Baratza Fort-AP Ceramic All Purpose Coffee Grinder

Description

Baratza Fort AP Overview

The Baratza Fort 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 Fort 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 Fort 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, its 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 Fort AP is a big upgrade to the Vario; its 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 Fort 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 Fort 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 couldnt 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 Forts 54mm flat ceramic burrs are heat resistant, and can be adjusted between a range of 230 to 1150 microns using Baratzas 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 Fort BG features a specialized hopper, dubbed the Stopper Hopper by Baratza, which reduces bean waste to a miniscule 10 grams. Keeping your Fort clean and calibrated is easy and quick using the included burr removal and calibration tools. If you like the Fort AP but need a grinder focused on coarser brews and batch grinding, take a look at the Fort 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.