to mention having different beans in each machine. With the MP Grinder, I have to estimate how much coffee I would get from a turn on the timer. I also noticed that the MP Grinder gets quite warm when run for extended periods of time and I'd rather save the burrs for espresso.
I found one thing about the MP that annoys me. That is the bean hopper. there needs to be some way of stopping the beans escaping if you need to take it off for some reason. Having to tip it up and empty the hopper before cleaning the burrs is tedious. I also found that one extended grinds with oily beans, they don't always feed well and you then hear the burrs spinning without beans between them.
All said and done though, this is one hell of a grinder. The extra weight over the regular maestro is wonderful as I can fill my portafilter directly by pressing the button.
Posted Wed Mar 31, 2004, 7:09pm Subject: Re: Maestro Plus Conical Burr Grinder
Okay, I can't resist commenting on this one (I tried). I'll try to be positive here.
IMO, the Maestro is probably the best you can get for ~$99. I believe the Maestro Plus may be the best ~$149 grinder available in the U.S. I had the Maestro, and was very pleased with it. That is, until I upgraded my espresso machine to one with a 58mm non-pressurized filter. It just didn't work for me. There are quite a few folks who report good results, even with espresso machines similar to mine. And the folks at Baratza have a good reputation.
As recently as a month ago, the Cunill Tranquilo was available for $179. In my opinion, this is a major step above the Maestro or even the Plus. However, I can no longer find it for less than $239. I think it's still worth it even at that price, but I realize that's a huge step from the $99 you were originally looking to spend.
If you're considering the original Maestro at about $99, it's a good grinder for the money, if you're aware of its limitations. I don't think anything else < $100 can touch it for all-around usability.
If you're considering the Plus, however, you may also want to consider Innova's conical burr grinder. It's not much more than the Plus, but has a more consistent grind, and better adjustment mechanism. I believe there is a review on this site.
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