Baratza Virtuoso+ Coffee Grinder Review

Coffee grinders have a long history, with the first “coffee grinder” being a traditional mortar and pestle.

Historians have found evidence of this club and bowl being used by people in Ethiopia, the Middle East, and other early coffee drinking countries since as far back as 800 A.D. 

Since then, a whole array of different, and more modernized, coffee grinders have become available on the market. From blade grinders to burr grinders, high speed to low speed, dosing and non-dosing… there are countless options to choose from. 

For now, we’ll take a look at the Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. 

Here’s everything you need to know about this popular offering from one of the world’s most renowned coffee grinder brands.

Pros and Cons of the Baratza Virtuoso+

What are the pros and cons of this conical burr grinder?

Pros	Cons
Holds eight ounces of beans per session 40 second digital timer Transparent LED-backlit ground bin 40 grind size settings from coarse to fine Automatic reset thermal cut off Replacement parts available	Not suitable for making espressos High price tag compared to similar models

Any coffee lover knows that a consistent grind is the key to a good cup of coffee. Achieving uniform particle sizes is a hurdle that many coffee grinders fail to overcome, but the Baratza Virtuoso burrs provide this, ensuring consistency from one cup to another. 

This is a grinder that you can rely on. 

Whether you want to create coarse grinds or fine grinds, you will be able to replicate a clean, café-quality taste with balanced flavor notes at home. 

With 40 user-friendly grind settings to choose from, this grinder offers scope and flexibility. Its 40 mm conical burr has a sharp and steep edge, perfect for grinding your beans to the consistency you want.

Who Should Buy this Conical Burr Grinder

• Coffee lovers looking for a user friendly grind
• Anyone seeking a lower and quieter grinding pitch
• Those who want a grinder with a self timer

Who Should Avoid this Conical Burr Grinder

• Espresso drinkers
• Professional baristas

Considerations Before Buying the Baratza Virtuoso+

No coffee grinder is perfect. What is manageable and what counts as a dealbreaker will depend on what you’re looking for. 

So, what are the cons of the Baratza Virtuoso+? 

We've noticed that the beans tend to “popcorn” as the hopper empties, which can be relatively loud and messy. 

While this grinder was once far and away class-leading in regards to offering consistency, competitors have started to close the gap without charging the same, steep price tag. 

You may want to thoroughly review and compare a range of coffee grinders before settling on the right one for you. Our best coffee grinder review can help you on this journey.

Serving Size

The Baratza Virtuoso Plus has a bean hopper with a capacity of eight ounces. On average, when ground down, this will create 12 cups of coffee. 

This makes this grinder suitable for heavy coffee drinkers, couples and families.

Key Features

The Baratz Virtuoso Plus is undoubtedly a leader in its field. It grinds coffee beans to one of forty settings with its top-quality, M2 burr - a significant improvement on the M3 burr featured in the Baratz Encore. 

Taking this into account, alongside some truly useful new features (such as its digital timer), the Virtuoso+ really is a great investment for any coffee lover looking for a simple and straightforward grinding experience.

Product Construction and Specs

Dimensions WxHxD (cm)	12 x 35 x 16
Weight	8lbs (3.6kg)
Burrs	40mm conical burrs
Bean Hopper Capacity	8oz (230g)
Grounds Bin Capacity	5oz (142g)
Speed To Grind	1.5g/sec.—2.4g/sec. / 550 RPM
Power Rating	220-240VAC 50/60 Hz, 80W, 0.5A class II 100-120VAC 50/60 Hz, 70W 0.8A
No Load Burr Speed	550 RPM
Safety Listing	UL/CSA/CE

Design

Not only does this grinder perform well, but it looks great too. 

This is important for a piece of kitchen equipment that is likely to stay out on your work surfaces, ready for repeated use throughout each day. Its sleek shape and neutral color scheme will fit in well with any kitchen design, whether plain or bold. 

The Baratza branding is subtle, but visible, ensuring that others can see this is a quality piece of coffee grinding kit.

Warranty

Any Baratza product purchased in the US or Canada has a limited warranty lasting one year from the original date of purchase. 

This covers all defects in parts and labor and includes free ground transportation to and from the Baratza repair facility within the US and Canada. 

