Knowing the correct Baratza Virtuoso grinder settings will help you get better tasting coffee. If there is something that you absolutely cannot get wrong, it is your grind size. For great-tasting coffee, you absolutely must use the right grind size.
By far the quickest and easiest way of levelling up your coffee game is to invest in a quality coffee grinder and grind your own coffee beans.
Once you are grinding, you absolutely must use the correct grind size settings. This article will outline and talk about the ideal settings for the Baratza Virtuoso coffee grinder and provide you with an easy chart to copy, print out and keep to use as a reference.
Keep reading as we detail Baratza Virtuoso grinder settings.
What Is A Baratza Virtuoso?
The Baratza Virtuoso is a conical burr grinder that uses a high-tech combination electronic speed reduction and gear control to produce a low speed crushing action of the coffee beans, which has the result of producing less noise, static and heat generated by the grinder.
This all has a beneficial effect on the coffee grounds and their quality.
Heat, a bi-product of the grinding action, “cooks” to use a term, your coffee grounds a little and causes a deterioration in the quality of the final cup of coffee brewed.
Notably, a conical burr grinder due to the way in which they function is far more consistent in grind size than a flat blade grinder.
Read: Baratza Encore Pour Over grind settings
Why Should You Buy A Grinder?
The reason why you should buy a grinder is to make better coffee. If you are using pre-ground beans, then you are simply not getting coffee that is as fresh as it should be or could be.
As soon as your coffee beans are ground, they start to go off, start to degrade and lose a degree of their flavor quality.
Then there is the matter of control. With your own grinder you can vary your grind size for different types of coffee drinks that you want to make.
When you buy a grinder, please do invest in a high quality professional coffee canister with a one-way valve and an airtight lid. Store your unground beans in this container and store your container in your freezer.
Your beans won’t freeze, and they will be a lot fresher and stay fresher for a little longer.
Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings
Here is a list of which settings you can, and should use for your Baratza Virtuoso grinder.
| Type Of Coffee | Baratza Virtuoso Grind Setting | Extraction Time |
| Espresso | 8 | ~ 20 Sec To 30 Seconds |
| Aeropress | 12 | ~ 1:30 To 2 Min |
| Hario V60 | 15 | ~ 2:30 Min To 3 Min |
| Automatic brewer | 18 | ~ 3 Min To 5 Min |
| Chemex | 20 | ~3 Min To 5 Min |
| French Press | 28 | ~4 mins |
Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings For French Press
The number 28 setting on your Baratza Virtuoso coffee grinder will get you a great, well brewed French press coffee.
If it is not hitting the spot for you taste wise, you can try 27 or 28 depending on how you want your coffee to taste, stronger or weaker.
Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings For An Espresso
I experimented and found that the number 8 provides you with a perfectly fine powder that produces a shot of espresso that is strong, full-bodied and has thick rich crema on top.
This setting is ideal for all types of espresso drinks, including a ristretto, cortado, cappuccino, latte and all milk based espresso drinks.
Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings For An Aeropress
The number 12 setting is perfect for making a quick and great coffee with your Aeropress. This size setting is based on a short brew time.
Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings For A Chemex
A Chemex setting I found to be 20. For your own personal preference, it may vary from 18 to 22. A chemex requires a slightly larger grind size than a regular pour over coffee due to their paper filter being slightly thicker.
The thicker filter results in a longer extraction time and thus a slightly larger grind size is needed.
Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings For A Hario V60
The V60 requires a grind size of 15. Using this size of grind with your Hario V60 coffee maker will get a full flavored high quality coffee. Adjust it slightly to get it exactly as you want it and love it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings
What Are The Grind Numbers On Baratza Virtuoso?
The grind numbers on a Baratza Virtuoso range from 0 to 40 with the smaller number meaning a smaller and finer the grind size. The numbers are located below the hopper.
What Setting Should My Grinder Be On?
There is no specific setting that your grinder should be on for any particular type of grinder or manufacturer. The best setting wholly depends on the brewing method that you are using. A French press and an espresso need two different settings as does a Hario V60 pour over and a cold brew coffee.
Check with the table above for some common settings for the Baratza Virtuoso grinder for popular types of coffee.
What Is The Best Grind Level?
The grind level or grind size depends on the type of coffee that you are brewing. Each individual brewing method and technique has its own ideal grind size for making that particular coffee.
Use the wrong grind size: if it is too large your cup of coffee will be weak and watery while a grind size that is too small will end up too strong and bitter.
How Do You Know If Grind Is Too Coarse?
If your grind size is too coarse, the easiest way of telling is to taste your brew; it will be too weak and watery. With an espresso machine, timing your extraction is the easiest way. If the brew time is less than 20 seconds, your grind is too coarse.
How Do You Set Grind Size?
You can adjust your grind size by selecting a lower number for a finer grind and a higher number for a more coarse grind size. Then grind in three bursts of 5 seconds each. and discard those grinds. They are likely to be of an uneven and inconsistent grind size.
Brew a test cup of coffee with the new setting.
Repeat as necessary until you get the perfect grind size that you are seeking.
What Is The Best Grind For Crema?
To get a high quality thick crema on your shot of espresso you will need to use a very fine grind size of number 2 or 3.
What Happens If Coffee Grind Is Too Fine?
If your grind is too fine for the coffee brewing method that you are using, you will end up with a coffee that is too bitter and possibly over extracted.
Is Baratza Made In China?
Due to the nature of their business and the global supply chain, parts of Baratza grinders are made in the European Union, and are built in Taiwan. Their design team is based in Seattle, America.
Frappé-Ing It All Up – Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings
The Baratza is an excellent grinder and will produce for you great, consistent grinds without any issues related to excess heat being produced. Use the chart of Baratza Virtuoso Grinder Settings in this article as a guide to getting the right setting for the different coffee drinks.
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Derek Marshall
Coffee is love, it's more than love — it's a passion of mine. I've had the luck to have travelled and enjoyed the most exotic of coffee's and unique flavors, brewing methods and techniques of making the perfect coffee from Thai hill tribe coffee to Indonesian volcanic coffee, Malaysian coffee that comes in a tea bag and the array of flavors in Vietnam, from Vanilla to Orange to Coconut to Avocado to even salt coffee and the famous egg coffee. The best part of my coffee adventures is getting to mix with the locals over a nice brew and learning how they make it! I'm cited and referenced on Google Scholar for the topic of coffee. Learn more about me and Latte Love Brew by checking our About Page
