Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #4603 in Kitchen & Housewares
- Brand: Baratza
- Model: 586
Features
- Baratza 586 Virtuoso is the newest model introduced in November 2011
- burrs upgraded to match the Baratza Preciso
- Extremely versatile with 40 grind settings
- 450 RPM motor rotation
- Can be calibrated if necessary
Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder 586
Product Description
ONE POUND OF FREE COFFEE INCLUDED! ($13.99 value) - light-medium roast, a blend of South and Central American coffees.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
By Nanda Shin
I almost gave up on this grinder as it was not grinding fine enough for espresso. I was pulling nasty 4-5 second shots on the '0' setting which is the finest grind. So i went to the website's troubleshooting section which had step by step instructions on how to calibrate for a finer grind. It was a pain to take the thing apart and afterwards the grind was slightly finer but not fine enough for espresso. If i hadn't seen some youtube video reviews on this product i would have assumed that this model is just not capable of producing espresso grinds but on the video it was grinding so fine on '0' that espresso had to be done on '6' setting so i wasn't gonna give up so quick. I called tech support and explained the situation and was told that the factory calibration was probably off and that i will be sent a replacement. A couple hours later Colin emailed me with a tracking # , so far so good. Well, I finally got the new unit and did a test on '0' and it was almost powder fine. I also tested on '20' and the grinds were much more consistent than the original unit i got which did seem a bit inconsistent. I am now able to grind for espresso, french press and aeropress. I hope you don't get a lemon but if you do call support before junking it.
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful.
By Brian Foreman
The Virtuoso is my favorite coffee grinder, and I recommend it highly.First, it's pleasantly heavy, which makes it a pleasure to use, since it stays put during use. The grind can be calibrated from fine to coarse in 40 steps by twisting the upper hopper, and further adjustment is possible inside the case. (Too coarse wastes flavor, while too fine will clog the filter and cause grounds to overflow the basket.). Grinding beans for a pot of coffee takes about a minute, which is exactly one full twist of the timer knob.The grounds bin has the same capacity as a coffee filter for a standard 60-ounce coffee pot; more wouldn't fit. So the reviewer that thought the hopper is undersized must be trying to fill a commercial brewer. The bean hopper on the top also holds a pound (a typical sack) of coffee beans, so everything is well thought-out for the home user.The anti-static plastic parts are a godsend: all the grounds just miraculously slide out of the hopper, like dry sand off Teflon. Prior models had a static-prone hopper that caused chaff to fly madly out as you extracted the hopper and stick everywhere---the counter, your shirt, the cat--and which therefore necessitated cleanup. This one has no such issue.One common complaint is that the timer handle sometimes falls off during grinding. The loose fit is by design (so you can take the case off), and the fix is easy: just cut a 1/4"x1/8" (or so) strip of paper, fold it in half, remove the handle, and place that paper over the internal tang of the handle before reinserting it. This will tighten the handle but keeps it removable in case you ever need to disassemble things.If you are primarily going to make espresso, Baratza recommends the Preciso model for even more accurate grind settings. Prior to December 2011, when this was a 585 model, the Preciso also had better burrs, but now this one (the 586) has them too. Given the range of adjustments available on this one, then, the Preciso seems like overkill for anyone but the pickiest espresso fanatic (you know who you are).So you really can't go wrong with this grinder. I think you'll be very pleased with it.
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
By Steve
If all you want is a good quality grinder for a small amount of coffee or a few shots of espresso, this is a very nice choice. Solid, heavy, strong motor and very high quality burrs -- plus it has a nice commercial quality look and feel.But if you plan to make a full pot of coffee -- think twice about this grinder because it has a few design flaws that will inconvenience and annoy you every morning.The big problem is the catch-bin is too small. If you fill the bean holder at the top of the grinder more than half-way, the catch-bin won't be able to handle the grind, and things will back up into the shoot -- clogging up the burrs and bogging down the motor. So for anything more than a small to medium amount of grind, you will need to do things in stages -- which means stopping the grinder half way, emptying the catch bin into some other container, and then replacing the catch bin and restarting the grinder. For a $200+ grinder, I expect a little more convenience.The other design flaw in this grinder is the on/off/timer dial that sits on the side. It looks handsome enough, but it's a fairly cheap, undersized plastic knob that rides on a rather weak nylon rod. It works like a minute egg timer -- and simultaneously starts the grinder as soon as you twist it. The more you rotate the knob, the longer it will grind. But once you start it, there's no way to shut down the grinder until it times-out -- or until you force it off by twisting the knob back in the other direction. There's a noticeable resistance when you do this, since you're forcing the timing mechanism back to zero, instead of letting it run on its own. Given the cheap, plastic design of this mechanism, the long-term prospects of doing this on a daily basis are a little concerning. A separate cut-off switch would have been nice.Those are the only obvious shortcomings I've experienced. It is otherwise a very nice piece of equipment. And for those who need only a limited amount of grounds, these design flaws will probably not come into play and I expect they'll be quite pleased with this grinder. As for folks like me, who need to grind a full load every morning, I'm not sure I'd have purchased this unit had I known about these issues.
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