Breville BCG820BSS Smart Grinder Pro Recommendation
OMG! I'm in love! But we'll get to that in a minute. First, a little preamble.
A few weeks ago the switch on the side of my trusty Solis Maestro coffee grinder — which I'd been using for many years — dropped off. Nothing that a drop or two of super glue wouldn't fix, I thought, only to realize those old commercials where a drop of superglue suspends an elephant in the air from a crane must have been true all along. I guess it was the several drops, not the recommended one drop, that did it, because when I came back a few hours later to grind some beans, the switch was in place for sure — so much so that I could no longer turn it at all. Oops!
For the next few days I had to resort to the old electric blade mill I use for grinding herbs, which proved just how impossible it is to make good espresso with that kind of grinder. If that's what you use, or are considering, "go to your room, now!"
Anyhow, back to my new love affair. Since I'd been recommending a conical burr grinder on this site since 2006 (original recommendation reposted here: Coffee Grinder Recommendation), it only seemed right to jump straight onto Amazon to order a replacement. I discovered mine had been succeeded by the Baratza G385 Black Maestro Plus Coffee Grinder. One thing led to another, and in reading reviews I ended up on the page for the Breville BCG820BSS Smart Grinder Pro. It was more expensive than the Baratza, but reading the reviews and product description, I got the distinct impression it was the superior product. Being someone who just can't help himself, I decided to lay down the extra money for a coffee grinder.
As soon as I took the Breville out of the box, I was already being won over by the design. This grinder made me realize the imperfections of my old Maestro. The consistency of the grind from the Breville is excellent, and having found the sweet spot for my Gaggia espresso maker, I've been enjoying perfect, crema-rich espresso shots ever since. It's remarkable how much this grinder improved the flavor of my espresso.
Out of the box, I set the grind at the "E" for "Espresso" on the backlit display. Too fine for my Gaggia, which has a fairly powerful 55-watt pump — the espresso dripped out rather than flowed. I was clearly straining the pump, and if I wasn't careful I might burn out the motor — something superglue definitely wouldn't fix. By trial and error, I found that two notches coarser than the "E" setting is about right for my machine. This grinder has a remarkable range of grind settings to choose from, by the way.
So here's my updated recommendation, depending on your budget. If you can afford it, get the Breville BCG820BSS Smart Grinder Pro — believe me, you won't regret spending the extra money if it's within reach. If your budget is tighter, try the Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder. Mine did faithful daily duty for something like five years without a single complaint, until I realized that spending a bit more on the Breville gets you something even better. The Maestro is still a great grinder — the Breville is just a better one if you can afford it.
Update: I've now been using this same Breville design for years, without a single issue — the current BCG820BSS Smart Grinder Pro is essentially the same grinder, just updated, and I recommend it just as strongly today.
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