Baratza Forté AP Overview

The Baratza Forté AP is an all purpose grinder, capable of grinding from coarse to fine brew methods by a preset time or weight. Like its BG counterpart, the Forté AP is a big step up from the Vario line thanks to its stainless housing and adjustment sliders, commercial grade internal components and touch screen operation.

Features and Performance

Like the Forté BG, the AP can be programmed to dispense grinds based on time or weight, and grind fineness can be adjusted using macro and micro adjustment sliders for a whopping 260 fineness settings. We find that, with this style of adjustment, it’s so easy to dial in the grind, jot it down, and easily slide right back to it after experimenting with another coffee or brew method.

The motor in the Forté AP is a big upgrade to the Vario; it’s 70% more powerful and can run twice as long. This powerful motor turns slowly, generating less heat and noise as a result, and is equipped with a thermal cut-off switch that automatically resets itself in the case of overheating. To handle the increased power, the Forté AP has been outfitted with a new drive ratio, pulley, and belt-drive system to help it keep up in a commercial environment. The power increase is definitely noticeable, while the noise is not, which is just as it should be.

Using the Forté AP is a breeze. Its intuitive touchscreen display allows you to choose from manual, time or weight based grinding, which accurately dispense grounds within 1/10th of a second or +/- 0.2 grams. Using the touchscreen display, it couldn’t be simpler to switch between time and weight-based brewing, or program the three presets available for each method. Or, of course, you can always grind manually, too.

The Forté’s 54mm flat ceramic burrs are heat resistant, and can be adjusted between a range of 230 to 1150 microns using Baratza’s unique dual cam grind adjustment. The lever on the right controls the macro adjustment, while the lever on the left allows you to fine tune by making micro adjustments between the macro settings. Grinds are dispensed directly into the enclosed 8 oz. grounds container in a quick 2 grams per second on average.

The Forté BG features a specialized hopper, dubbed the “Stopper Hopper” by Baratza, which reduces bean waste to a miniscule 10 grams. Keeping your Forté clean and calibrated is easy and quick using the included burr removal and calibration tools. If you like the Forté AP but need a grinder focused on coarser brews and batch grinding, take a look at the Forté BG.

Why You Should Get It

If you enjoy coarse brewing methods like drip, french press, or pour over coffee, you'll find the Baratza Forte AP to be an easy to use and reliable tool. The touchscreen display makes adjusting different settings a breeze, and 260 grind settings offer a lot of choice when brewing your next coffee.