Baratza Sette 270Wi Conical Burr Coffee Grinder Review 2020

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There are very few brands that take coffee grinders as seriously as Baratza does. Again, among the select few that do, not many of them can balance affordability and quality like this United States-based company.

This Sette 270Wi conical burr grinder review is about a grinder that has evolved to become the envy of most professional and enthusiastic coffee baristas. 

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The Baratza Sette 270Wi coffee grinder could be a great pick if you:

• Are looking for the best conical burr grinder for espresso– the 270Wi is highly rated for its fine grind.
• Want a high-speed grinder– This machine grinds at 3.5g-5g/sec depending on the brew size and coarseness settings.
• Have an intense palate for consistent brew quality– the Sette 270Wi has a macro- and micro grind size adjustments for precise dial-in capabilities.
• Don’t want the hassle of manually weighing coffee beans before grinding– this model has an integrated coffee scale that takes all the measuring off your hands.

Baratza Sette 270Wi: Assembly and Set up

This machine has an intuitive design that makes the setup process pretty straightforward. You only need to hand-wash the bean hopper and its lid, grounds bin, and removable grounds tray using warm, soapy water. The grind adjustment assembly should only be wiped down with a clean, dry cloth and not with water.

Baratza Sette 270Wi: Design and Build Review

The first thing that you must have noticed about this machine is its 7-shape design when looked from the side. This is a step-up from the too-common vertical profiles that we see every day with most typical grinders. Actually, this machine’s name- Sette, which means 7 in Italian, was inspired by this shape.

The shell is mainly made of hard plastic, something that CoffeeVerdict didn’t find so pleasing. However, Baratza seems to have put most of its effort into the technical and convenience fronts, which matter the most.

All in all, this shell is solidly built and has a clean and eye-catching look. We expect it to hold up nicely for years to come. This robust construction is again complemented by a high-torque DC motor with a manufacturer-rated life expectancy of up to 20 years.

Baratza Sette 270Wi: Size and Placement Review

There’s no arguing that this is one of the most compact, yet reliable conical burr grinders on Amazon today. Its size- 5’’ (w) by 9’’ by 15’’ (h)- makes it a go-to for pretty much most kitchens, including those that don’t have a lot of real estate to spare.  

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Standout Features Review

Unique Cone Burr Concept

Compared to other grinders, the key feature of this model’s design is its revolutionary upside-down cone burr grinder. Let’s explain.

In a typical burr grinding machine, the burr grinder itself consists of 2 plates with a set of teeth. The bottom plate is motorized while the upper plate is static.

The 270Wi uses a never-used-before cone burr concept where the bottom plate is static while the upper plate is motorized.

The chief advantage of this design is that it allows a straight-through ground path with no need for chutes. This means that the grounds fall directly into your portafilter or bin.

This not only translates to a higher grind speed, but it also means that there’s minimal ground retention in the grinding chamber. This will be exciting when switching coffee beans often in that it promises a much more uniform brew profile. Low ground retention also means that you won’t be wasting a lot of your coffee, which is a win for you.

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Weight-based dosing for consistent brews!

This machine’s grind-by-weight function is yet another one of its most highlighted benefits in most reviews.

Precision is critical when brewing specialty coffee, and this makes a scale vital. However, having to weigh out the coffee beans before grinding can be quite inconveniencing for most people.

The 270Wi eliminates this hassle by incorporating a built-in scale that utilizes Acaia weighing technology for convenience and precision.

One thing that we can’t stop raving about is this scale’s level of accuracy although it may deviate by 0.1-0.3. This deviation is pretty negligible, and we bet you may not notice it in your subsequent brews.

Burst mode

Importantly, this unit is also endowed with a ‘short burst mode’ that allows you to top up the dosage to your desired amount. For instance, if you set the dose at 20g and the scale dosed 18.8g, pressing the play button on the control interface will let out a short burst of ground to top the dose to 20mg.

Dial-in Your Shots

Baratza is known for its persistence in ensuring optimum consistency with each shot of espresso or Turkish coffee.

Keep in mind that the Acaia weighing scale won’t set the size of your grounds. Fineness and coarseness adjustment is made using the macro and micro adjusters, which are again very easy to use once you get a good hang of them.

This adjustment system is connected directly to the cone burr, so you are assured that your adjustments are incorporated in real-time. This adjustment system offers you 30 macro settings and 9 stepless micro settings that together allow you to dial in your exquisite espresso. They also provide you a multitude of precise ground sizes to experiment with.

