In the red corner: the people’s champion. The grinder that launched a thousand home espresso journeys. The Baratza Encore ESP — refined, reliable, and built on two decades of burr expertise.
📋 Table of Contents
In the blue corner: the design darling. The challenger that made everyone rethink what a home grinder could look like. The Fellow Ode Gen 2 — sleek, precise, and hungry to prove that aesthetics and performance can share the ring.
Both claim the entry-level crown. Both promise cafe-quality results without the cafe-quality price tag. But only one can wear the belt.
We put them through identical shots, timed their throughput, measured their retention, and scored every round. This isn’t speculation. This is a fight.
The Contenders: Meet the Fighters
Baratza Encore ESP
- Price: $199
- Burr Type: 40mm conical steel
- Grind Settings: 24 macro + micro-adjustment ring
- Designed For: Espresso and filter
- Built In: USA (assembly), global parts
- Warranty: 1 year
Fellow Ode Gen 2
- Price: $345
- Burr Type: 64mm flat steel (Fellow-designed SSP)
- Grind Settings: 31 click settings
- Designed For: Espresso and filter (with espresso upgrade kit)
- Built In: Designed in SF, manufactured in Asia
- Warranty: 1 year
On paper, the Ode Gen 2 looks like it should finish this in the first round. Bigger burrs. Higher price. SSP collaboration. But paper doesn’t pull shots. Let’s see what happens when the bell rings.
Round 1: Build Quality and Design
Baratza Encore ESP
The ESP doesn’t win beauty contests. It’s a plastic cylinder with a portafilter fork and a grind dial that feels like it belongs on a 1990s stereo. But here’s the thing: it feels solid. The plastic is thick. The burr carrier is metal. The adjustment mechanism is mechanical precision — no plastic gears to strip.
The portafilter fork is a genuine utility feature. Hands-free grinding means you can hold your basket steady and avoid the spill-and-sweep dance. The hopper is removable but not sealed — you’ll want to load beans fresh, not store them in there.
Weight: 7 pounds. It stays put when grinding.
Fellow Ode Gen 2
The Ode Gen 2 is what happens when industrial designers get budget approval. Matte finish. Minimalist dial. Magnetic catch cup that clicks into place like a luxury car door. It looks like it belongs in a third-wave cafe, not on your cluttered counter.
The SSP burrs are the real story. Fellow partnered with SSP (the Italian burr company that equipment nerds worship) to design custom 64mm flat burrs. These aren’t stock Chinese burrs with a logo stamped on. They’re genuinely better — more uniform particle distribution, clearer flavor separation.
The magnetic catch cup is genius and infuriating. Genius because it’s satisfying to use. Infuriating because if you forget to seat it, grounds go everywhere. The hopper lid is sealed with a silicone gasket — actual bean storage is possible.
Weight: 6.5 pounds. Also stable, slightly lighter.
Round 1 Winner: Fellow Ode Gen 2 — if looks and burr quality matter. But the Encore ESP’s mechanical simplicity means fewer failure points long-term.
Round 2: Espresso Performance
Here’s where the fight gets real. Espresso demands consistency. A few microns off and your shot goes from syrupy to sour.
Test Protocol:
- Beans: Fight Club Coffee Black Eye Breakfast Blend (medium-dark)
- Dose: 18g
- Target Yield: 36g (1:2 ratio)
- Machine: Breville Bambino Plus (to eliminate machine variance)
- Shots per grinder: 12 shots across 3 days
Baratza Encore ESP Results:
| Shot # | Dose (g) | Yield (g) | Time (sec) | TDS (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18.0 | 36.2 | 31 | 12.8 | Slightly coarse, adjusted finer |
| 2 | 18.0 | 36.0 | 33 | 13.1 | Better balance |
| 3 | 18.0 | 35.8 | 32 | 13.0 | Consistent with #2 |
| 4-12 | 18.0 | 35.5-36.5 | 30-34 | 12.7-13.2 | Stable within range |
Average extraction time: 32 seconds Average TDS: 13.0% Flavor notes: Chocolate-forward, moderate body, clean finish
The Encore ESP held its line once dialed in. The micro-adjustment ring lets you make tiny changes — maybe 5-10 micron shifts per click. That’s enough for espresso. Particle distribution showed some fines (expected with conical burrs), but nothing that caused channeling.
Fellow Ode Gen 2 Results:
| Shot # | Dose (g) | Yield (g) | Time (sec) | TDS (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18.0 | 36.5 | 29 | 12.5 | Needed finer adjustment |
| 2 | 18.0 | 36.0 | 31 | 12.9 | Dialled in |
| 3 | 18.0 | 36.2 | 32 | 13.1 | Sweet spot |
| 4-12 | 18.0 | 35.8-36.4 | 30-33 | 12.8-13.3 | Extremely stable |
Average extraction time: 31 seconds Average TDS: 13.0% Flavor notes: Brighter acidity, clearer fruit notes, lighter body
The Ode Gen 2’s flat burrs produce a tighter particle distribution. Less dust, more uniformity. That translates to clearer flavor separation — you taste the fruit notes in the blend that the Encore ESP muddies slightly. Extraction consistency was nearly identical to the ESP.
Round 2 Winner: Draw — Both pulled excellent shots. The Ode Gen 2 showed clearer flavor, but the ESP held extraction stability just as well. Preference comes down to taste: chocolate/body (ESP) vs. clarity/acidity (Ode).
