Fiorenzato Allground Sense Plus in Review: GbW Grinder with Strengths and Weaknesses

The Fiorenzato Allground Sense Plus is the revised version of a grinder we've come to know well. We tested the version without scales (without Sense in the name), the model that was sold as Sense until June 2025, as well as the Plus version and thus the newest version of the grinder.

The Allground Sense Plus is a hopper grinder with integrated scales, so-called Grind by Weight, and 64-mm flat burrs. It costs just under 850 euros at Stoll Espresso and around 900 francs in Switzerland, positioning itself in the upscale home segment. We purchased the grinder ourselves as always—multiple times now, I'd say. The difference from its predecessor: a new display, better integrated, oval in design, and a gentle software update. Technically—burrs, chamber, flapper—the Plus version is identical to the old version without Plus. This means: The strengths remain. The weaknesses too. The changes are so marginal that some retailers don't even advertise the new grinder as the "Plus" version. However, the Plus version from June 2025 has completely replaced the previous version. If you have the version that was launched before June 2025—don't worry about it. From our perspective, there are no quality-relevant differences.

Design & Build Quality

At 9 kg and 44 cm tall, the Allground Sense Plus sits massively on the counter. Metal housing, high-quality workmanship, no wobbling, no cheap gaps. The portafilter holder fits well: in, secure, 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 it as an oval display. The IPS panel can now be viewed more easily from different angles and has clearer color reproduction.

One specific software update is worth mentioning: Portions can now be programmed up to 50 g—on the previous model, single portions were limited to 12 g. Not a game-changer, but if you want to experiment with larger portions or filter coffee, you now have more room to play.

The optical grind setting adjustment grid is even coarser than the grinder's actual steps. This is a genuine weakness of the grinder and it's hard to understand why Fiorenzato hasn't improved this easily correctable display since the original Allground appeared. The red vertical line is as wide as 1.5 dots on the grid, and the dots themselves are already quite wide. They correspond to the grinder's grind steps. Since there's no numerical scale, you have to count the dots when adjusting the grinder if you want to return to a specific grind setting.

The community has found solutions—marking stickers, 3D-printed indicators, homemade scales. The fact that users search 3D printing platforms for solutions that the manufacturer hasn't provided in five years doesn't speak well for the manufacturer's willingness to improve.

Cleaning accessibility is exemplary. No tools needed to access the grinding chamber, brush it out, done. Three seconds and you're in. This is a reference and should serve as instructional material for other manufacturers. We only rate the grinder's cleanability as light green because unfortunately the grind setting must be adjusted, or it doesn't automatically return to the old setting after cleaning the grinder. However, how quickly you can access the heart of the grinder—the grinding chamber—is sensational.

Buy Fiorenzato Allground Sense Plus

Germany: Stoll Espresso, Bohnendealer, Lücke Technik

Switzerland: Adrianos

Austria: Bohnendealer

We recommend specialist partners from whom we know they provide good work and reliable service. When you order through our commission links, you don't pay more, but we receive a small contribution—which we invest directly in new test equipment.

Burrs & Technology

The heart of the Allground Sense Plus: 64-mm flat burrs, fixed at 1,600 RPM. There's no RPM control. The grinder is designed for hopper operation with integrated scales, so-called Single Dosing is technically possible, but it's not its core promise.

The grind adjustment works with steps. A wheel with notches runs over a metal pin during adjustment, which physically fixes the positioning and gives an acoustic signal. If the pin weren't there, the grind adjustment would work continuously. With the pin, it's possible to position the grind setting in the notch or at the ridge of the grid. This requires a bit of finesse.

If you stay in the notches, we measured shot time jumps of three to four seconds. This means conversely that it's hardly possible to set the grind cleanly within the steps. If you stay between the clicks, you trick the grinder and come much closer to your grind adjustment goal.

The criticism of the manufacturer remains. If you always grind the same coffee and find your setting once, you'll get along well with it. If you frequently switch between roasts or actively work with the grind setting, you'll be frustrated—unless you aim for the areas between the steps.

Grinding Speed & Noise Level

8 seconds for 18 g—that's fast, more than sufficient for home use. In 10 seconds of continuous grinding, 23.8 g comes out of the grinder. These are numbers with which you can comfortably serve multiple guests in succession. The speed is one reason why we see the grinder very well suited for small commercial use.

The noise level is 84.1 dB(A)—measured at 20 cm distance. This is the upper limit of what we classify as "medium": noticeable but not a continuous problem. Even in tone, no sharp whistle and no struggling motor. It's a high noise level 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 issue, even with multiple shots in succession.

And now for consistency. The standard deviation over 10 grinds is 0.067 g. The individual output values look like this, for example: 17.9 – 18 – 17.9 – 18 – 18 – 18 – 17.9 grams. The GbW system does what it promises: the set amount comes out, grind after grind, even with changing coffees, without the grinder first having to "dial in." If 17.9 grams is dispensed once, that's within the margin of the reference grinder. No measurement errors, no detection issues with the portafilter, no outliers.

With Grind-by-Weight grinders, an important quality criterion is whether they can handle vibrations from the work surface. In the early days of grinders of this type, we once had a grinder on the table that always stopped when a streetcar passed by the building.

