Fiorenzato Allground Sense Plus reviewed: GbW grinder with strengths and weaknesses

The Fiorenzato Allground Sense Plus is the revised version of a grinder we are now very familiar with. We have tested the version without a scale (without "Sense" in the name), the model that was sold as the "Sense" until June 2025, and the Plus version, which is the latest version of the grinder.

The Allground Sense Plus is a hopper grinder with an integrated scale, known as Grind by Weight, and 64 mm flat burrs. It costs just under 850 euros at Stoll Espresso and around 900 Swiss francs in Switzerland, positioning itself in the premium home segment. As always, we bought the grinder ourselves – multiple times now, I might add. The difference from its predecessor: a new display, better integrated, oval in design, and a minor software update. Technically – the burrs, chamber, flapper – the Plus version is identical to the old version without "Plus". This means: the strengths remain. And so do the weaknesses. The changes are so marginal that some retailers don't even market the new grinder as a "Plus" version. However, the Plus version from June 2025 has completely replaced the previous version. If you have the version released before June 2025, don't worry. In our view, there are no quality-relevant differences.

Design & Build Quality

At 9 kg and 44 cm in height, the Allground Sense Plus stands solidly on the counter. Metal housing, high-quality workmanship, no wobbling, no cheap gaps. The portafilter holder fits well: insert, firm, reliable. The new display is an aesthetic step forward compared to the previous version. It takes the basic shape of the physical display and now mirrors this as an oval indicator. The IPS panel is now easier to see from different angles and has clearer color reproduction.

A specific software update is worth mentioning: Portions can now be programmed up to 50 g – in the previous model, the single portion was limited to 12 g. Not a game changer, but anyone wanting to experiment with larger portions or filter coffee now has more flexibility.

The visual grind size adjustment grid is actually even coarser than the grinder's steps. This is a real weakness of the grinder, and it is hard to understand why Fiorenzato has not improved this easily rectifiable display since the release of the original Allground. The red vertical line is as wide as 1.5 points on the grid, and the points themselves are already quite wide. They correspond to the grind settings of the grinder. Since there is no numbered scale, you have to count the points when adjusting the grinder if you want to return to a specific grind setting.

The community has found solutions for this – marking stickers, 3D-printed indicators, homemade scales. The fact that users have to search 3D printing platforms for solutions that the manufacturer has failed to provide in five years does not speak well for the manufacturer's willingness to improve.

Accessibility for cleaning is exemplary. No tools needed to reach the grinding chamber, brush it out, done. Three seconds, and you are in. This is a benchmark and should serve as a reference for other manufacturers. We rate the grinder's ease of cleaning "only" as light green because, unfortunately, the grind size has to be adjusted, or rather, it is not automatically the same as it was before cleaning the grinder. However, how quickly you can get to the heart of the grinder – the grinding chamber – is sensational.

Buy the Fiorenzato Allground Sense Plus

Germany: Stoll Espresso, Bohnendealer, Lücke Technik

Switzerland: Adrianos

Austria: Bohnendealer

We recommend specialist partners who we know provide good work and reliable service. When you order via our commission links, you don't pay more, but we receive a small amount of support – which we invest directly into new test equipment.

Grinding Mechanism & Technology

The heart of the Allground Sense Plus: 64 mm flat burrs, fixed at 1,600 RPM. There is no RPM control. The grinder is designed for hopper operation with an integrated scale; Single Dosing is technically possible but not its core promise.

The grind size adjustment works with steps. A wheel with notches runs over a metal pin during adjustment, which physically locks the position and provides an audible signal. If the pin were not there, the grind size adjustment would work steplessly. With the pin, there is the possibility to position the grind size between the notch and the raised part of the grid. This requires a bit of finesse.

If you stay in the notches, we measured extraction time jumps of three to four seconds. Conversely, this means it is hardly possible to set the grind size precisely within the steps. If you stay between the clicks, you are tricking the grinder and coming much closer to the goal of precise grind size adjustment.

