Full Review of the Baratza Sette 270
A beautiful, well-built, fast, and consistent espresso grinder—perfect for those looking for an affordable, easy-to-use grinder with timed accurate dosing presets, and the ability to produce amazing espresso grinds for amazing espresso.
When it comes to features, it's a pretty straightforward coffee grinder but there are a few things worth mentioning that set it apart from other grinders.
1. The Sette Holds More Than Just Your Portafilter

The Sette 270 shown with the included grounds bin
This espresso grinder includes a built-in convertible holder, which allows you to grind coffee right into your portafilter, the supplied grounds bin, or any number of popular brewing devices (V60, Clever, Able Kone, etc.).
The arms can be rotated fully, allowing you to arrange them in any way that works best for whatever brew method you're using. The arms
accommodate portafilters from sizes 49mm to 58mm and the grinder also includes an integrated, adjustable hook for stability.
The Sette's grounds bin is constructed of anti-static plastic with a molded spout for simple pouring into your preferred brewing device and holds around 160g (med roast) of
ground coffee.
2. Stepped AND Stepless Grind Adjustment
There are two adjustment rings on the Sette 270 that allow you to grind for anything from espresso to manual brew.
The top "macro" ring is a stepped grind adjustment, which has 30 steps. The bottom "micro" ring is stepless, and allows you to fine-tune the grind even further via 9 indicators (letters A through I).
The macro/micro-adjustment mechanism is directly connected to the cone burr, resulting in immediate and accurate grind adjustment to dial in the perfect espresso.
3. High-Speed Grinding
The 40mm conical steel burrs and high RPM motor can crank out an impressive 3.5 - 5.5 grams of coffee per second, depending on the grind size setting.
4. Conical Burr Design with Spinning Outer Burr
Coffee grinders with conical burrs typically utilize a stationary outer burr and a rotating inner conical burr. The Sette has a unique design that works oppositely.
On this grinder, the inner burr is stationary while the outer ring burr spins around it. This design is driven by a direct gear-drive system that is strong and durable and with a few advantages.
Namely, the burrs have grooves that actively pull beans down between the burrs (instead of solely relying upon gravity) while another compressor ring at the base of the rotating ring burr gathers the resultant grinds and compresses them slightly while guiding them out. This helps to dissipate static charge, keeping grinds from clinging to the walls of the device and making for a much cleaner process.
5. Straight-Thru Design With Minimal Grind Retention
The Sette's unique straight-thru design (goes straight from the hopper, to the burrs, and then into your portafilter) means there's almost no grind retention, so you get consistent dosing with very little waste (and no stale, leftover ground coffee in the burrs).
This design also further contributes to getting the beans into the burrs (unlike some hopper designs, where the coffee beans can get stuck).
How Does It Measure Up? Features and Performance
So how does the Sette measure up overall? Baratza is well-known in the coffee world for its quality grinders, and the Sette is no exception.
Grind Quality and Grind Consistency
We're not alone in noting the Sette's grind consistency and quality. We found that it produces a fluffy, consistent fine grind with almost zero clumping (even at the finest espresso settings).
It's more than capable of grinding fine enough to choke any espresso machine, so if you're looking for a coffee grinder that excels at espresso, this one won't disappoint.
Ease Of Use
This grinder is very intuitive and user-friendly. Just load up the hopper with beans, dial in your grind using the macro/micro adjustment rings, and push one of three programmable preset buttons.
Each button can be programmed in increments of 1/100 of a second when your time is below 10 seconds, and 1/10 of a second for times 10 seconds and above.
The Hopper
The hopper holds around 10 ounces (or 275 grams) of beans, and thanks to the shutoff valve on the bottom of the hopper, it's easy to swap your beans out if you're feeling a change is in order.
Dimensions
Baratza designed the Sette series with a small footprint—perfect for most kitchens, offices, brew bars, and catering.
- Width/Height/Depth: 5.12" (13 cm) x 15.75" (40 cm) x 9.45" (24 cm)
- Weight: 7lbs (3.2kg)
Is It Messy?
So how does the Sette fare when it comes to cleanliness?
The answer is, not too bad. Keep in mind though, that because this coffee grinder produces nice, fluffy grounds, it can be difficult to fit higher doses in your basket without settling the grounds a couple of times during filling.
As an option, you may consider a dosing ring that will minimize the mess and waste of your ground coffee. Another option would be to grind into the grounds bin and fill your portafilter from there.
As far as static goes, some users have stated that the problem is lessened after grinding the first few pounds of coffee. Others have put a drop or two of water on their coffee beans before grinding to reduce their static issues.
Is It Noisy?
The 270 certainly isn't going to win the quietest grinder award, but it is impressively quiet for a high-speed grinder. It's a little louder than the Baratza Forte, but then again, that grinder runs about $850.
Here is a video comparing the noise levels of a couple of higher-end Baratza coffee grinders...
Build Quality & Durability / Longevity / Design
Again, the Baratza Sette 270 is a well-built grinder. The body and grind chamber are made of durable ABS plastic, while the hopper is made of clear, shatter-resistant polycarbonate.
The conical steel burrs by Etzinger are of superb quality and will last many years with proper maintenance.
Also, the Sette 270's design is both elegant and functional. From the minimalist control panel to the straight-thru grind path, it's clear that Baratza put a lot of thought into this grinder.
Baratza backs this grinder with a 1-year warranty, so you can buy with confidence.
Although not a commercial grinder, it can endure heavy use (light-commercial use). Baratza's maximum suggested duty cycle is 2 lbs / 1kg maximum grinding per day which is more than enough, even for many small cafes.
You can find some
more geeky details here...
Cleaning the Sette 270
Baratza provides a cleaning brush and Allen wrench with every grinder purchase, which makes cleaning the Baratza Sette 270 a breeze. The cone burr is simple to remove and does not require any special tools.
Baratza recommends doing a deep clean every four to six weeks, or more frequently, depending on usage. Check out this helpful video on how to clean your Baratza grinder for detailed instructions.