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With coffee grinders, you get what you pay for. Sure, you could spend $3,000 on the Mahlkonig EK43, but when the Baratza Encore coffee grinder exists, why bother? After our most recent round of testing, the Encore remains our hands-down favorite option, and it costs less than 200 bucks. It was already a good deal, but now, for the first time in its 20-plus history, Baratza is marking down the Encore by 20%, making the brand’s signature grinder the cheapest it’s ever been: $135.
When we first got our hands on the Encore, we were blown away by how damn well it performed. Whether you’re prepping your beans for an Aeropress or a highfalutin drip coffee maker, the Encore can handle it all. Not only does it provide consistently uniform coffee grounds, it’s incredibly easy to use—and, crucially, clean. It produces minimal chaff (the pencil shaving-like residue left over from ground coffee), and if any part breaks down, Baratza’s top-notch customer service will help track down a replacement.
The Encore is Baratza’s entry-level option, but it’s still one of the best coffee grinders money can buy. It’s not ideal if you’re brewing espresso—you’ll need a specialty grinder that can get a fine-enough grind (or the soon-to-be-released Baratza Encore ESP)—but it’ll work in a pinch. It’s also much quieter than its competitors, so you don’t have to worry about waking the neighbors, let alone your lazybones roommate, when you’re preparing your morning joe.
Head over to any Baratza retailer—or Amazon, if you just need to get yours in two days—to take advantage of the savings, but make moves quick. The deal is only live through November 30th, so if there’s a coffee fiend on your holiday shopping list, best to secure a Baratza Encore coffee grinder now if you want them to be unwrapping it in December.