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Best for espressos- what about coarse grind brews?

Note that Baratza mostly recommends this conical burr grinder to espresso lovers. However, it also accommodates other fine drip and pour-over brews.  

If you have a palate for French press, siphon, and pour over, you are not left out. Baratza also sells another cone burr called S2. This is an optional accessory that makes it possible to explore coarser grinds. This burr installs in a minute and won’t require recalibration. Essentially, adding this unit to your coffee grinding arsenal will give you 2 coffee grinders in one.

Baratza Sette 270Wi: Ease of Use

Control Panel

This coffee grinder’s control interface is super-friendly even for first-timers. This panel consisting of a couple of buttons, and an LED allows you to set the amount of beans that you want to grind in milligrams.

There are 3 programmable weight settings (18, 25, and 35mg). There’s also an option to adjust these figures up and down to suit your brew size.

Dual Dosing Options

Coffee aficionados who are regularly switching from espresso to pour over or drip coffee-brewing methods might find this versatility very convenient.

This coffee grinder has a convertible device holder that lets you brew directly into a portafilter or a supplied grounds bin. If you’ve dealt with a grinder that won’t take a portafilter, then you probably understand how convenient this model will be.  

On this note, the forks of this device holder can be breezily adjusted to accommodate portafilters of different sizes. There is also an adjustable portafilter hook that stabilizes the portafilter to minimize vibrations. This ensures that the grounds are dosed right into the center of the portafilter and then distributed evenly all around.

About the supplied ground bin, it is made of anti-static plastic that minimizes the amount of freshly-ground coffee that clings to the walls.

No-Fuss Hopper

We can’t fail to mention the superb design of this coffee grinder’s hopper. This hopper has a capacity of up to 400g of coffee beans. What caught our eyes with it is the bean shutoff knob that allows for easy removing of the hopper without spilling the beans all over. 

Baratza Sette 270Wi: Speed and Noise Review

When Baratza says that this coffee grinder is fast, know that they mean every word of it. The high-torque DC motor and vertically-placed non-chute burr grinder combination make it possible to grind at 3.5mg-7mg per second.

There might be a slight variation in speed depending on your coffee beans and grind setting. All in all, it’s a tad hard to get a competitor grinder that operates at this speed range without doubling the price tag.

What about the noise output?

Well, there’s no denying that this burr grinder is a little bit noisier compared to its siblings. This noise emanates from the advanced plastic gear system used on this machine. Again, the plastic outer casing means that most of the sound from the gear system is not dampened at all.

The Sette 270Wi makes up for this with its phenomenal speed, though. The noise will last only a couple of seconds.

Baratza Sette 270Wi: Ease of Cleaning Review

Grinding coffee manually can get messy. It can also take some time, especially if you are using typical burr grinders that tend to retain lots of your grounds.

This is one of the areas where the Baratza Sette 270Wi beats most of its low-end and high-end competitors alike. The straight-through ground path of its stainless steel grinder means that there will be minimal ground retention. The non-chute design of the grinder also implies that there will be almost zero clogging issues to deal with.

Other great features here include an anti-static ground bin, a removable ground tray, and a shell that wipes easily.

Baratza Sette 270Wi: Maintenance and Warranty

There are no owner-serviceable parts in this machine. The only component that you’ll need to replace after some years is the burr grinder itself. Baratza also sells most replacement parts for their grinders, so you’ll never need to dump it.

This machine is covered by a one-year warranty by the manufacturer. Note that you have to register it with the manufacturer.

Baratza Sette 250Wi Pros & Cons

Review Verdict

The Baratza Sette 270Wi is not cheap. Its plastic casing and noisy operations also didn’t appeal to our review team at CoffeeVerdict. However, at its price, this conical burr grinder has several high-end features and functionalities that most espresso diehards wouldn’t mind splurging for. These include a unique straight-through burr grinder, built-in super-accurate scale, and unbeatable grind speeds.

Baratza Sette 250Wi Use Tips

• Not sure the best settings for espresso? Setting the macro/micro adjuster at 9E seems like the real deal.
• Keep your grinder dry to prevent grounds from sticking.
• Avoid grinding what you won’t use now. Grounds get stale much more quickly.
• Keep your grinder clean to prevent flavor transfers.
• Use your palate to identify and note the settings that interest you.

Frequently Asked Questions