Which to buy · Every setting
Baratza Encore ESP vs Rancilio Rocky
Conical against flat — the Encore ESP's scale curves where the other runs straight. The Encore ESP is numbered 1–40; the Rocky is numbered 0–55.
Which to buy
Choose the
Encore ESP if you…
- want to buy new
- want espresso and filter in separate ranges — settings 1–20 for espresso, 21–40 for the rest
- pull shots into a portafilter — a 54 mm dosing cup and 58 mm adapter come with it
Choose the
Rocky if you…
- are buying used — Rancilio no longer sells it new
- want 50 mm flat steel burrs
- pair it with a Rancilio Silvia — Rancilio pitched it as its partner
Shop links are affiliate links: BrewMark earns a commission if you buy through one, at no extra cost to you. The verdicts were written without regard to it.
Rancilio no longer lists the Rocky (its page now returns 404) and sells the Stile as its home grinder, so you'd be buying the Rocky used.
Sources: Baratza — Encore ESP · Baratza — Encore ESP manual · Rancilio Group — Rocky (archived Jan 2022) · Rancilio Group — Stile
| Encore ESP | Rocky | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Baratza | Rancilio |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 40 | 0 – 55 |
| Burrs | Conical | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 12.7 numbers | 20 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 10.1 numbers | 23 numbers |
The same number means different things
Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 21 sits at grind index 21.8 on the Encore ESP but 31.7 on the Rocky — far enough apart to change the cup.
Converting a setting
If a recipe quotes a setting for one of these grinders, read across for the equivalent on the other. Rows are spaced evenly by grind size, not by dial number — on a conical burr those are not the same thing.
| Encore ESP | Rocky |
|---|---|
| 13 | 5 |
| 16 | 9 |
| 19 | 14 |
| 22 | 18 |
| 24 | 22 |
| 26 | 26 |
| 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 32 |
| 31 | 36 |
| 33 | 39 |
| 34 | 42 |
| 35 | 45 |
| 36 | 48 |
| Rocky | Encore ESP |
|---|---|
| 5 | 13 |
| 9 | 16 |
| 14 | 19 |
| 18 | 22 |
| 22 | 24 |
| 26 | 26 |
| 29 | 28 |
| 32 | 30 |
| 36 | 31 |
| 39 | 33 |
| 42 | 34 |
| 45 | 35 |
| 48 | 36 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Encore ESP | Rocky |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 15 | 8 |
| Moka pot | 19 | 13 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 22 | 18 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 25 | 24 |
| Siphon | 26 | 26 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 27 | 27 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 28 | 28 |
| Drip / batch brew | 28 | 29 |
| Cupping | 28 | 30 |
| Chemex | 30 | 32 |
| French press | 32 | 38 |
| Cold brew | 34 | 44 |
The shape of each dial
Where the connectors bunch, that grinder’s dial is compressed and single steps count for more. Comparing the two shapes tells you which gives finer control, and where.
Baratza Encore ESP
Rancilio Rocky
Dialing in the Encore ESP
The Encore ESP is the Encore with the espresso range Baratza left out of the original — a recalibrated burr set and a collar remapped so the fine end has usable resolution instead of bottoming out. If you are cross-referencing recipes written for a standard Encore, the numbers do not transfer directly; the same figure sits finer here.
Dialing in the Rocky
A stepped espresso grinder that has been the budget recommendation for a very long time. The 55 steps across 50mm flat burrs are its limitation — for espresso you will sometimes want a setting between two of them and there is not one, and a single step can move a shot by seconds. Twenty of those steps cover espresso through filter, which is more resolution than the fine end usually gets at this price. Two things make it an espresso grinder in practice rather than a general one: changing setting means holding the locking lever while twisting the hopper, and it keeps a couple of grams in the chute, so every switch between espresso and pour over costs you both fiddling and coffee. Most owners pick one end and stay there.