I'm sifting lately as part of an experiment to see if it improves press coffee; part of the experiment is finding easily purchased (or already owned) kitchen items to do it easily and cheaply, if it improves the cup.
MonkeyK Senior Member Joined: 12 Dec 2008 Posts: 214 Location: Twin Cities, MN Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Vivaldi II Grinder: Baratza Vario Drip: Aeropress, Bunn Phase Brew Roaster: Behmor
Posted Sat Mar 14, 2009, 11:38am Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
MarkPrince Said:
Write an email to Baratza about this particular issue. They felt that not enough owners would want (or miss) this feature, when they decided on the control board to use. If they hear from enough owners, they may modify future versions.
In the meantime, you can get a Belkin Conserve powerstrip which lets you keep power flowing to two outlets while shutting off all the others. The other cool thing about the Conserve is that it has a remote RF power switch.
skookumjo Senior Member Joined: 14 Mar 2009 Posts: 8 Location: Switzerland Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Baristar HX-E61 rotory pump Grinder: Mazzer Mini E-B,Baratza...
Posted Sun Mar 15, 2009, 12:08pm Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Hello Yes I've used the vario the several weeks now grinding espresso for my E-61, have one macro notch to spare. Last week i was on holidays and took the grinder and a press-pot along, was using it with two macro notch's to spare, had good flavour and no sludge in the cup. ciao daniel
skookumjo Senior Member Joined: 14 Mar 2009 Posts: 8 Location: Switzerland Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Baristar HX-E61 rotory pump Grinder: Mazzer Mini E-B,Baratza...
Posted Sun Mar 15, 2009, 3:15pm Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Hello I've been using the 50 cycle euro version of the Vario for about a month now. It's the first quality grinder that I've owned so i can't offer comparisons, however I'm favourably impressed. The firm fit of the hopper, bin , pf holder, heavy gauge power cord and general construction inspire confidence in the quality. It looks modern, has a small footprint, runs quiet, is not at all grating or irritating like some other grinders I've heard. I find the control panel fully easy, logical and allows one to be flexible and really dial in to optimal settings for singles and doubles with the ability to repeat the results. The grinds land nicely in the pf, static hasn't been a problem, what few strays there may be are of little consequence and collect slowly in the bottom tray, the counter top stays clear of grinds. Fineness is not a problem, i can easily plug the E-61, I've a macro notch adjustment to spare. I took the grinder and a press-pot along on holidays last week, enjoyed good flavourful brew without sludge, had two full macro notch's coarser to spare. On the negative side as previously mentioned the timer settings are lost when unplugged, i suppose though that it's idle power consumption is minimal and the little blue light does serve nicely as a small kitchen night light. (as Mark P mentioned it's easy to shut off) Also my pf moves around too much, for true hands off operation, I'll have to make a small modification. I'm quite happy with this grinder, am looking forward to trying a variety of new beans ciao daniel
Posted Sun Mar 15, 2009, 8:54pm Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
skookumjo Said:
Hello Yes I've used the vario the several weeks now grinding espresso for my E-61, have one macro notch to spare. Last week i was on holidays and took the grinder and a press-pot along, was using it with two macro notch's to spare, had good flavour and no sludge in the cup. ciao daniel
Daniel, if you haven't been welcomed to CG as yet, WELCOME to CG! (though I bet my bud Craig Andrews beat me to it!) Thanks for your contributions. Keep them coming.
greatphotos Senior Member Joined: 5 Mar 2009 Posts: 8 Location: Colorado Springs Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Mar 17, 2009, 9:49am Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Here is a link over on Home Barista with pictures on how to adjust the grind calibration on the VARIO to your liking. Click Here (www.home-barista.com)
As it comes from the factory the grind is biased towards espresso it turns out.
fergus420 Senior Member Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 13 Location: virginia Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Vetrano Grinder: Vario Drip: Technivorm Roaster: GeneCafe
Posted Tue Mar 17, 2009, 3:03pm Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Can anyone comment on the Vario in comparison to a Rocky? I currently have a Rocky but like a few of the advertised features of Vario and am considering a switch. Lots of reviews have focused on espresso but I am interested in how the Vario press grind compares to a Rocky press grind. Does the Vario produce more, about the same or less fines when grinding coarsely? Any other comparisons between the two would also be appreciated.
MarkPrince Moderator Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 5,462 Location: Vancouver, BC Expertise: Professional
Espresso: KvdW Speedster Grinder: Compak K10 WBC Vac Pot: A bit too many Drip: Clive Coffee Drip Stand Roaster: Hario Glass Retro Roaster
Posted Wed Mar 25, 2009, 4:08pm Subject: Re: The Baratza Vario Grinder Owner's Thread
Again, I'm very hesitant about writing this stuff because I don't want to cannibalize sales, but I did ask Kyle if it was okay.
Some minor evolutionary changes are coming to the grinder, and they should be available on N. American shelves in a very short while. I have one of them here, it literally arrived in the post yesterday, about 3 weeks before general availability. Some of these changes are new to me since the other two models I have are preproduction versions. I'll try to indicate what's on version 1.0 of the grinder, and what I think is new on 1.05
Changes include
- easier adjustability of the "set" burr height (easier than removing that rubber grommet and finding the adjustment hex) New for 1.05. - improvements to the anti-static system. Believe most, if not all of these made 1.0 - minor tweaks to the portaholder. On 1.0 of this grinder. - better indents for the grind selection arms you move up and down. New for 1.05 - ball bearing indent for the bin and pf holder for a more secure fit. Believe it's on 1.0 - tighter control over factory preset for the grinder. New for 1.05
If you're on the fence about this grinder, wait for this model. Confirm with the vendor if there's a ready access adjustment hole just behind the grinder's exit chute.
If you want this grinder already, don't wait for this new model - all the improvements above aren't enough to negate purchasing today; the potentially best one, easier adjustment of the burr height, is still easy to do with existing models via the rubber grommet method
If you already own this grinder, understand that Baratza is committed to continual improvements on this grinder and it will see .1 and .11 improvements from time to time for months, if not years. If i had to assign this latest model a version number, it would probably be version 1.05. It was a great grinder at launch, and will continue to improve.
Used the grinder for the first time last night. Appears to be slightly faster than my existing preproduction model - but it's too early to really say this. All I know is, in the preproduction model, I was getting 18g of 25sec/45-50ml Epic espresso pulls in about 13.8 seconds of grinding; same parameter on the older grinder was (and remains) 14.4 seconds.
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