Baratza Vario User manual

OPERATIONS
MANUAL
®
Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder
VARIOTM

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6
PARTS IDENTIFICATION
Whole bean hopper (250 grams)
Grind time adjustment buttons (2)
Manual grind button
Programable grind setting buttons (3)
Hopper lid
Micro grind adjustment lever
LCD grind time indicator
Start / Stop button
Upper burr carrier
Macro grind adjustment lever
Ceramic burrs
Ground coffee bin (250 grams.)
Grind button LED (3)
VARIO
TM

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Please read the information below very carefully. It contains important safety
information for this appliance. Please keep these instructions for future
reference.
►Use only with AC current and the correct voltage. See the label on the
base of the grinder to determine the correct voltage.
►Only clean the grinder housing with a dry or slightly damp cloth.
►Do not use this grinder for anything other than its intended use (i.e.
grinding whole roasted coffee beans).
►Baratza will not accept any liability for damage or injury if the grinder
is used other than for its intended purpose or is improperly operated
or repaired. All warranty claims will be void.
►Disassemble your grinder only as directed in the Care and Cleaning
Section of this manual. If you cannot remedy a malfunction, check
www.baratza.com and visit our Troubleshooting page.
►Do not operate the grinder with a damaged cord or plug, or if the grinder
malfunctions.
SAFETY INFORMATION

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►Do not leave your grinder unattended while turned ON.
►Shut off and unplug the grinder from the electrical outlet when not in
use and before cleaning.
►To unplug, grasp plug and remove from the outlet. Never pull on the
cord.
►Keep your grinder out of the reach of children.
►Do not immerse the grinder, plug or cord in water or any other liquid.
CAUTION: ALWAYS unplug the electrical supply cord prior to cleaning the
grinder.
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OPERATION
Place the VARIO grinder on a level surface. With the hopper lid in place, mount
the hopper on the grinder housing by lining up the two small tabs at the base
of the hopper with the two slots inside the collar on the top of the grinder.
Turn the hopper clockwise until it locks into position (expect to apply force).
Insert the power plug into an AC outlet. Pour the desired quantity of roasted,
whole coffee beans into the hopper. Slide the ground coffee bin into the front
of the grinder.
Press one of the preset buttons, then press START.
Normal Grinding Operation
Move the Macro lever (right side) up or down, to the desired grind setting. Set
the Micro adjustment lever (left side) to the middle of the scale.
Starting brew settings can be found at www.baratza.com under the Support
tab.
Grind a small amount of coffee into the bin by pressing the START button, then
pressing it again to stop the grinding. Check the particle size. If the particle
size is close to what you desire, use the Micro lever to ne-tune the grind size.
If the particle size needs a big change, then adjust the Macro lever to a new
position.

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The full range on the Micro scale is equal to one “click” or position change on
the Macro scale. Adjusting levers UP produces a smaller particle size, adjusting
levers DOWN produces a larger particle size.
Time Based Grinding Operation
Place the PortaHolder or the ground coffee bin in the grinder. Press a preset
button (1,2,3). The screen will show the corresponding programmed grind time
in seconds. Press START button to begin grinding. While grinding, the screen
will count down the seconds to 0.0. When the screen reaches 0 seconds, the
motor will stop and the display will reset again to the programmed time. For
greater quantities of ground coffee press the Manual button, then START. The
grinder will count up to 90 seconds, then shut off automatically. At any time
during MANUAL operation you can stop the grinding by pressing the STOP
button. The motor will stop and the screen will show the total amount of
seconds, for 3 seconds, then it will reset to 0.0.
Programming
The VARIO is equipped with three programmable buttons. The buttons are
simply labeled 1,2,3. These programmable buttons only adjust the amount of
time for coffee to be ground, they do not adjust the grind setting.
Each button comes from the factory with the following presets:
Time: 1=10s, 2=15s, 3=30s
You can easily program more or less grinding time as follows:
1. Select a Preset button.

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2. Press the up or down arrow
buttons to adjust the seconds.
(Press and hold the up or
down arrow for two seconds)
3. Once you have reached the
desired time setting, press
and hold the preset button for
3 seconds. The setting will
blink to conrm the setting is
stored.
4. To program the other buttons
repeat steps 1-4.
If the grinder is unplugged it will retain the stored settings.
Sleep Mode
To minimize standby power consumption, the VARIO will go into “sleep mode”
automatically after a programmable time of non-use. The programmable values
are (in minutes) 3, 5, 10, 20, 30, 00 (never). The factory preset is 3 minutes. While
in sleep mode, the screen goes blank. To “wake up” your VARIO, press any
button. Once the screen lights up, select your grinding method. To program
a different sleep time, press and hold the MANUAL button for 5 seconds until
the screen value changes to show the current sleep time setting. Using the up/
down arrows, select the number of minutes 3, 5, 10, 20, 30 or 00 (never), then
press MANUAL to save and exit.