The criticism of the manufacturer remains. Anyone who always grinds the same coffee and finds their setting once can manage well with it. Anyone who frequently switches between roasts or actively works with the grind size will be frustrated – unless they aim for the areas between the steps.

Grinding Speed & Noise Level

8 seconds for 18 g – that is fast, more than sufficient for home use. 23.8 g comes out of the grinder in 10 seconds of continuous grinding. These are numbers that you could certainly use to serve several guests in a row. The speed is one reason why we see the grinder performing very well in small catering settings.

The noise level is 84.1 dB(A) – measured at a distance of 20 cm. This is at the upper limit of what we classify as "medium": noticeable, but not a constant problem. Even in tone, no sharp whistling, and no struggling motor. It is a high volume of the more elegant kind. Eight seconds of operation – then silence.

Grinding Temperature & Consistency

The grinding temperature starts at 29.6 °C and rises to 32.0 °C after five consecutive grinds. No thermal problem, even with several consecutive shots.

And now for the consistency. The standard deviation over 10 grinds is 0.067 g. For example, the individual output values look like this: 17.9 – 18 – 17.9 – 18 – 18 – 18 – 17.9 grams. The GbW system does what it promises: the set quantity comes out, grind after grind, even with changing coffees, without the grinder having to "break in" first. If 17.9 grams are output once, this is within the margin of error of the cross-checking grinder. No false measurements, no detection problems with the portafilter, no outliers.

For Grind-by-Weight grinders, an important quality feature is whether they can cope with vibrations on the work surface. In the early days of such grinders, we once had a grinder on the table that always stalled whenever a tram drove past the house.

The Fiorenzato Allground Sense shows slightly different behavior in both versions we have. The Plus model stops during stronger vibrations of the grinder and continues grinding when there are no more vibrations. The pre-June model grinds through, shows different values during the vibrations, but recovers as soon as the vibrations end. If these do not last longer, both versions of the grinder reach the goal cleanly.

retention

The retention is 7.1 g absolute – 6.6 g of which is temporary, 0.5 g is permanent. This has not changed with the Plus version. Grinding chamber, flapper, driver – everything is identical. And 6.6 g of temporary retention is too much. That remains our assessment.

However, we want to be clearer about why – and for whom it is relevant and how.

The first problem is known: Anyone who grinds in the morning and goes back to the machine in the evening pulls 6.6 g of coffee that has been sitting in the chamber ground for hours with the next shot. For a double espresso, that's a third of the portion. Many people from the forums know the first espresso after a long break: watery, flat, strange. That explains it.

The second problem is less obvious – and for a GbW grinder, it is actually the bigger one: The retention sabotages the adjustment. Anyone who adjusts the grind size and pulls the next shot immediately is still working with a third of the old grind size. You turn the setting, pull the next espresso, evaluate it – and adjust it even finer. But a third of the portion is still the previous grind size. You are chasing a result that you can never see clearly as long as you do not explicitly purge the grinder. For beginners who want to learn with the GbW system and bought the grinder exactly for that reason, this is a real limitation.

What this means in practice: Always purge when you change the grind size. We program the "1" button for 6 grams and consistently purge 6 grams after every grind size adjustment.

Anyone who drinks several espressos a day hardly notices the retention because the ground powder rarely stays in the chamber for long.

Grind Size Replicability

In the adjustment test – espresso (T4), ristretto (T5), lungo (T6), return to espresso (T7) – the Allground Sense Plus shows a clear strength: the x50 value deviates by about 11 µm between the starting point (262.3 µm) and the return (273.2 µm). For a stepped grinder, that is good. The mechanism clicks into place precisely – anyone who has found their point and comes back, lands there again.

The paradox remains: the reproducibility works. Finding the ideal point between two clicks – that is the challenge.

Particle Distribution

We analyze the particle distribution in cooperation with the ZHAW using the Retsch Camsizer X2.

