Given the very different price points of the three models in the series, I’d say that it’s a lot easier to recommend the Sette 30, knowing that the gearbox could fail than the much more expensive Sette 270 Wi. Grind coffee in the Sette 30 at 3 different settings: espresso (target is 350um), fine siphon coffee grind (target is 600um) and Chemex (target is 800um).

The Sette is extremely loud. So if you’re sensitive to noise or you share home with somebody who is, don’t get this grinder. The real achilles heels of the Sette 30 is the fact you are severely limited on dialing in an espresso grind, and the fact it won’t do anything remotely resembling a press pot grind. There’s also the problem with fines when you’re grinding for drip or chemex. However, compared to many hand grinders and other entry-level espresso grinders, I do think you get good flavors out of the Sette. In addition, shots are rarely astringent, which can be a significant issue with cheaper espresso grinders. Nearly ten years later and the Vario is still a major player in home grinding - and Baratza continues to innovate. Today an in-depth look at their newest product the Sette 30 AP. It’s the more affordable younger brother of the Sette 270 which came out in 2016 and was awarded best new product by the specialty coffee association.And then on top of that, once you set the programmed time for 1 “cup” for each of the ranges, the machine will automatically calculate how much time to grind for 2 cups, 4 cups, etc, should you rotate the control dial to say how many cups you want to grind for (in the espresso range, it is limited to a single or double). The Smart Grinder is also loaded with sensors; including one that knows if you have the portafilter cradles in place when trying to grind for drip coffee (a notice on the display says “remove cradle”).

The grind consistency is the most considerable matter, but who would like an ugly grinder? Thankfully, the Baratza Sette 30 comes with a beautiful design. Its name Sette means seven in Italian words, so all the Baratza Sette series models have the ‘7’ shapes. All models accommodate portafilters or an included grinds bin. On the 30, the plastic support forks are adjusted by pulling them out and re-inserting. The 270s have a nicer metal support fork which adjust without removal. Conclusion Zero retention grinders are perfect for home use. In a cafe where you’re constantly grinding, any residue in the grinder is pushed through by the next batch of beans. If you’re only making coffee in the morning, you’ll end up with stale bits of coffee sitting in your grinder all day. Grind retention also means you waste coffee and can make it harder to dose correctly as your output won’t match your carefully measured input. The Sette 30 is a near zero waste grinder; the Virtuoso+ doesn’t have a direct vertical path for ground coffee, so there’s always some ground coffee that remains inside between uses.This intuitive model makes prep work easy with a stationary device holder that allows you to remove and re-orient the arms to grind directly into the supplied grounds bin or a portafilter – a standout feature among all other home grinders. The Sette 270 is mid-priced for consumer grinders. It is more expensive than certain popular conical burr grinders, including the Breville Smart Grinder Pro. However, it is cheaper than espresso grinders that have larger flat burrs – for example, grinders in the Eureka Mignon series.