I read a ton of reviews and do a lot of research prior to making nearly any purchase.  So, I’m not going to try and recreate information that has already been well documented.  Instead, I will offer my experiences, take aways and overall satisfaction.  This is the Ownership Report and today we’re looking at the Baratza Vario.

I received my Vario in March of 2013, it was a refurbished unit, purchased directly from Baratza (they post refurbs for sale on Thursday mornings), and it was my first serious coffee equipment purchase.  The Vario was appealing to me at the time because I did not yet have an espresso machine, but I was heavily leaning down that road, so it offered me the ability to grind for any brewing methods as well as being espresso capable down the road.  Overall, I can say I’ve been very happy with the grinder, and have and would recommend it to those looking to make the entry into home espresso or those looking for a versatile and solid home grinder.  When I outgrew my first espresso setup, it wasn’t the grinder that needed updating; it was the machine, a Gaggia Classic, that I had outgrown.  And even after I upgraded to an espresso specific grinder, the Vario has now happily assumed brew grinding duties, and it does those well. 

Grind quality from the Vario is certainly pretty good, much better than its burr size would indicate, but where the grinder really stands out in my mind is its usability.  It’s a very easy to use and easy to service unit in a home friendly footprint.  Grind retention is very minimal, grind speed and noise are good and I can use for everything from coarse cold brewing to espresso. 

It is a very good brew grinder with the standard ceramic burr set, but can be made an even better brew grinder with the steel burr set, though I have not changed to the steel on mine (yet).  Before the Vario went to brew only duties, I was doing most of my brew grinding on my Hario Mini Mill so I could keep the Vario dialed in for espresso.  Even my wife, who admittedly does not have the most nuanced palate, immediately noticed an improvement in flavor, clarity, and flavor separation when using the Vario for brew duties.  I do a lot more brewed coffee now, and I’m thankful to have this trusty grinder.

For espresso, the Vario does quite well with blends and espresso specific roast profiles or well developed roasts.  It delivers nice, fluffy, clump-free grinds right into the portafilter that don’t require any further prep work, in my experience.  It starts to struggle a bit with more demanding coffees; single-origins or Nordic style or lighter filter roasts.  My suspicion is that the grind consistency is just not quite there for these demanding coffees.  I would often get to the point of choking the machine or the grind being way too fine or it started out slow and then the flow would rapidly channel and blond fast.  I also tend to notice a touch more sweetness, clarity, and flavor separation from my Compak K10 Pro Barista, but hey we are comparing apples to oranges at that point.  Overall, it’s my go-to recommendation for someone making the foray into home espresso, since it’s plenty capable, and might be all the grinder you’d ever need.  I almost exclusively single dosed for espresso; weighing my desired dose, grinding through that amount directly into the portafilter, and then pulling a shot, rather than keeping the hopper full and using the time based dosing.  I liked this because retention was typically around .1-.2 grams and it allowed me the flexibility to switch coffees as I desired and minimize waste.  Some say grind quality is sacrificed slightly when the hopper is not kept full, but to me the benefits of single dosing outweighed those aspects. 

Maintenance and serviceability are extremely good an easy to do, plus Baratza’s customer support is outstanding.  I did have one issue, which has since been corrected in manufacturing with the grind settings “drifting”, Baratza sent me shims and detailed instructions and it hasn’t been an issue since.  Cleaning the grinder is fast and simple, burr replacement would also be very simple, if needed.  Also included is an allen wrench tool to calibrate the grinder coarser or finer, and it allows the grinder to have such a wide range of capabilities. 

The drawbacks or limitations of the grinder are mostly limited to what has already been mentioned.  It is going to be a little louder and slower grinding than a full commercial unit.  It falls a bit short in the espresso range for the most demanding of coffees both in flavor and consistency, but I should emphasize that it will still produce a good shot.  And most of the construction is plastic so it’s not going to feel like a tank as many commercial units do.  This is fine, it’s a grinder intended for home use, but something that some might want to keep in mind.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The good:  Very user friendly, home friendly, versatile, and punches well above its weight (burr size).  It can grind from very coarse to espresso fine but….

The bad:  Switching back and forth between coarse and fine is not straight forward or recommended.  There really isn’t a one grinder for all uses that will allow you to switch back and forth between methods to the same grind settings and retain those settings.  You can do some brew grinding and then go back to espresso, but if your espresso was dialed in aT setting 1-M for example, it might not be 1-M on return – and you might need to pull a few shots to let it “settle in” again.  This sounds minor, but can be very frustrating and is why many people end up with multiple grinders.  If you’re playing with very demanding, light roasted or filter roasted coffees being pulled as espresso (a very current trend), this grinder might struggle a bit.  For most blends and roasts developed enough for espresso, the grinder does a great job. 

Who’s it for:  Those looking to buy the least expensive, entry level, motorized grinder for espresso, and those looking for a very good motorized grinder capable of grinding for all brewing methods.

Detailed Review Links:

http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/firstlook/baratzavario/details

http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders/baratzavario

http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/baratza-vario-grinder-first-look-t9604.html

http://www.home-barista.com/reviews/baratza-vario-grinder-second-look-t10195.html