Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder vs. Baratza Encore: What’s The Difference?

We’ve looked at the features of both Breville Smart Grinder and Baratza Encore in individual posts. We’ve also compared them to many high-rated coffee grinders. Today, we put them in comparison to each other. How is the Breville Smart Grinder is different than the Baratza Encore? And which one is best for you to buy? Read on to find out…

Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder vs. Baratza Encore:

Breville Smart Grinder Coffee Machine

Grind Settings:

  • Breville Smart grinder: 25 grind settings + Manual settings.
  • Baratza Encore: 40 grind settings.

Capacity:

  • Breville Smart Grinder: 1 pound bean hopper. Airtight bean container holds enough ground for 12 cups of coffee.
  • Baratza Encore: 8 oz bean hopper (around 0.5 lbs) and 5 oz ground container.

Design & Features:

  • Breville Smart Grinder:
    • Is a smart grinder which automatically ensures you have the best grind possible for the amount of coffee you want, but still gives you the option to tune things manually.
    • The has a full stainless steel exterior for more durability.
    • It features a hands-free portafilter grinding option. Which means it grinds right into the portafilter (for espresso) absolutely hands-free.
    • Airtight, sealed glass coffee container saves flavor and aroma for a long time.
  • Baratza Encore:
    • An entry-level manual grinder.
    • Offers up to 40 grind settings, which gives you plenty to tuning to choose from.
    • All settings are selected manually.
    • No hands-free grinding.
    • Bean container is not sealed.
    • Plastic exterior and coffee container.

Which Is Best To Buy? Breville Smart Grinder or Baratza Encore?

Indeed the Baratza Encore features many more grind settings than the Breville Smart Grinder, however, the latter is still more advanced in so many ways. Starting with the quality of the unit itself, the Breville smart grinder is a sleek stainless steel unit that is built to last. The airtight sealed container is quite useful for saving coffee ground and keeping them fresh until use. And the fact that it features both automatic and manual settings makes it the perfect choice for anyone. On the other hand, the Baratza Encore is still quite a great entry level conical burr grinder and performs as it should, however, we’re not into it’s plastic-y material which makes it feel cheap, and it’s possible to find other grinders of the same material and features for less price. We’d recommend the Capresso Infinity or DeLonghi conical burr over the Baratza Encore.