IMPORTANT: If you see an ad on RU-vid for a site selling this grinder for a very low price: IT IS A SCAM! Please report the ad if you can. (Sorry to make the pinned comment about this, but it is a real issue)
It is beautiful, it's like watching a little adorable robot from a pixar movie. You should be proud, James tend to dislike everything ha ha, this product of yours gave me hope again :)
Yep. At first I was "okay nice grinder", but every single new video it's right there on camera and it makes me think that if James Hoffman himself is using one months and months after review without ever mentioning it - it must be one hell of a good grinder :D
@@Reynevan100 It looks very nice (on video), it's compact so it's it doesn't take up much space in frame and is easy to move around, it's good and consistent, it has very little retention and it's an British brand, I'm sure that means something to him as well.
I got my Niche Zero recently and came back to watch this, it's worth noting that since the release of this video, Niche have addressed the "popcorning" issue by adding a little plate over the burrs inside the coffee funnel, it prevents beans from popping back out and works quite well!
Just to mention, "pop-corning" is promptly addressed by the Niche - they have now NFC disks. And I just had an update, that states: "All new orders will include the NFC disk pre-fitted." Great work Niche! I'm more than happy to support manufacturers, that listen to the problems of their customers!
I was one of the first 100 Indiegogo backers and from forum traffic late in 2018 probably the 2nd person to receive theirs once the 'perk' was 'fulfilled' hence I have about 9 months using the Niche now (and previously used Macap, Mazzer and Ceado grinders through many years). Good balanced review and echoes that it isn't designed for machine-gunning dosed shots to a queue of customers in the commercial world, simply a superb, low-priced (by coffee equipment standards!) grinder that handles home made espresso, moka-pot, cafetiere and brewed coffee and happily partners with high-end kit. I agree on the popcorning and unless/until a lid with an additional insert is introduced my simple fix has been to use the clear plastic lid of a Pringles carton on the beans reducing the distance those splinters can travel and stopping any from falling outside the edge of the lid :-)
I wish i could recreate this guys passion levels. If he hates or loves anything to do with coffee he just shows incredible passion for his trade. Probably one of the reasons he is so successful.
Sorry, unrelated comment: I sat down to watch this in my studio. Halfway through the video my assistant (who's never seen one of James' videos) walks in and goes "Oooooh my gosh what a soothing voice! I could listen to this guy ALL DAAAAAAAAY!" 😂
Yes.....agree re the soothing voice. @jameshoffman ....I don't want to imply that you send me to sleep but I find if I watch one of your videos just before bedtime.....I get to sleep really quickly!
I love my Niche. It is a gorgeous machine that just works. I also love that most of the issues here have been resolved. The anti-popcorn disk is genius and works like a charm. You can now have a flat burr set, if you wish. More colours are available. We understand how to repeatably grind coarser for pour-over/filter methods. Sure, my grinder cost ~3x the price of my espresso machine, but I'm good with that too.
I have one of these. It has been with me this last year. Im very happy with it. It is my first grinder. Sometimes I have problems with the adjustment but nothing serious. It is small, minimalist, not noisy, ... what else. Love it. It fits perfectly in my small kitchen.
I had watched your terrific review of the Niche Zero and after a year I decided to purchase one of the new black models. I have become a mad scientist checking on the retention levels of the Niche using different coffee beans and grind sizes. I can honestly say the retention level isn’t “amazing small” It as become a non issue. I have never had anything larger than two tenths of a gram. And in a Great majority of measurements, it’s one tenth or zero retention. I do have a method to keep it this low, and I find it simple. +++Just tap on the top of Niche with some exuberance a few times.+++ I
Using it for about a year now and I'm impressed. Great for using if you try different beans for espresso as it's quick to dial in. Pour over can be a bit tricky, especially with the marks going up to 50 but sometimes I need to go past the marks for a coarser grind (especially for larger batches and especially for cold drip/cold brew). But overall really good!
I took the risk during the preorder phase and have been using mine for a while now. What didn't get mentioned (directly) is the ability to change between espresso and filter coffee. The dialing stays the same, so if it was 17 for espresso, it's going to be 17 later as well, even if you do filter coffee in between. I do this adjustment almost daily, morning coffee through Moccamaster and later during the day some other variety (cappuccino usually).
Hey just wanna ask, what dial setting are you using for filter coffee(take v60 for example)? I cant seem to find a right setting for it. Had been getting a heavier bodied coffee with this grinder, which I dont prefer. So just wanna understand the preference on everyone’s filter setting.
