Which to buy · Every setting
Breville Barista Express (built-in) vs Rancilio Rocky
Conical against flat — the Barista Express (built-in)'s scale curves where the other runs straight. The Barista Express (built-in) is numbered 1–16; the Rocky is numbered 0–55.
Which to buy
Choose the
Barista Express (built-in) if you…
- want grinder and espresso machine in one
- want doses for a 1- or 2-cup basket that stop on their own
- pull espresso only — Breville gives all 16 settings to espresso
Choose the
Rocky if you…
- want a separate grinder — Rancilio pitched it as the partner to its Silvia
- grind for drip as well as espresso — Rancilio rates it for both
- are buying used — Rancilio no longer sells it new
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: Breville — Barista Express · Breville — Barista Express manual · Rancilio Group — Rocky (archived Jan 2022) · Rancilio Group — Stile
| Barista Express (built-in) | Rocky | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Breville | Rancilio |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 1 – 16 | 0 – 55 |
| Burrs | Conical | Flat |
| Espresso → filter | 4.2 numbers | 20 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 5.3 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 9 sits at grind index 40.9 on the Barista Express (built-in) but 7.5 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.
| Barista Express (built-in) | Rocky |
|---|---|
| 5 | 5 |
| 6 | 14 |
| 7 | 18 |
| 8 | 22 |
| 9 | 26 |
| 10 | 29 |
| 11 | 32 |
| 12 | 39 |
| 13 | 42 |
| 14 | 45 |
| Rocky | Barista Express (built-in) |
|---|---|
| 5 | 5 |
| 9 | 5 |
| 14 | 6 |
| 18 | 7 |
| 22 | 8 |
| 26 | 9 |
| 29 | 10 |
| 32 | 11 |
| 36 | 11 |
| 39 | 12 |
| 42 | 13 |
| 45 | 14 |
| 48 | 14 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | Barista Express (built-in) | Rocky |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 5 | 8 |
| Moka pot | 6 | 13 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 7 | 18 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 9 | 24 |
| Siphon | 9 | 26 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 9 | 27 |
| Steep and release — Clever / Switch | 10 | 28 |
| Drip / batch brew | 10 | 29 |
| Cupping | 10 | 30 |
| Chemex | 11 | 32 |
| French press | 12 | 38 |
| Cold brew | 13 | 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.
Breville Barista Express (built-in)
Rancilio Rocky
Dialing in the Barista Express (built-in)
The grinder built into the Barista Express, tuned around that machine's basket rather than as a general-purpose grinder. It has a narrower usable range than a standalone unit, and the internal burr adjustment matters as much as the outer dial for reaching a proper espresso grind.
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.