Baratza Encore Grind Settings: Starting Points by Method
Use the standard Encore's suggested settings as starting points, then adjust for your coffee and recipe. Encore ESP and ESP Pro have different adjustment systems; do not transfer charts between them.
Standard Encore starting settings
Baratza's standard Encore manual suggests these settings. They are manufacturer starting points, not results from our own testing or guarantees for every coffee. Own an Encore ESP instead? Its dial uses a split 1-20 espresso / 21-40 filter scale with different numbers, so use the Baratza Encore ESP grind settings chart. If your Encore grinds noticeably finer or coarser than these numbers suggest, see how to calibrate a Baratza Encore grinder.
| Method | Suggested setting |
|---|---|
| Espresso | 8 |
| AeroPress | 12 |
| Hario V60 | 15 |
| Automatic brewer | 18 |
| Chemex | 20 |
| French press | 28 |
Source: Encore manual, December 2022, page 6. The recipe, roast, coffee and taste preference affect the final setting.
Which way is finer?
Lower numbers are finer and higher numbers are coarser. Follow the manual's adjustment instructions: when beans remain between the burrs, run the grinder while changing the setting. Do not force a loaded grinder toward a finer setting.
Keep dose, water amount and preparation the same. Change grind a little, brew again and record the result. Taste matters, but sourness or bitterness alone does not diagnose grind size: preparation, temperature and recipe also affect the cup.
Espresso: check your basket and adjustment needs
The suggested setting 8 does not mean the standard Encore has the dedicated fine adjustment of an Encore ESP. A non-pressurized basket needs sufficiently small changes to control flow at your chosen dose. If one setting is too fast and the next too slow, a universal roast chart cannot remove that adjustment gap.
Follow the basket's dose guidance and track output in the same units as your recipe. Record beans, dose, grind and output rather than expecting a fixed volume and time to work for every shot.
Cold brew: recipe and filtering both matter
The cited Encore chart has no separate cold-brew number. Start with your cold-brew brewer's instructions, then adjust grind and steeping recipe one variable at a time. Settings 26–40 are not exclusively for cold brew.
If there is too much sediment, strain large grounds before finer filtering. If the coffee is weak, check coffee-to-water ratio and contact time as well as grind. Save the setting with your dose, water and steeping conditions so you can repeat a useful result.