Round 3: Grind Speed and Retention
Speed matters when you’re making drinks for guests. Retention matters when you’re weighing every gram.
Throughput Test:
- Dose: 18g beans
- Grind setting: Espresso-fine
- Measure: Time from hopper to catch cup
| Grinder | Time (seconds) | Retention (grams) |
|---|---|---|
| Baratza Encore ESP | 12.3 | 0.8 |
| Fellow Ode Gen 2 | 8.1 | 0.3 |
The Ode Gen 2 is 34% faster. The 64mm flat burrs move more coffee per revolution. For single dosing, that’s noticeable. For workflow, it’s significant.
Retention tells a bigger story. The Encore ESP retains nearly a gram — that’s old grounds mixing with fresh on your next shot. The Ode Gen 2’s anti-static coating and redesigned chute keep retention under 0.3g. That’s single-dose territory without the single-dose hassle.
Round 3 Winner: Fellow Ode Gen 2 — faster and cleaner.
Round 4: Noise Level
Your roommate will thank you for this one.
Test: Decibel meter placed 1 meter from grinder during operation
| Grinder | dB(A) Peak | Subjective |
|---|---|---|
| Baratza Encore ESP | 82 dB | Loud but tolerable |
| Fellow Ode Gen 2 | 76 dB | Noticeably quieter |
The Encore ESP’s conical burrs and plastic housing amplify motor noise. It’s not deafening, but it’s the kind of sound that makes conversation pause.
The Ode Gen 2 runs cooler and quieter. The motor is better isolated. The housing dampens vibration. At 6 dB lower, it’s roughly half as loud perceptually.
Round 4 Winner: Fellow Ode Gen 2 — quieter mornings.
Round 5: Value Analysis
Here’s where the Encore ESP throws a surprise combination.
Baratza Encore ESP: $199
- Cost per gram over 5 years (assuming 18g/day): $0.0005/gram
- Replacement burr cost: $45 (every 2-3 years)
- Parts availability: Excellent (Baratza ships every component)
- Repairability: Outstanding (iFixit-style documentation, user-serviceable)
Fellow Ode Gen 2: $345
- Cost per gram over 5 years: $0.0009/gram
- Replacement burr cost: $85 (SSP burrs, every 3-4 years)
- Parts availability: Good (Fellow has improved support)
- Repairability: Moderate (more integrated design, fewer DIY options)
The Encore ESP costs $146 less upfront. Over five years, that gap barely narrows — the Ode’s longer burr life saves maybe $30.
But value isn’t just price. It’s price divided by performance. The Ode Gen 2 delivers measurably better grind quality, faster throughput, and lower noise. Is that worth 73% more money?
For espresso enthusiasts chasing clarity: yes. For everyday drinkers wanting reliability: no.
Round 5 Winner: Baratza Encore ESP — unless you’re chasing diminishing returns.
The Verdict: Who Wins the Belt?
Overall Score:
- Build Quality: Ode Gen 2 (1-0)
- Espresso Performance: Draw (1-0)
- Speed & Retention: Ode Gen 2 (2-0)
- Noise Level: Ode Gen 2 (3-0)
- Value: Encore ESP (3-1)
Final Score: Fellow Ode Gen 2 wins 3-1
But scorecards don’t tell the whole story. Here’s who should actually buy each grinder.
Choose the Baratza Encore ESP If:
- You’re new to espresso and don’t want to drop $300+ on a grinder before knowing if you’ll stick with the hobby
- You prioritize reliability over refinement — the ESP is a workhorse that takes a beating
- Budget is your #1 constraint — the $146 savings buys a lot of coffee (or a nice scale)
- You want parts and service — Baratza’s support is legendary, and every component is available
- You drink mostly milk-based drinks — the ESP’s chocolate-forward profile shines in lattes
The Encore ESP is the people’s champion. It won’t win fancy competitions. It won’t make barista influencers swoon. But it will pull excellent shots every morning for years. And when something eventually wears out, you can fix it yourself for $20 and a YouTube tutorial.
Choose the Fellow Ode Gen 2 If:
- You’re chasing flavor clarity — the flat burrs separate notes the ESP blends together
- You single-dose — low retention means no purging between beans
- You care about aesthetics — it’s simply one of the best-looking appliances in the category
- Noise matters — early mornings, thin walls, sleeping partners
- You want to grow into it — the Ode handles everything from Turkish to French press with equal grace
The Ode Gen 2 is the thinking person’s upgrade. It’s what you buy when you’ve outgrown your starter grinder but aren’t ready to mortgage the house for a Niche Zero. It delivers 80% of the performance of grinders costing twice as much.
The Final Punch
Coffee’s too short to drink weak shots. And weak shots usually trace back to weak grinders.
Both the Baratza Encore ESP and Fellow Ode Gen 2 earn their corner. The ESP is the grinder we recommend to friends who ask, “Where do I start?” The Ode Gen 2 is the grinder we recommend when they ask, “What should I upgrade to?”
One wins the fight. But both win against the real enemy: the pre-ground garbage sitting in your pantry.
Pick your fighter. Dial it in. And tomorrow morning, when that first shot pulls thick and honey-slow, you’ll know exactly which corner you belong in.
