The Smart Grinder Pro and the Encore ESP both state a fit for a 54 mm portafilter, Breville with a 50 to 54 mm cradle and Baratza with a 54 mm dosing cup, which is the size of the Bambino and the Bambino Plus. They differ in how the coffee reaches it. The Smart Grinder Pro grinds into your portafilter held in a cradle and doses by a timer, with 60 grind settings. The Encore ESP grinds into a dosing cup, doses manually and has a 300 g hopper.
What the machine states
The Bambino manual lists a 54 mm aluminum portafilter and a 54 mm tamper, and the Bambino Plus manual a 54 mm stainless steel portafilter and a 54 mm tamper (PDF pages 6, 7 and 8). Both machines ship single wall baskets and dual wall baskets. Single wall baskets are for freshly ground beans and let you experiment with grind, dose and tamp. Dual wall baskets are for pre-ground coffee (Bambino PDF page 10, Bambino Plus PDF page 10).
That split is the case for a grinder. A dual wall basket tolerates the bag, and a single wall basket rewards a grinder you can adjust. The pre-ground coffee guide covers the first week without one.
Smart Grinder Pro: cradle and timer
Breville's manual lists two portafilter cradles in the box, one for 50 to 54 mm and one for 58 mm, and a switch that starts the grinder when you press the portafilter against it. You pick the number of shots, and the grind amount comes from a digital timer: the dial changes how long the grinder runs, and PROGRAM stores your own time. With the cradle in, the manual caps the batch at 2 shots (PDF pages 7 to 9).
On range, its coffee chart puts espresso at settings 1 to 30 of 60, with drip and French press settings above. For espresso it suggests starting at setting 12 and moving finer or coarser. For dual wall baskets it suggests starting at 30 and going finer if needed (PDF page 10). Its page states a one year limited warranty. The manual also lists a grinding chamber that minimizes static before the coffee dispenses and a sleep mode after 5 minutes of non-use (PDF pages 7 and 8).
Encore ESP: dosing cup and adapter
Baratza's page describes 40 mm conical steel burrs, manual dosing and a 300 g (10.6 oz) hopper. It says the Encore ESP delivers the grind resolution you need for creamy, syrupy shots, and that turn-of-the-hopper adjustments and the included dosing cup simplify the espresso workflow. The cup is for a 54 mm portafilter and comes with a 58 mm adapter, and the page shows the grinding going into it. Its specifications quote a grind speed of 1.3 g/sec at setting 10 and 2.2 g/sec at setting 30. The warranty on its page is one year.
Power and upkeep
Breville rates the Smart Grinder Pro at 165 W (PDF page 6). Baratza's page lists 70 W for the Encore ESP, a 550 RPM no load burr speed and a quick release burr mount, with a grounds bin of 120 g.
Three checks before buying
- Match the portafilter. A 54 mm machine such as the Bambino or the Bambino Plus fits Breville's 50 to 54 mm cradle and Baratza's 54 mm dosing cup.
- Pick the dosing habit: a timer you set once on the Breville, or a manual stop each time on the Baratza.
- Pair the grinder with the basket. The Bambino and Smart Grinder Pro manuals send freshly ground beans to single wall baskets, and the Bambino manual sends pre-ground coffee to dual wall baskets.
How the choice comes down
- A grinder with stated settings from espresso to French press: the Smart Grinder Pro, with a chart for drip and press as well. The Encore ESP page, in the copy used here, speaks to espresso and gives no range chart.
- A grinder that fills the portafilter for you to a set time: the Smart Grinder Pro. A grinder you start and stop yourself: the Encore ESP.
- A step up to a 58 mm machine later: both state a 58 mm part, the cradle on the Breville and the adapter on the Baratza.
The Encore ESP against the Smart Grinder Pro page puts the two on one spec table. The Encore against the Encore ESP covers the plain Baratza Encore, and hand grinder or electric covers the other route. This guide is based on manufacturer manuals and pages, not hands-on testing.