Michael Burman hi I really want to order this Grinder but the whole contribution buying phase scares the hell out of me, in the small print it says many times that there is no guarantee you will get it, how did you pluck up the courage to put the money down do you think it’s a risk worth taking, and do you think when they start selling this properly it will be much more expensive? Would love to hear your thoughts
@@dylanthedyslexicvillain4294 I think you better contact Niche Coffee for that one, but I assumed at this point it's a guaranteed buy already (it's no longer preorder).
They fixed the popcorning problem by adding this: "The Niche Flow Control Disc is a simple after-market installation for first generation Niche Zero grinders. Please note that current Niche Zero models come with the Niche Flow Control Disc pre-installed. The small (40mm), clear disc is made from food grade polycarbonate. When installed into the bean funnel, the Niche Flow Control Disc prevents 'pop-corning' - coffee beans jumping around the funnel prior to being fully fed into the burrs. Because the Niche Flow Control Disc feeds beans into the burrs at a steady pace the grind consistency is also improved."
Placing a portafilter BACKFLUSH DISK upside down on top of the beans will minimize the popcorn effect. Been using mine for 6 months now and love it. Sold my K10 Barista Pro and never looked back. Because I don't have to sweep out the grinder and double weigh the grinds, the speed to make a shot is much faster. The price point is stunning for the build quality and taste performance.
I do the same... pour the beans into the funnel, invert a blind portafilter basket over the beans, start the Niche. No muss, no fuss, no popcorning beans dancing about. I am very happy with my Niche Zero.
@@Cenot4ph The Sette range of grinders have a cover that you can rotate into place. It's not intended for this purpose, it's intended to prevent the beans from falling out the bottom if you remove the hopper, but it handles that well, just as long as you close it as soon as the beans allow you to. I suspect that any grinder with an equivalent feature is probably going to be able to do that.
My best investment in coffee gear by far. 350GBP when published on Indigogo bought me a considerable upgrade from my Mazzer Mini E. No need to waste coffee, dialing for Turkish and then back to espresso with no purge at all, easy to clean and usable when grinding directly into the Portafilter using a funnel. Probably the last grinder I will ever need.
I remember in an earlier video you don't have an espresso machine at your home. If you were to get a consumer/prosumer level espresso machine for home what would it be? I'm moving house and looking at Gaggia Classic Pro if you have thoughts
Being in manufacture myself I am struggling to see £500 of value for something that probably costs South of £100 to manufacture and uses lots of plastic plus still has ussues. The value is in the design...but £500....really? I've noticed, perhaps somewhat cynically, how the coffee scene currently seems to equate value and pricing as if we were dealing with high end hifi and not pretty basic technology which is what it is at the end of the day. Probably as it's the preserve of those with a lot if disposable income. There seem to be many older flat burr grinders made better that do a better job for less...and which do not popcorn. It does not justify its price...at £250 it makes sense. At £500....it does not. Not for me anyway.
Love mine, filter coffee brewed with is comparable to good hand grinders, knock etc. You need to go past coarse setting for chemex and perhaps v60 coffee dose dependent
Hello James For the popcorning issue, they actually fixed it by adding a part called Niche Flow Control Disc. You can buy it for $10 I think. Thank you for your review, I wish I can afford to buy this coffee grinder one day.
@@StePayne1983 popcorning isnt the issue, its the inconsistency created by having the last few beans popcorn. the disk makes the flow consistent so even if the beans bounce they are all flowing into the burrs at the same rate making a better overall shot.
@@demoniack81 It's free the $10 is for shipping it. Also the disk is included since Feb. How do you figure it's over priced compared to what else is on the market? Or are burr grinders in general out of your price range?
@@durkadur27 I'm not even taking blade grinders into account, they seem horrible to me and if you don't want to buy a burr grinder you may as well just buy preground coffee. Point is you can buy decent conical burr grinders for 100-160€ (Graef CM702, CM800) and excellent ones for 250-350€ (Baratza 30, Baratza 270); I'm sure there's many other good ones I'm leaving out. The only trick the Niche has up its sleeve is the low retention, which is just a function of how the grinder is angled and doesn't justify this massive price hike with anything other than "because we can". Is that really worth 200 to 400€? I don't know Rick, seems overpriced to me, but maybe it's just me. 10$ to ship something that comfortably fits many times over in a 1€ envelope is still ridiculous, especially considering that it came out to fix a design flaw in a supposedly premium product that costs *550€.* It should have been free of charge.