The Fiorenzato Allground Sense shows slightly different behavior in both versions available to us. The Plus model stops with stronger vibrations of the grinder and continues grinding when no more vibrations occur. The model up to June grinds through, shows different values during vibrations, but recovers as soon as the vibrations end. If these don't last longer, both grinder versions reach the target cleanly.

Retention

The retention is 7.1 g absolute—of which 6.6 g temporary, 0.5 g permanent. This hasn't changed with the Plus version. Grinding chamber, flapper, drive—everything identical. And 6.6 g of temporary retention is too much. That remains our assessment.

But we want to be clearer about why—and for whom it matters how much.

The first problem is well-known: If you grind in the morning and go back to the machine in the evening, you pull 6.6 g of coffee through the next shot that has been ground and sitting in the chamber for hours. With a double espresso, that's a third of the portion. Many people know the first espresso after a long pause from the forums: watery, flat, strange. This explains it.

The second problem is less obvious—and for a GbW grinder even the bigger one: The retention sabotages the adjustment. If you change the grind and immediately pull the next shot, you're still working with a third of the old grind. You turn the setting, pull the next espresso, evaluate it—and grind finer. But a third of the portion is again the previous grind. You're chasing a result you can never see cleanly unless you explicitly run through the grounds. For beginners who want to learn with the GbW system and bought the grinder for exactly that reason, this is a real limitation.

What this means in practice: Always run through the grounds when you change the grind. We program the 1 button to 6 grams for this purpose and consistently run through 6 grams after every grind adjustment.

If you drink multiple espressos daily, you hardly notice the retention because the ground coffee rarely sits in the chamber for long.

Grind Setting 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 between start (262.3 µm) and return (273.2 µm) by around 11 µm. For a stepped grinder, that's good. The mechanism clicks in precisely—if you find your point and return to it, you land there again.

The paradox remains: replicability works. Finding the ideal point between two clicks—that's the challenge.

Particle Distribution

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

Espresso Setting (T4):
x50: 262.3 µm – Fine portion (Qf <100 µm): 31.8 % – 60% peak width: 177.7 µm

A fine portion of 31.8% is high: more body, more density, higher extraction resistance in the puck. A higher fine portion value 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 that despite a high fine portion, extraction is uniform and structured.

The grinder grinds precisely—and you feel that in the cup. What this adds up to: The Allground Sense Plus is not a specialist for one roast style. It's a grinder that extends a hand in both directions—from light roasted specialty coffees (for example from our purple line) to classically developed espressos of Italian character 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 finish is long and present—cocoa notes that unusually linger. There was also a light stone fruit component that rarely comes through so clearly with this coffee.

This fits the PVM findings: high fine portion, tight peak, body-focused cup with structured extraction. For specialty coffees and more classic roasts, a very solid combination.

A note for everyday use: You don't need a WDT tool for this grinder. The grounds distribute themselves well in the portafilter—with 18 g and centered clamping, there's hardly reason to complain.

Conclusion

The Fiorenzato Allground Sense Plus is a very good grinder. That's the core statement—and we should have made it clearer in the first test video.

It has two weaknesses that the manufacturer hasn't fixed for years. You can work around one of them yourself through modification. You can live with one (grind adjustment), and if you grind a lot of coffee or grind between shots, the second won't be noticeable (retention). Unless you buy expensive coffees...

Both are unnecessary. The grind adjustment lapse is inexcusable at this price, and we wish Fiorenzato would provide a real update—not from the community side.

Strengths:
Extraordinarily precise, reliable GbW system—consistent results grind after grind. Excellent particle distribution: high fine portion, narrow peak, structured extraction. Good grind setting replicability thanks to stepped mechanism. Cleaning without tools, accessible in seconds—reference class. Robust, high-quality construction.

Weaknesses:
7.1 g absolute retention, of which 6.6 g temporary—unchanged from the previous version. Problem number one for anyone who rarely grinds. Problem number two for anyone who wants to learn the GbW system for adjustment. Grind setting too coarse: three to six seconds shot time difference between two clicks, no numerical marking. The manufacturer hasn't done its homework.

For whom?
Anyone who grinds daily, gets a fixed coffee, and finds their setting once carefully and then leaves it be. Anyone looking for a reliable GbW system that delivers the same amount grind after grind. Anyone who values clean, accessible cleaning. And anyone who wants a robust, high-quality grinder that convinces in the cup and is very fairly priced.

Secret tip for small gastronomy? Think about it. We'll take a closer look at the grinder for this purpose. The speed speaks for it. The retention is forgivable when a lot of coffee is running—and how practical adjusting between steps is in gastro everyday life, we'll test.

For whom not?
Anyone who frequently switches between roasts and works precisely with the grind setting will suffer from the coarse gradation. But anyway, a single-dose grinder would be the better choice. Anyone who only drinks one or two espressos a day and has long pauses between grinds will feel the temporary retention in the cup. With 6.6 g retention, always run through the grounds before judging a grind change.

Price-to-Performance:
Just under 900 euros for an excellent GbW system, excellent particle distribution, exemplary cleaning, and robust construction—that's very fair. The fact that retention and grind adjustment remain unchanged for years is not a buying obstacle, but an oversight. The potential is there. If Fiorenzato addresses these two points, this is a grinder with serious competitors in this class.

How the Allground Sense Plus stacks up against other GbW grinders, we show in the Grind-by-Weight comparison.

Technical Specifications at a Glance