Baratza Sette 270Wi Espresso Grinder

Baratza Sette 270Wi Overview

The Sette 270Wi reigns supreme over weight-based grinders everywhere. Baratza paired up with Acaia and together they made the revolutionary leap to incorporate a scale into the Sette 270Wi’s convertible device and portaholder. Meaning it can dose a specified amount of grams directly into a portafilter or vessel on demand, unlike other weight-based grinders which can only weigh into a container.

Features and Performance

For convenience alone, the Sette 270Wi is winning, but Baratza didn’t stop there. During the eight years it was in development, Baratza improved on the design by enabling the scale to filter out unexpected vibrations that might throw off the dose; integrating a quick burst feature when you need just a little extra coffee; and, most impressively, designing an innovative motor, capable of predicting the flow rate and learning when to turn off to deliver an accurate dose.

In fact, the “i” in “Wi” stands for “intelligence.” The Sette 270Wi is so smart, it connects to your phone via Bluetooth; and, using Baratza’s BrewBar app, you can track grind sessions, weights and settings and install software updates as necessary. Just like its Sette brethren, the 270Wi features a long list of other design innovations aside from weight-base grinding: coffee is ground from the hopper straight-thru the burrs and immediately dispensed with a miniscule half gram retention. The outer burr, rather than the inner burr, does the spinning, a revolutionary change that results in twice the grinding surface area and ultra-fast grinding.

Baratza’s proprietary gearbox and powerful high-torque motor combine forces to minimize heat while maximizing efficiency and output. In our tests, the upgrades are unmistakable. The Sette 270Wi is doubly quick compared to Baratza’s other weight-based grinder the Vario W, dispensing 3.5 to 5.5 per second depending on the grind setting. The Vario W does have it beat in the noise department, as the Sette is a bit louder, but for grinds in half the time we really don’t mind. Like the rest of the Sette fam, the 270 features durable 40mm steel burrs. They are housed in stainless steel, and can be swapped out with Baratza’s BG burrs as desired, though, with the 270Wi’s vast 270 grind settings, you can already reliably dial in the grind for any method. You Sette beans up, and the 270Wi grinds them down.

The Sette 270Wi is a breeze to use. You can program each of the three presets to accurately dose within 1/10th of a gram, and the 270Wi will take into account the shot history to predict when the dose will be met, automatically adjusting the offset and stopping the motor. It’s important to note that the offset is tied to the individual preset. Meaning, each grind setting has a different offset.

So, although you can change the dose on the fly, you’ll need to make sure to adjust the grind size to match the preset in order to get accurate dosing. We recommend jotting down your grind setting for each preset to easily swap between them. Grind size can be adjusted across 270 settings by twisting the adjustment dial, for a sweeping grind range of 230-950 microns.

To accommodate various brew methods, the Sette 270Wi’s portaholder pegs swing open and out of the way to grind directly into the included 5.6 oz. grounds container, or various brewers such as the Hario V60, Clever Brewer or AeroPress; plus, it automatically tares the portafilter or vessel in use. For a quick burst of grinds, you can operate the 270Wi manually.

Why You Should Get It

We’re continually impressed by the Baratza Sette 270Wi. Its incredibly accurate, built in Acaia scale, versatile grinding for any brew method, and minimal retention straight-thru design, make the Wi an amazing addition to any coffee and espresso bar. Also available in the Sette line are the 30 AP, an entry-level espresso grinder, and the automatic time-based dosing 270; but if you need a little intelligence for your life, look no further than the Sette 270Wi.