I am a happy nice grinder zero user for about almost a year right now. I am so happy to see this review which i am quite totally agree with. I use this grinder especially for filter coffee and I have to say I have always pleaseant results. As for the pop corning i do the same thing some other did, I stop for a second and turn on again. Other interesting aspect, especially compared to the encore is that is less noisy (i don't know if you thought the same). Beautiful design, easy to take away with you. A beautiful indie gogo story this time. The only issue (talking from Italy) is the price; for home use in Italy people thought that this grinde is just too expensive. But I think we will hear always more about the guys from Niche! Thanks for the video!
Hi Lucas. I just ordered my Niche through Indigo. Should arrive to my home in Austin, TX be the end of the month. I do not make espressos. I make Chemex and French press. What settings do you use? Will this machine do a consistent coarse enough grind? I'm currently using Baratza Virtuoso+. Also, It seems the burr on the Niche is of much higher quality than the Baratza. Thanks so much.
@@jacobpetersen5662 no problem at all! You can rotate as much as you want to go coarser on coarser and the consistency is really really good (i use chemex too). The burr quality is very good and the grinder is much more silent compared to other :)
@@CoffeeAndLucas At 63mm, the price is unbelievable Affordable I think. The 42 on my Baratza Virtuoso lacks a tiny bit for me. I'm hoping the Niche to be a tad more consistent in its grinds. I just ordered it this morning through Indigo. SUPER stoked! Thanks for the quick reply Lucas. Glad to hear I'll be good with the Chemex and French press.
I bought one of these a few months ago after spending some time reading reviews of early backers on certain coffee forums and it's as good as they said it would be. That said, make one in red dammit!
AllaMortify hi how did you pluck up the courage to put the money down and back this product when there was no guarantee you would actually receive it, I really want to buy one but I’m worried about putting the money down just in case I won’t get it do you think it’s a risk worth taking? Also do you think when this product comes to market properly it will be much more expensive thanks
@@dylanthedyslexicvillain4294 Ok, firstly, I followed a number of long threads on the progress and release of Niche Zero on coffeeforums.co.uk These detailed initial reviews of the grinder and then overtime people receiving their grinders as they were sent out in monthly production runs. As such, I could be confident in both the quality of the product and the certainty of receiving it. I have not seen anything to suggest anyone has not received their order and they have (I think by now) sold a couple of thousand of them. At the moment, Niche fulfil orders in runs each month consisting of 50 white and 50 black. I presume that is because that is what they have the capacity to manufacture. I don't know of any plan to change that, as such asking about "when this comes to market properly" is not something I can answer. It is entirely possible that they don't plan on scaling up production for some time as necessarily it would require significant investment to do so. To reiterate what I said before, it is well worth buying if you're serious about your coffee and don't want to pick up a 2nd hand commercial grinder. HTH.
AllaMortify thank you for your reply that does put my mind at rest a little, I think I am going to get one of these it does seem for the price point the best zero retention grinder out there thank you
@@dylanthedyslexicvillain4294 Cool. You'll not regret it. I suggest watching the following vid by DaveC from coffeeforums.co.uk on the grinder, it's pretty helpful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4lMoJqp-Rw.html
Except for having undersized (cheap) conical blades, this box is just trash. Nothing special, many people receive with loose motor mounts. Funny to see one brit push another brit's company who thumbed it's nose to the UK and it's rich history of manufacturing. And dont tell me you need sweatshop labor to make a metal box with a motor and blade for 700$. Shame on both of you. Niche started the race to the bottom. I love concial but I bought myself a DF64. Mind you I have a Compak K10 and Eurkea Olympus. So again, reject Niche not for their product but for their shady practices and reliance on the "Hype" business model. Same goes for Kafatek but at least they build it at home.
@@Carroty_Peg For espresso, 1500$ and under Eureka. From 1000 and up, Compak. Just stick to 64mm+ Flats and 68mm conical. If you can afford it, anything from Mahlkonig. And ignore people who complain about retention. Retention never hurt anyone LOL Also, without knowing you, I think the Atom 75 would be your best choice, Atom 65 if you cant afford the 75.
not pretentious at all dude. Coffee people are in search of the best tools to get that 'god cup' and the stuff either works or is doesn't. Not like a pair of shoes where it's all perspective.
Pretty much my feelings and I also added one to my coffee stuff collection and no longer use the Ceado E92. It made a change to actually have something that was pleasurable to use....perhaps I am getting old ;)
Thank you both for the videos you have posted on this. I stumbled across it on coffee forum UK and I was considering ordering one today, so when I saw the notification on my iPad I was eager to watch this review... I’ll be ordering a white one tonight!
