The Maestro Plus coffee grinder was designed by Baratza’s Kyle Anderson. Kyle has a long history of invention and innovation and is most noted for his developments in the commercial super-automatic espresso machine industry with Accorto. When he took the helm of Baratza it was easy for him to apply his natural expertise to the home equipment field. His first product was the Maestro, a coffee grinder that was visionary in it’s unique combination of versatility and style. It was the best selling grinder we’ve ever had, and the most successful, despite a few design flaws in the first run.

The Maestro Plus takes over where the Maestro left off - with a sculpted metal base for a heavier, more professional look and feel and a timer for increased flexibility. And, the Maestro Plus has been redesigned to include a more powerful 240-watt DC motor along with an innovative calibration system. The new calibration system offers precise control over the Maestro Plus’ 40 fineness settings and comes pre-calibrated for accurate grinding.

The versatility of this grinder shows itself with the ability to successfully grind coarse enough for a French Press. Many people think that grinding for French Press coffee makers is simple enough and that as long as the grind is very coarse you will have not have to worry about getting coffee grounds in your drink. Not so, a wide precision indexing range is critical to maximizing your enjoyment for 2 reasons. First, different French Press plungers react differently to the same grind. Too fine and your beverage will contain copious amounts of coffee grounds, too coarse and the flavor may seem weak, but you will also loose the wonderful mouth feel sensation (body) caused by just the right amount of solids passing through the plunger. Those 40 indexed settings will give you enough control to satisfy your taste.

Drip coffee certainly has the need for a proper grind, but it also has special needs to maximize efficiency. You need a good sized whole bean hopper and the Maestro Plus does well with it’s half pound capacity. It is nicely complemented with a good air sealing lid for storage purposes. Controlling the grinding duration is deftly handled by the Maestro Plus with an egg style mechanical timer that works very well for "grind and walk away" operation. This is a beautiful grinder by any standard, but I would rather read the paper then watch the grinder work. Invariably, a timer will not dispense the exact amount of coffee each time, so set it to be a bit short. However, the Maestro Plus is kind enough to offer another start button located on the front just above the ground coffee catch basket. It is a ""push and hold" style start button that is great for precision dosing.

Turkish coffee is far finer then an espresso grind and not within the normal range for most grinders. Being powder-like to the touch it can cause blockages in the pathways of a grinder, partially caused by static electricity and also it’s ability to defy gravity. You may have experienced this with an espresso grind as well. The Maestro Plus uses conical burrs that help diminish these effects. This is accomplished by directing the ground coffee downward immediately vs flat burr grinders that push the ground coffee horizontally. Another benefit is the gear reduction system. This means that the motor is not directly attached to the grinding burrs, instead a gearing system is put in place with the sole purpose to slow the rotational speed of the burrs. As a result you get two major benefits, reduced static electricty due to the lower rotational velocity, and very high torque. This high torque works like a car transmission, when your car is in first gear it moves slowly but can tow a heavy load. This leads to less stress on the motor and longer operational life.

The Maestro Plus is also very easy to clean as compared to most grinders. Access to the grinding burrs is simple with no tools required, and an operation that can be accomplished in seconds. In fact, Kyle designed the grinder so you could remove one of the two burrs for easy maintenance. Most grinders require tools and patience for this operation, and as such, will generally not get the care they deserve.

A complaint we heard about the Maesto - not the Maestro Plus - was that it would not hold fast when the front "push and hold" button was used to activate the grinder. Depending on the surface the grinder was placed, you would have to hold the grinder with your other hand. This was annoying enough for the Maestro Plus to be built with a solid 4 pound metal base. Problem solved.

The Maestro Plus is a beautifully sculpted grinder and I would recommend it for any home use application. It is available in Black and Silver.

Please note that most grinders are tested at the manufacturer and coffee grounds may be found in the grinder as a result. All machines sold are new unless otherwise clearly stated.

Features & Benefits

Sleek Design The Maestro Plus grinder is a true beauty to look at and designed for maximum functionality.

