The short answer
Buy the Baratza Encore ESP for a first espresso grinder with click-stop settings that also covers filter. Buy the DF64 Gen 2 for 64 mm flat burrs, stepless adjustment and near-zero retention - the step up when you want finer control and single dosing.
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Quick picks
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1. Choose this for single dosing and fine control
DF64 Gen 2
Upper-mid tier · The 64 mm flat-burr single-dose grinder that made the format mainstream at home.
64 mm flat burrs, stepless adjustment and retention under 0.1 g.
The DF64 Gen 2 uses 64 mm flat stainless burrs with stepless adjustment and retention under 0.1 g.
64 mm flats are the burr size the espresso world benchmarks against, and the burrs can be swapped for aftermarket sets to re-tune it.
It runs a 250 W motor at 1400 rpm with a 50 g hopper, and ionizer probes in the chute keep static manageable.
It is heavy and tall - 30 cm high and 6.8 kg - and stepless adjustment with no detents means keeping notes.
Specification
- Burrs
- 64 mm flat stainless; aftermarket sets available
- Adjustment
- Stepless
- Retention
- Under 0.1 g
- Motor
- 250 W, 1400 rpm at 110/120 V
- Hopper
- 50 g
- Size
- 13 cm W x 22.5 cm D x 30 cm H, 6.8 kg
What it does well
- 64 mm flats are the burr size the espresso world benchmarks against
- Burrs are swappable, so the grinder can be re-tuned rather than replaced
- Ionizer probes in the chute keep static manageable
Where it gives ground
- Heavy and tall for a home counter
- Stepless adjustment with no detents demands note-keeping
- Version numbering across sellers is genuinely confusing
Skip it if
Skip it if you want click-stop settings you can count back to. The Encore ESP has them.
2. Choose this for a first espresso grinder
Baratza Encore ESP
Entry tier · The Encore re-geared for espresso: the same 40 mm burrs on a dual-resolution collar.
40 steps, with 20 microns per click across the espresso range.
The Encore ESP uses 40 mm M2 steel conical burrs on a dual-resolution collar: steps 1 to 20 at 20 microns per click for espresso, and steps 21 to 40 at 90 microns per click for filter.
20 microns per click in the espresso range is real dialing resolution, and the redesigned burr housing makes cleaning and shimming easy, with shims in the box.
It is a stepped grinder, so you cannot land between clicks.
Retention is normal for the class rather than low, and it has the same plastic body and noise as the Encore.
Specification
- Burrs
- 40 mm M2 steel conical (Etzinger)
- Settings
- 40 stepped, dual resolution
- Espresso range
- Steps 1-20, 20 microns per click
- Filter range
- Steps 21-40, 90 microns per click
- Burr speed
- 550 rpm
What it does well
- 20 microns per click in the espresso range is real dialing resolution
- Redesigned burr housing makes cleaning and shimming easy
- Shims included in the box
Where it gives ground
- Still a stepped grinder - you cannot land between clicks
- Retention is normal-for-the-class, not low
- Same plastic body and noise as the Encore
Skip it if
Skip it if you want to single dose with near-zero retention. The DF64 is built for that.
Steps or stepless
Stepped settings are easy to record and return to, and 20 microns per click is enough to dial espresso. Stepless adjustment lets you land anywhere in between, which matters more as you chase smaller changes - at the cost of keeping your own reference marks.