Espresso setting (T4):
x50: 262.3 µm – fines content (Qf <100 µm): 31.8 % – 60% peak width: 177.7 µm

A fines content of 31.8 % is high: more body, more density, higher extraction resistance in the puck. A higher value for the fines content is typical for poorer grinders or for very good ones with a narrow main peak – as is the case with the Fiorenzato Allground Sense. The main peak at 177.7 µm is narrow. Very narrow. This means a uniform, structured extraction despite the high fines content.

The grinder grinds precisely – and you can feel it in the cup. What this adds up to: The Allground Sense Plus is not a specialist for one roast style. It is a grinder that offers a hand in both directions – from lightly roasted specialty coffees (for example from our Lila line) to classically developed espressos with an Italian touch like the Compadre.

Tasting

In the blind tasting with the Apas Espresso (18 g in, 42 g out, 25 seconds), the Allground Sense Plus shows a clear signature: lots of sweetness, soft texture, nice body. The aftertaste is long and present – cocoa notes that remain unusually long. A light stone fruit component was also recognizable, which rarely comes out so clearly with this coffee otherwise.

This matches the PVM findings: high fines content, narrow peak, full-bodied cup with structured extraction. A very solid combination for specialty coffees and more classic roasts.

A note for everyday life: You do not need a WDT tool for this grinder. The ground coffee distributes itself well in the portafilter – with 18 g and centered clamping, there is hardly any reason to complain.

Conclusion

The Fiorenzato Allground Sense Plus is a very good grinder. That is the core message – and we should have emphasized it more clearly in the first test video.

It has two weaknesses that the manufacturer has not addressed for years. One of them you can bridge yourself through modification. You can deal with one (grind size adjustment), and if you make a lot of coffee or purge in between, the second one is not noticeable (retention). Unless you buy expensive coffees...

Both are unnecessary. The grind size adjustment blunder is inexcusable at this price, and we would like to see a real update from Fiorenzato – not from the community side.

Strengths:
Exceptionally precise, reliable GbW system – consistent results grind after grind. Excellent particle distribution: high fines content, narrow peak, structured extraction. Good grind size replicability thanks to the stepped mechanism. Cleaning without tools, accessible in seconds – reference class. Robust, high-quality workmanship.

Weaknesses:
7.1 g absolute retention, 6.6 g of which is temporary – unchanged from the previous version. Problem number one for everyone who grinds rarely. Problem number two for everyone who wants to learn the GbW system for adjusting. Grind size adjustment too coarse: three to six seconds of extraction time difference between two clicks, no numerical markings. The manufacturer has not done its homework.

For whom?
For those who grind daily, use a fixed coffee, find their setting once carefully, and then leave it alone. For those looking for a reliable GbW system that delivers the same amount grind after grind. For those who value clean, accessible cleaning. And for those who want a robust, high-quality grinder that convinces in the cup and is more than fairly priced.

Insider tip for small catering? Think about it. We will take a closer look at the grinder for this purpose. The speed speaks for it. The retention is forgivable if a lot of coffee is being run – and we will test how practical adjusting between the steps is in everyday catering.

For whom not?
Anyone who often changes between roasts and works precisely with the grind size will suffer from the coarse gradation. But then a single-dose grinder is the better choice anyway. Anyone who only drinks one or two espressos a day and has long breaks between grinds will feel the temporary retention in the cup. With 6.6 g of retention, always purge before assessing a grind size change.

Price-performance:
Almost 900 euros for an excellent GbW system, excellent particle distribution, exemplary cleaning, and robust workmanship – that is very fair. The fact that retention and grind size adjustment have remained unchanged for years is not a reason not to buy, but it is an oversight. The potential is there. If Fiorenzato addresses these two points, this is a grinder with no serious opponents in this class.

We show how the Allground Sense Plus performs against other GbW grinders in the Grind-by-Weight comparison.

Technical data at a glance