Push button operation or timer This grinder is very unique because it allows the user to activate the grinder with either a push button (located on the front of the machine) or a 60 second timer (side of machine) for grinding greater volumes, such as for drip coffee. This adds considerable convenience for many grinding requirements.

Conical burr grinding system The grinding mechanism of the Maestro Plus is the most advanced of any grinder in its class. The 40mm conical burrs are arranged so that all the ground coffee drops directly into the ground coffee basket. This means that ground coffee does not accumulate into a receiving area and then thrown out to the ground coffee basket via centrifugal force. This makes it easier to clean and unused coffee is not left behind.

Grind directly into your portafilter handle We have waited a long time for a "good" grinder to have this feature. Simply remove the ground coffee basket and insert your espresso machine's portafilter handle. Then push button located on the front of the grinder (just above the grounds basket) to dose precise amounts of ground coffee. This is a big benefit because you eliminate the extra step of scooping coffee out of the basket which will invariably spill coffee grinds.

Powerful gear reduction motor The Maestro Plus features a powerful 240-watt motor, with twice as much power as the former Maestro Plus design. The extra power means more crushing ability so that the burrs don't have to turn at such a high rate. The result is cooler, quieter operation. This grinder also has a unique gear reduction system that maintains smooth grinding speeds of 450 rpm. This is important for several reasons. Slower grinding means less heat buildup which in-turn means less coffee flavor lost. The grinder motor produces far more torque (power) which means less strain on the motor and associated mechanisms and longer life.

Antistatic system Static electricity can be a problem with many grinders. You know it when you see coffee grounds practically explode out of the coffee grounds basket when it is removed. Also annoying is ground coffee clinging to every surface. Static buildup is cause. The Maestro Plus has performed the best in its class according to our own in-house tech dept.

Adjustable grind setting The Maestro Plus has over 40 grind settings that allow for a full range of coffee brewing - fine enough for Turkish & Espresso. Coarse enough for even French press and Drip coffee! In fact, it has more control then you will ever need. The Maestro Plus has an innovative calibration system to give you total control over the fineness of your grind. It is pre-calibrated for optimal performance, but the user interface allows for calibration if the grinder requires it.

1/2 pound Whole Bean capacity The whole bean hopper is capable of holding up to 1/2 pound of coffee. This is far more then the average user will need and plenty for high capacity use.

High Capacity Ground Coffee Basket The Maestro Plus will hold almost a 1/2 pound of ground coffee. Far more capacity then you need for espresso or making a pot of drip coffee. What we really liked about the ground coffee basket was the smooth fit and the frosted plastic surface that hides oily finger prints and coffee dust.

Shhh! Quiet, I can't hear my grinder! As with most gear reduction grinders this one is quiet, but we could not believe what we were NOT hearing. The motor on this grinder is more powerful then older grinders, and they redesigned the motor mounts to dampen the sound levels by 40%.

Features & Benefits: Care, Maintenance & Other

Removable grinding burrs The outer burr is designed for easy, no tools required for removal. This is important for cleaning off accumulated coffee oils which will degrade grinder performance, grind consistency and flavor.

Removable bean hopper The bean hopper is also easily removable without tools. The advantage is for easier maintenance that is sometimes neglected on machines without this feature

Housing Construction The housing is made of high impact plastic that resists scratches for everyday use and cleans without smudges.

Odds & Ends: Cleaning supplies & more for this machine

To Clean: Urnex Grindz Grinder Cleaner To Enhance: Illy Cafe Espresso - Whole Bean, Java Joe's Kona Espresso, Supreme Bean Espresso Del Norte Coffee

Accessories:
Here are some extras that we recommend for use with the Baratza Maestro Plus.

Bodum Columbia Vacuum Bottle Reg: $69.95	Reg Barber Aluminum From: $54.00	Urnex Grindz Reg: $29.99	Lavazza Roast Sampler Reg: $17.99