It’s important to bear in mind that the warranty doesn’t apply to improper use, lack of cleaning, abuse, normal wear and tear, lack of proper adjustment, foreign objects or uses outside of the coffee grinder’s intended use. 

You should also note that grinders bought in the US or Canada and shipped or taken out of the country will only have a warranty for parts.

How to Use the Baratza Virtuoso+

Any coffee grinder can seem complex to operate at first, but once you have a hang of it, you’ll be grinding coffee beans without a second thought. Before you start using your Virtuoso+ grinder, it’s recommended that you clean the bean hopper and ground coffee bin using warm, soapy water. If your burrs have rust on them, simply grind ¼ pound of coffee beans with them and discard the grounds. This should remove the rust.

To start grinding beans you can use, place the grinder on a flat surface and plug it in. Remove the lid from the hopper and pour up to 8 oz of beans into the hopper. Replace the lid and make sure that the ground coffee bin is fully inserted.

You can now select your grind control. Rotate the bean hopper clockwise or counter clockwise to align the indicator with the desired number setting on the grind scale; lower numbers will result in a finer grind.

Care / Maintenance / Cleaning

Just like a coffee machine, all coffee grinders require regular care, maintenance and cleaning to keep them in good working order. The Baratza Virtuoso coffee grinder is no different. 

The bean hopper, ring burr and grounds bin of this grinder can all be removed for thorough cleaning. To remove the bean hopper, remove all beans from the hopper and press the front-mounted pulse button to run remaining beans through the grinder. 

Make sure the power is turned off and you can then remove the hopper by rotating it counterclockwise until it stops, and lifting it off the grinder housing. 

To remove the ring burr, pull the silicone seal off the top and remove the ring burr by lifting it straight up out of the grinder by the lifting tabs. You can then wash these parts with warm, soapy warm. Make sure they are completely dry before further use. 

FAQs

Is the Virtuoso+ worth the extra money?

There are several differences between the Virtuoso+ and the lower-priced Encore. While both have a 40mm stainless steel conical burr, they don’t use the same burr. 

The Virtuoso+ uses the M2 burr (with a sharper and steeper edge) while the Encore has the M3 burr (with a duller and flatter edge). The Virtuoso+ has higher quality materials, a faster grind time and a 40-second adjustable digital timer display. 

Whether these features are worth the extra money or not relies solely on how much use you will get from them and how much you personally value them.

Can the Virtuoso+ be used to make espresso coffee?

While the Virtuoso+ is capable of a grind size fine enough for espresso, it isn’t capable of making the small adjustments required for you to properly dial in a shot. 

You may read a Baratza Virtuosa review or comments in threads where people note that they use their Virtuoso Plus for espresso, but you’re likely to find that the Baratza Preciso is the lowest cost Baratza grinder that will allow you to get the right coffee grind size to make consistent, quality espresso.

What is the Virtuoso+’s coffee grounds retention?

The Baratza Virtuoso+ is an extremely efficient grinder. Compared to similar home-use coffee grinders, it has a notably low grind retention thanks to the short grind path from the hopper through to the bin. Its burr chamber has a compact design and nets a ground retention of just 1.5 grams.

Other Products from Baratza

Baratza has a wide range of coffee grinders available. 

If the Virtuoso+ doesn’t meet your needs, chances are, they have an alternative like the Baratza Sette or Baratza Vario that will better tick your boxes. Here are just a few you might like to take a look at.

• Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder
• Baratza Sette 30 Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
• Baratza Sette 270 Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
• Baratza Vario+ Flat Burr Coffee Grinder

About Baratza

Established in 1999, Baratza was created by Kyle Anderson and Kyra Kennedy. Anderson had recently left Corto (now known as Concordia), a company selling super-automatic commercial espresso machines. 

Having signed a deal that allowed him to continue work in the coffee industry, as long as he stayed in the home sector, he partnered with Kennedy to create state-of-the-art coffee grinders suitable for domestic use. 

Twenty years later, Baratza is a household name, with a wide range of products to choose from. 

In 2020, Baratza was acquired by Breville for $60 million. The Australian multinational small appliance brand believes that its shared values for customer care and passion for product innovation will help Baratza to thrive going forward, enhancing the specialty coffee experience the brand already provides.