@@jameshoffmann Yes, even more so now the burrs have bedded in on the long term test US grinder.. It makes a great cupping grinder with small samples pulled from a roaster (no contamination), showcasing different coffees one after the other, mobile trainers etc.. I like that it's a British design and we still have skills to be proud of in the UK. Niche deserve to do well and I think it will have a positive impact on grinders developed for the domestic market. Most importantly of all, quality coffee is a precious resource and the Niche doesn't waste it!
Hi James. Might you please be so kind as to review the new Niche Duo? Also, the new Weber SG-1 That Lance Hedrick just got a pre-release of, 11 days ago. (Ok, kidding about the SG-1, it was a hilarious video. But really, really pretty please with excellently brewed high sweetness coffee on top, about the Duo. I'm considering the Timemore 78S but think I want the future ability to try High Uniformity burrs.) Thanks kindly, Aryeh
Hi James, nice video. I have been using the NZ for almost 2 months now and really LOVE it! I use it for espresso and V60 mainly. You made all the great points and I just want to highlight how I try to tame the popcorning problem. I actually stop the grinder the moment the last few beans started popcorning and this allow the beans to settle into the burr and after a second, I started the grinder again and the rest of the beans just get into the burr easily without further popcorning. I am not sure would this help in ensuring a more consistent grind for the last few beans but it certainly annoys me MUCH MUCH lesser than seeing the popcorning going on for a few seconds. What do you think?
This would be my usecase for a grinder, v60 and espresso, so very interested to hear how much you love it with such a genuinely... strangely affordable, good grinder definitely thinking I might pick this up now after this video and reading through the comments!
@@gaagail can you share how you did the plastic cover for your niche zero? I wanted to do the same but the design mechanism of the NZ requires the lid to be closed before the grinder can operate.
I found this channel quite unexpectedly, and have to say that I absolutely love it. Not only is the content informative, but the presentation style is so neat and cohesive that I believe absolutely every word I heard. Really well done!
0:55 PID-Controlled Espresso Machine by Gleb Polyakov and Igor Zamlinsky 1,546 backers pledged $369,56 The product: $200 espresso Machine that was claimed be better than the rancilio Silvia with aftermarket PID Never was delivered
Decent Espresso was born out of Polyakov’s failed ZPM Espresso Kickstarter experiment, and we all know how that turned out :) a great article to shed more light on the whole story: www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/magazine/zpm-espresso-and-the-rage-of-the-jilted-crowdfunder.html
The Niche Zero isn't perfect but I think it represents something bigger. How we think about and make espresso and coffee in general is going through some big changes and the market is starting to react. The Niche Zero is part of this shift in a market they has been fairly slow to react and adapt. The Decent machine is as well. I love seeing all these new, odd, but heavily researched and incredibly will designed products coming out. The next 10 years look like they're going to be very exciting.
I'm wondering if it's possible that we can see some more high-end, single-dosing, home/lab-intended grinder reviews in this channel. There're EG1, monolith out there, but the insight is scarce. Perhaps in the future James you can make a vid about it, touching the pinnacle of the pyramid?
holy shit he talks so fucking niche ahahaha, amazing how much rabbit holes exist in the world. super impressive his knowledge just to get a good coffee cup.
20 seconds! I think i'm just broken because anything about 5s bothers me. But I'm a Robur fan. But, wow, this does look nice! My only critical comment is that I feel you left off price a bit. For $600USD you could get 4 of these for 1 Robur or EK43 or Mythos One. To come anything close is amazing for a fraction of the cost.
I've been using mine for almost a year now. I roast my own coffee and I have 40 origins with maybe 8 to 10 'on the go' at a time. To get my target of 18.6g of beans, 25 second pour, 25g of pour with 9 bar on the pressure dial I have a grind setting for each bean. I thought initially that I would have to keep adjusting those numbers whenever I changed anything, like clean the grinder, re-zero the calibration etc. But in fact the repeatability is so good that I have exactly one number for each bean (15 through 22) and that number remains accurate over different roasts, over cleaning and re-calibrating, and if I grind 9.3 grams each of two beans or 6.2 grams each of three different beans, I can grind each with its own number and get absolute repeatability. If I grind a bean one number too high (or too low) I will see the pressure go above 9 bar (or below), and the pour will be slower (or quicker). If I combine two beans and grind them with a number which is the average for the two beans things go slightly out of kilter: It depends which bean gets into the PF first, the too coarse or the too fine. Easiest just to grind each bean separately - unless of course they have the same grind number. Luckily there are a lot of '17' beans. Coming from a cheaper grinder (the Rancilio Rocky) I absolutely love the precision and repeatability and the zero retention. The Rocky lasted me 13 years but has around 3g to 5g of retention. The NZ has negligible retention. I used to just use 'one scoop' with the Rocky and weighing accurately would not increase 'repeatability' of the pour very much. Now I see a repeatable difference in the pour between 18.2g and 18.6g of beans (Equivalent to about 0.5 in grind setting). Never going back!