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PortaHolder Set-Up and Use
Insert the PortaHolder into the grinder until it clicks. Then insert your portalter
into the PortaHolder by tipping the basket down so the lip of the portalter slides
under and gets hooked by the hook bracket at the top rear of the PortaHolder
while the base of the basket is supported by the two metal ngers that extend
from the PortaHolder. If the portalter basket is not horizontal in the holder,
remove the screw holding the lower bracket and move the bracket higher or
lower in order to level the portalter basket.
To use, insert your portalter in the PortaHolder. Press the desired preset
button, then press START.
Burr Calibration
All directional indications assume you are looking down on the machine.
A 2mm Allen head calibration screw is located in the round hole behind the
discharge chute (see photo). This calibration screw allows the user to easily
ne-tune the calibration of the burr in the ner or coarser direction while the
grinder is running. To make the adjustment, empty all beans from the grinder.
Turn the grinder on and lower the Macro and Micro levers, all the way to the
bottom. Let the grinder run long enough to expel any remaining ground coffee.
Remove the grounds bin (For Vario-W and Forte , TARE the grinder). Now press
any one of the preset buttons, then press START and insert the Calibration tool
into the 2mm Allen head screw (The grinder will run until you press the STOP
button). With the motor running, move the Macro arm up to the top (setting 1).
You should not hear any change in motor speed. Now, slowly move the Micro
arm up to the midpoint(setting M). If the motor hasn’t started to slow, use
the calibration tool to turn the calibration screw toward the ner direction (as

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indicated on tool) until you hear the motor start to slow. This setting will allow
for a full range of grind. If you want a coarser grind, insert the tool and turn the
opposite direction of the arrow on the tool.

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CARE and CLEANING
Removing the Bean Hopper
Remove all beans from the hopper then press the START button to run any
remaining beans through the grinder. Remove the plug from the power outlet.
Remove the hopper by twisting it, with both hands (with the lid on) in a
counterclockwise direction until it stops (about 1/4inch, or 4mm) and then lift
the bean hopper off of the grinder housing.
Removing the Upper Burr
Using the Baratza Burr Tool included with the grinder, rotate the metal burr
carrier clockwise about 1/6th of a turn, then lift the burr carrier straight up and
out of the grinder housing. You may need to wiggle the burr carrier a little to
get it free.
Cleaning the Grounds Bin, Hopper and Burrs
Wash the grounds bin, hopper, and the hopper lid in warm soapy water, then
rinse and dry.
If the grinder is used daily, the burrs (steel or ceramic) should be cleaned at least
every few months using tablets (see below for Automatic Cleaning) or with a
stiff brush. Proper cleaning enables the burrs to achieve the most consistent
grind possible. Cleaning also removes some coffee oils, which will stale and
degrade the avor of the ground coffee.

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CARE and CLEANING
Caution
Do not put the bean hopper, hopper lid, ground coffee bin, or PortaHolder in the
dishwasher. Hand wash only. Do not immerse the grinder housing in water. Do
NOT wash the burrs with water.
Replacing the Burr
Make sure ALL coffee grounds and powder is removed from the mating surfaces
of the grind chamber and the upper burr carrier before reinstalling. Even a very
small speck of coffee powder will throw off your calibration.
With your hand, rmly press down until the burr carrier feels seated, then using
the Baratza Burr Tool, rotate the burr carrier counter-clockwise 1/6th of a turn
until tight.
Replacing the Bean Hopper
To replace the bean hopper, line up the two small tabs on the base of the hopper
with their respective slots in the top of the grinder housing and insert the
hopper into the grinder. Once the hopper is in place, rotate it clockwise until it
clicks to a stop (about ¼ inch or 4mm).
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Automatic Cleaning
A thorough, fast, and easy cleaning
can be accomplished using Full
Circle(tm) biodegradable grinder
cleaning tablets. Full Circle tablets
are designed to dislodge coffee
particles and absorb and remove
odors and coffee oil residue. Remove
all beans from the hopper and run the
grinder to remove any beans inside.
Place the recommended amount of
Grindz into the empty grinder hopper.
Adjust the grind setting to 10, place
insert the grounds bin and press the
START button. Grind all of the tablets
into the bin, then press STOP. Once
complete, we recommend grinding
approximately 30g coffee to remove
any tablet residue. Discard the ground
tablets/coffee. For information on Full
Circle cleaning tablets, go to www.
urnex.com.