What a year for grinders! Out of all the grinders released in 2016, none have excited us as much as the
Ease Of Use
The first question we asked home baristas is, how will you use your grinder? If you’re mostly drinking espresso, the Eureka Atom features stepless grinding for unbeatable control to dial in. You have the fluidity to tweak your settings with the slightest touch and with the ergonomic dial suited to fit in anyone’s hand, it’s effortless to do so!
While the Atom’s 60mm flat steel burrs make it shine as an espresso grinder, the stepless adjustment is a double edge sword—once a stepless grinder is dialed in, you won’t want to make big grind changes like espresso to pour over. That said, the Atom creates consistent grounds for espresso, pour over or drip.
[caption id="attachment_13911" align="alignnone" width="1080"] The Atom's stepless grind adjustment offers unlimited settings for baristas.[/caption]
The Baratza Sette 270W is a different matter. Equipped with macro stepped and micro stepless adjustments right under the 40mm Etzinger burrs, we get the best of both worlds! The macro set allows us to easily home in on the perfect grind size, while the stepless set provides more precision to dial in.
The settings are also designed to effortlessly to change between pour over to espresso without a second thought. And both adjustments are marked to quickly reference between brew methods—we should add it also creates 270 settings. Home barista’s with multiple brewers will savor every moment quickly adjusting the Sette 270W’s burrs.
[caption id="attachment_13984" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Updated padding on the arms help stabilize portafilters and other containers during grinding.[/caption]
Dosing & Programmability
Part of the hype with the Baratza Sette 270W was weight-based dosing. Program one of the three buttons to your desired weight and place your device on the convertible arms—it’ll automatically tare and grind at the push of a button. It features the same load sensors used in Acaia scales to measure and stop grinding when the right grams are reached. The jury is still out on how accurate the Sette 270W is, but considering there’s an app in the works, we’re holding out for better things to come!
[caption id="attachment_13982" align="alignnone" width="1080"] The Sette 270W features programmable weigh-based grinding.[/caption]
While we love the weight dosing on the Sette 270W, the Eureka Atom uses time-based dosing with quick efficiency. The Sette 270W needs a second to tare before it grinds, but the Atom just needs to be activated and it’ll grind an 18-gram double shot in about 4.5 seconds! The Atom uses two programmable time-base buttons that you can set for a single or double dose.
[caption id="attachment_13912" align="alignnone" width="1080"] The Atom's beautiful clean display is easy on the eye, literally.[/caption]
Noise Level
The Eureka Atom may be a powerhouse grinder, but it sure doesn’t sound like one! The Atom’s thick metal case and secured rubber gaskets around the hopper and dial insulate the motor and burrs to create an eerily silent grinder. Seriously, the loudest sound we hear is the light pitter-patter of beans rustling in the hopper.
Then there’s the Baratza Sette 270W. There is a lot to admire in this grinder and one thing to note—the noise level. Grinding with the Sette 270W is a completely different experience than the Atom. Baratza was able to keep the price low by keeping encasing the Sette 270W with plastic. Of course, plastic offers no insulation from the high torque motor munching coffee beans.
Custom Style
By now, you might have already decided what grinder is functionally right for you—but what about what style is right for you? If you’ve decided on the Eureka Atom, the next decision you’ll make is choosing the color: matte black, chromed aluminum or metallic gray. The color isn’t the only stylish addition to the Atom; its portafilter holder can be swapped for an included grounds bin—tantalizing us to adjust the settings to drip.
The Baratza Sette 270W style is in its name. Sette in Italian is seven and if you look at the side view of the Sette 270W it’s a near-perfect seven. The most notable design element is the convertible filter arms, which not only holds most popular portafilter sizes but also connects directly to the scale sensor. The built-in holder adjusts wide to fit containers or pour over cones too, so you can dose directly into your favorite brewer.
Conclusion
As we wrapped up 2016, all we can think about is if we’re taking home the Eureka Atom or Baratza Sette 270W. The Atom’s quiet grinding would keep the peace in the early hours, but we’d probably only use it to grind for espresso. For pour over to espresso, consider the Sette 270W! With easy to use grind adjustments and a convertible device holder, it’s a home brewers perfect companion. What grinder would you take home? Share your favorite in the comments below.
