Baratza Encore ESP vs Breville Smart Grinder Pro
At nearly the same $199-200 price, the Encore ESP is the better espresso grinder thanks to lower retention, fewer fines, and Baratza's parts support. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro counters with hopper convenience, 60 settings, timed dosing, and grinding straight into the portafilter. Pick the ESP for shot quality, the Breville for convenience and filter flexibility.
Spec face-off
Bars scaled to the higher value. Coloured = wins that spec.
Full specifications
Strengths & weaknesses
Full comparison
The Baratza Encore ESP ($199) and Breville Smart Grinder Pro ($200) are the two default electric grinders for espresso-on-a-budget, and they trade blows on different axes. The ESP is the cleaner espresso grinder; the Breville is the more convenient and versatile one.
The Breville's appeal is workflow. It's hopper-fed with 60 grind settings and 0.2-second programmable dose timing, and it grinds directly into the portafilter with multiple cradles included. For a household grinding several cups a day or someone who wants set-and-forget timed dosing, that convenience is genuine. Its filter-side adjustment is also finer than the ESP's.
The ESP's advantage is what comes out of it. The Breville's biggest real-world weakness for espresso isn't grind fineness, it's retention and fines. Its large chamber traps grounds (roughly 18g in, 16g out) and carries stale grounds into the next dose, and it produces noticeably more dust than peers, which can muddy a shot. The Encore ESP retains less, throws fewer fines, and is backed by Baratza's parts and repair network, while Breville's grinder support is weaker.
Buy the Encore ESP if shot quality and long-term serviceability matter most. Buy the Smart Grinder Pro if you value hopper convenience, programmable dosing, grinding into the portafilter, and finer filter control, and you're using pressurized or forgiving baskets. For serious non-pressurized espresso, the ESP is the safer pick.