OPTION-O - Lagom Casa

General rule of thumb is that the grinder is more important than the machine, and many people will spend more on the grinder. A lot of people use the Bambino Plus with much more expensive grinders. The BBP is just the delivery system. The ground coffee (beans and grinder) is what really matters. You can get a grinder that will work for you for less than you paid for the BBP, but the price will be close. Cheapest would be a good quality hand grinder. For electric, Baratza Encore ESP (the espresso-capable version of what you already have) is an option, as is the DF54. If you are willing to spend a bit more, the Lagom Casa could be a great option and would likely keep you happy for years to come.

I am loving my option o casa with 65mm burrs. I have the 48s as well and the bigger burrs have a noticeable decrease in astringency with better clarity and same sweetness. There have been issues with the bigger burrs grinding for espresso but I think that is mostly resolved and no reported issues for pour over usage.

I totally skimmed over the fact that the OP has a Virtuoso. OP, you really won't get your money's worth in terms of improvement in the cup if you drink only medium to dark roasts. Honestly, an Ode Gen 2 or Timemore 078 would be a bit of a waste, and neither company has Baratza's reputation for reliability and service. Your Virtuoso might just need a bit of TLC. Or you could just get one of the grinders I recommended. If you are really itching to spend some dough, maybe order the new [Lagom Casa](https://www.option-o.com/shop/p/lagom-casa?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22282491509&gbraid=0AAAAArBqeyLITcQFGPZ35mGhGSVsTsA-d&gclid=Cj0KCQjwndHEBhDVARIsAGh0g3DQBDbUkpnQb8lkTIRxKLOIv2jvhqr-kqRp0bPOqXwZnOn45dBSWs4aAhFqEALw_wcB) or [Femobook A68](https://femobook.myshopify.com/products/a68-electric-coffee-grinder).

I haven't seen anything that suggests the Lagom Casa wouldn't do well with med/dark roasts, especially because it's conical. Only the ZP6 and A4Z are conical grinders that I am familiar with that wouldn't be great with med/dark roasts. The Lagom Casa is supposed to be an all-rounder good for both filter and espresso, which suggests to me that it would handle med/dark roasts fine for pourover. I personally would choose the Lagom Casa over the Ode Gen 2 for your use case. But that's me.

I went from BBE to Bambino Plus. BBE is a great intro machine, but the grinder isn't the best. I am loving the Bambino Plus (I have Lagom Casa grinder with it). All Brevilles are super easy to use and I think you'd be happy with either

I was actually happy enough with the BBE grinder (older model). But seeing constant posts about it not being the best had me curious. I know see that the steps between settings on the BBE are a little big and I am able to get better results with the Casa.

Would add Lagom Casa to the list. Fantastic home espresso grinder!

I've owned a 65 Casa and a gen 2 Ode. Workflow IMO goes towards the Casa. In the cup they're fairly similar, I think you'd get slightly more clarity to my taste from the Ode, but if you only have room for one grinder then the Ode cannot do espresso without shortening its lifespan.

It is the internet, with a global reach. Many of the subs and forums get dominated by people who need to tell why they are right and you are wrong. Having owned a DF64 and found it to be one of the loudest, most unreliable grinders backed with no customer service, I have had in 40 years, I would say well done you dodged a bullet. Anything by Option O gets my vote (I have a P64 now, owned a Mini and tested a Casa and P100). The cheaper Eurekas I like as hopper fed grinders, but not single dose (the adjustment is not consistent). Niche Zero (I have one) is bombproof, quiet and lovely adjustment. However, more of a traditional darker to medium roast grinder. A used Mazzer SJ or Mini would be bombproof and a good find.

It is a game changer and a ton of fun

Eagerly awaiting my Casa. I have the Ode 2 w/ Gen 2 and SSP MP burrs, but I get far more enjoyable coffee out of my Kingrinder K6. Richer fruit notes, more rounded sweetness. I experienced the same with pourover from a friend's Niche Zero, so my current theory is that my palate just likes the profile of coffee from conical burr grinders better. Worst case, the Casa will do espresso duty and I'll just hand-grind for filter.

I would pick 98mm platform over 80mm... Titus Nautilus, Lagom, Levercraft Ultra and its variants, heck... even EK43.

This is great to know - I have loved almost everything I've seen about the Casa - only knocks have been grind speed (annoying but not a dealbreaker) and the lack of a clear indication of where in the stepless rotation you are between filter and espresso (again - not a dealbreaker since I don't anticipate going back and forth super often). One of my main initial concerns was that staying with conical burrs may not yield a different enough taste/experience to justify the upgrade but from the reviews I've seen and your comment - it seems the Casa delivers a very different taste that finds an appealing middle ground between body and clarity.

The answer is absolutely yes, and the best recommendation will depend so much on what kind of beans you like, what kind of drinks you like, and your budget. But if it were me, these would be my top choices for a two-in-one (I do both pourover and espresso, but I lean towards pourover these days): If you're willing to hand grind, 1zpresso K-Ultra or Comandante would be outstanding. Kingrinder K6 on a budget. A lot of people find this tedious but it's actually my preferred method and I swear by my 1zpressos. You won't beat a hand grinder for price to quality, and you'll save space. For electric, Lagom Mini would be fantastic and space saving, or a Lagom Casa. Timemore 078s for a slightly higher budget. If you want to blow your budget, you've got TONS of options. Lagom P64, Zerno Z1, WPM ZP-1, Acaia Orbit, Lagom O1...we could go on. The DF grinders are an option I guess...Excellent bang for your buck but I personally do not like them or recommend them at all (I have a DF64 Gen 2 and...let's just say it's gonna be gone soon).

Also, if you ever want to get into filter coffee, it is only one revolution of the grind dial. Very easy to switch back and forth.

This is obviously wrong to anyone who frequents this sub. There are tons of complaints about the Lagom Casa (mine included) and you don't have the Pietro listed, which is talked and repeated on nearly every recommendation thread from the last 6 months.

I got a k ultra to tick me over until my Lagom casa arrives I've been very happy with the results of the k ultra so far both for espresso and pour over but I have only had my breville/sage barista express impress to compare with. The casa has a very small footprint and have only heard good things about it for both styles too

I have both. Enjoy both but I keep the casa just for espresso. I prefer the ode 2 but that may be because the espresso fines leads to less clarity through the casa. With that said the casa is great and you can use it for both of you are only willing to get one grinder.

I have A Lagom Casa I got from Alternative Brewing. It has been fantastic, no retention, no RDT, super simple workflow and it looks great. We are lucky in Australia, our consumer protection laws will cover you well after the "warranty" period. Most importantly these days Option-O who make Lagom are an Australian company.

Turin SK40, Kingrinder K2, Timemore 064S, Lagom P64, Niche Zero, and now Lagom Casa. I started with the SK40, tried to upgrade to the 064S and lowkey hated it, and eventually landed on the Casa. The others were all used from other setups (K2 is my dad's grinder, P64 and Zero are a couple friends). The only thing I would consider over the Casa would be the new CF64V with a nice set of burrs, but even then I think the workflow and minor details of the Casa win out.