Sage Smart Grinder Pro vs Baratza Encore ESP at a glance
| Baratza Encore ESP | Sage Smart Grinder Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Burrs | 40mm conical steel (M2) | Stainless-steel conical |
| Grind settings | 40 total: 1 to 20 for espresso, 21 to 40 for filter | 60 total, cafetiere to espresso |
| Motor | 70W | 165W |
| Hopper | 300g | 450g |
| Dosing | Dosing cup, manual switch, no timer | Electronic timer, 0.2-second increments, “cups” or “shots” mode |
| Portafilter fit | 54mm dosing cup plus 58mm adapter ring | 50–54mm and 58mm cradles included |
| Footprint (W x H) | 13cm x 34cm | 21.5cm x 38.9cm |
| UK price band | £150 to £170, roughly £50 less | £190 to £220 |
What each one actually does well
The Baratza Encore ESP is built around espresso. Baratza’s UK product page splits its 40 settings in two: 1 to 20 for “high-resolution espresso grinds” and 21 to 40 for filter, French press and cold brew. That means the whole first half of the dial is spent on the range you dial in for espresso, so you’re not hunting between a handful of fine settings. It’s the cheaper grinder by roughly £50, and at 13cm wide and 34cm tall it takes far less of a UK worktop than the Sage. It ships with a 54mm dosing cup and a 58mm adapter ring, and Baratza backs it with a 2-year manufacturer warranty.
The Sage Smart Grinder Pro is the convenience pick. Its 60 grind settings run from a coarse cafetiere grind to fine espresso, and the electronic timer, adjustable in 0.2-second steps with “cups” or “shots” modes, means you set a dose once and the grinder repeats it. Both portafilter cradles come in the box, 50–54mm and 58mm, so it grinds straight into a Sage Bambino basket or a 58mm portafilter. Sage’s BCG820 product page lists all of this, along with a 165W motor, a 450g hopper and a 2-year repair, replace or refund guarantee.
What’s actually bad about it
Baratza Encore ESP. There’s no electronic dosing timer, so every dose is a manual switch or pulse rather than the Sage’s set-it-and-walk-away workflow. The 300g hopper is two-thirds of the Sage’s 450g, which means more frequent top-ups for a household grinding daily. And it’s an entry-level burr set. On the Home-Barista forum, one owner running an original Encore home-modified with the M2 burr and stepless adjustment found it workable for espresso but inconsistent with lighter roasts, writing that a Sette 270 and a 1Zpresso JX hand grinder “blow the Encore/M2 away”. If a built-in timer and a bigger hopper matter more to you than size and price, the Sage Smart Grinder Pro is the one to buy instead.
Sage Smart Grinder Pro. Lab testing at Kaffeemacher measured retention of around 2.7g, so the first dose after changing settings mixes old grounds with new, a real issue when you’re dialling in a new bag. The same testing found extraction time dropped from 29 seconds to 22 seconds across 10 back-to-back shots as the ground coffee heated up, so in a busy session you’d need to grind finer to keep pace. At 16 seconds to dose 18g Kaffeemacher rates it comparable to other home grinders, but slow next to commercial grinders, which manage the same dose in 3 to 6 seconds. Enthusiasts are blunt about its ceiling. In a 2019 CoffeeForums UK thread, one experienced member called it “bottom end of the entry level market” and “not particularly serviceable”, and another owner who upgraded called it “meh” with “really poor consistency in terms of clumping”. Owners in the same thread who bought it as a first grinder were happy with it.
Which machine each grinder pairs with
The Baratza Encore ESP’s 54mm dosing cup and 58mm adapter ring cover both portafilter sizes, so it suits a Sage Bambino Plus or a Gaggia Classic Evo Pro equally well. You grind into the cup and tip into the basket, which takes a second longer than grinding straight into the portafilter.
