The short answer
Buy the Baratza Encore ESP as a first espresso grinder that also covers filter. Buy the Eureka Mignon Specialita when espresso is your daily drink - its 55 mm flat burrs, stepless adjustment and quiet, fast grinding are the step up.
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Quick picks
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1. Choose this for espresso every day
Eureka Mignon Specialita
Upper-mid tier · An Italian 55 mm flat-burr espresso grinder with stepless micrometric adjustment.
55 mm flat burrs, stepless micrometric adjustment and timed dosing.
The Specialita uses 55 mm flat hardened steel burrs made in Italy, with stepless micrometric adjustment on the lower burr.
It grinds at up to 1.8 g per second, so an 18 g dose is a ten-second job, with digital timed dosing in tenths of a second.
It is genuinely quiet, and its adjustment holds its setting through a strip-down clean.
It is hopper-fed by design and espresso-focused, with no weight-based dosing.
Specification
- Burrs
- 55 mm flat hardened steel, made in Italy
- Adjustment
- Stepless micrometric on the lower burr
- Output
- Up to 1.8 g per second
- Dosing
- Digital timed, adjustable in tenths of a second
What it does well
- Genuinely quiet - the sound insulation is not marketing
- Micrometric adjustment holds its setting through a strip-down clean
- Fast enough that an 18 g dose is a ten-second job
Where it gives ground
- Hopper-fed by design; single dosing it is a workaround
- No weight-based dosing
- Espresso-focused - the coarse end is not its strength
Skip it if
Skip it if you also brew a lot of filter coffee. The coarse end is not its strength.
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: 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 is real dialing resolution, and shims come in the box.
It is stepped, so you cannot land between clicks, and retention is normal for the class.
It has the same plastic body and noise as the standard 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 espresso is your daily drink and you want quiet, fast, stepless grinding. The Specialita is built for that.
When the step up is worth it
If you pull espresso every day from one coffee, the Specialita's speed, quiet and stepless adjustment are felt every morning. If you are still finding out whether espresso sticks, the Encore ESP covers it and filter too - see Encore vs Encore ESP.