The Sage Smart Grinder Pro’s dual 50–54mm and 58mm cradles hold the portafilter directly, and the dosing timer suits someone upgrading from a pod machine who hasn’t used a separate grinder before.
Either way, match the grinder to the portafilter size you already own or plan to buy, then stop comparing and go with the pairing above.
The right pick by buying situation
- First serious setup on a budget: Buy the Baratza Encore ESP. It’s roughly £50 cheaper and its 20 espresso-only settings are the range you’ll actually use.
- Small kitchen counter space: Buy the Baratza Encore ESP. A 13cm-wide footprint against the Sage’s 21.5cm is a meaningful difference on a tight UK worktop.
- Upgrading from a pod machine: Buy the Sage Smart Grinder Pro. The electronic timer and cups-or-shots dosing mode remove a decision point for someone who’s never calibrated a separate grinder before.
- Grinding for several drinks every morning: Buy the Sage Smart Grinder Pro. The 450g hopper and repeatable timed dose save refills and weighing when you’re making three or four drinks in a row.
For a related comparison, see how the Encore ESP stacks up against Sage’s entry-level Dose Control Pro, or start from the best espresso grinder UK guide if you’re still choosing a category.
FAQ
Baratza Encore ESP or Sage Smart Grinder Pro: which should I buy? Buy the Baratza Encore ESP if espresso is the main drink and you want the cheaper, smaller grinder, with 20 settings set aside for espresso. Buy the Sage Smart Grinder Pro if you value an electronic dosing timer, a 450g hopper and grinding straight into the portafilter over price and counter space.
Is the Sage Smart Grinder Pro better than the Baratza Encore ESP for espresso? No, for espresso alone the Encore ESP is the better buy. It spends settings 1 to 20 on espresso, while the Smart Grinder Pro spreads 60 settings from cafetiere to espresso and adds a timed dose. Both use entry-level conical burrs, so the cheaper Encore ESP is the better value.
Does the Baratza Encore ESP fit a Sage espresso machine? Yes. The Encore ESP ships with a 54mm dosing cup and a 58mm adapter ring, so it works with Sage’s 54mm portafilters and with 58mm machines straight out of the box. You grind into the cup and tip the coffee into the basket rather than grinding into the portafilter directly.
How much cheaper is the Baratza Encore ESP than the Sage Smart Grinder Pro? The Encore ESP usually sits roughly £50 below the Smart Grinder Pro in the UK, with the Baratza in a £150 to £170 band and the Sage in a £190 to £220 band. Exact prices shift by retailer and sale period, so treat this as a typical difference rather than a quote for today.
Does the Sage Smart Grinder Pro have a dosing timer? Yes. The Smart Grinder Pro has an electronic timer adjustable in 0.2-second increments, with “cups” or “shots” dosing modes, so it repeats the same dose at the press of a button. The Baratza Encore ESP has no built-in timer and relies on a manual switch or pulse instead.
Which grinder takes up less counter space? The Baratza Encore ESP, by a clear margin. It measures 13cm wide and 34cm tall, against the Smart Grinder Pro’s 21.5cm wide and 38.9cm tall. Width is the number that matters on a narrow UK worktop, and the Encore ESP needs 8.5cm less of it.
Can you grind filter coffee on the Baratza Encore ESP? Yes. The Baratza Encore ESP covers filter, French press and cold brew on settings 21 to 40, the second half of its 40-step dial. The Smart Grinder Pro’s 60 settings give a more even spread across cafetiere, filter and espresso for households that change brew method often.
Sage Smart Grinder Pro vs Baratza Encore ESP: final verdict
Ninth Bar’s verdict: for most UK kitchens making espresso, buy the Baratza Encore ESP. It’s roughly £50 cheaper, 8.5cm narrower, and half its dial is given over to espresso. Buy the Sage Smart Grinder Pro if you’d rather have a timed, repeatable dose and a 450g hopper, and you have the room for it. If you’re unsure, start with the Encore ESP.