Hi Patrick! Retention aside how would you rate the grind quality of the niche zero in comparison with your old rancilio rocky? Do you also use the niche zero for pour over? If yes, what’s your feedback?
Flat vs. Concical.... can we talk about this please? I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that it doesn’t matter, and it’s the length of the burr path that is influencing taste (flat burrs tend to have a longer burr path than conical). Does your flavour preference hold true if comparing a tiny flat burr against a giant conical?
I'd love to see you revisit the Niche now that the NFC disk is available. Personally I've seen a full removal of the popcorn effect, a more consistent grind, and less static.
I guess the reason is because of the precision of particule distribution in flat burr grinders. Conical are a bit more uneven, in some situation it can be a good thing since it’s acting as a “buffer” during extraction, but the result is always a bit less complex than the one you get with flat burrs set. When flat burrs are dialed in, the shots are amazing, but they are a bit “difficult” to use since they’re less forgiving when not precisely dialed. That’s my point of view, but I feel like James would answer you a bit more clearly ;) Cheers !
@@CarolePlatine Sounds like conical burs since they give you more variation, you'd actually get more complexity no? I have heard from fruitier wild coffee flavours conical is generally better, but I think it really depends on the design and specific machine more than anything. Who knows.
I love watching your videos, man. Sometimes I'm stressed and need to escape and your detailed, interesting, and original content (on topics that completely diverge from my daily life) is just perfect sometimes.
8:52 Thank you so much for making a point of this. For months, I've been questioning the reliability of my hand grinder for producing variable sizes. But the "popcorning" makes complete sense in how the final result will end up. Great work as always James!
This is a year later so you may be doing something else by now, but I've started double-grinding with my hand grinder (set at a slightly larger size because most of the chunky pieces will get ground smaller in the second pass) and it's made a surprising difference for the better in the grind consistency I'm getting out of it. Bonus is that it smooths put most of the popcorned pieces coz they tend to go in first on the second pass.
These reviews appeal to my helplessly obsessive/tweaker/nerdy/gadget-slave side, tilting me dangerously towards the black hole of that next level of at-home coffee obsessiveness. Someone hold me... (and hide my wallet)
ZPM. Became Decent Espresso. For reference: www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/magazine/zpm-espresso-and-the-rage-of-the-jilted-crowdfunder.amp.html
I've been watching LOTS of your videos and I keep seeing you use this grinder in many videos and now I finally know what it is and you can't buy it anywhere =(
Sounds like my favourite Sunday morning! - make it (real) Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and a perfectly soft-boiled goose egg (7 minutes from boiling or 11 from cold) and you have reached perfection!
Don't... it's just a status symbol for hipsters like those Juicero things. You can buy perfectly good grinders for under 100$. They just don't look as sleek.
Thanks for the review. I was an early backer on Indiegogo and have had the Niche Zero for months. I really wanted the (near) zero retention and this grinder has been great. Grind adjustment is so easy, and its quiet.
Steve Frankel I would really like to buy this product but to be honest the whole backer payment thing scares the hell out of me it says in the small print that you’re not guaranteed to receive the product how did you pluck up the courage to put the money down? And do you think when this comes to market properly it will be much more expensive? Would really love to hear your thoughts thanks
@@dylanthedyslexicvillain4294 Its in Full Production now. Way past the risky stage. They have shipped thousands of units already. No known issues so far. Best addition to my set up, ever...
Hardly Germaine, but this fellow has it all: the Harry Potter face, the magnificent hair, the gentle authoritative voice, the big hands, the parchment skin.
turkish coffee is shit. I mean the coffee beans not the making. they are selling shit coffee in turkey and we are so used to it that we think it is delicious. it is absolutely not. you can try good coffee and then results might be amazing
Well, I’m more referring to the method. The extremely finely ground beans and using the little copper pot. It’s interesting to how it’s brewed and we don’t get to see it very often in the third-wave cafes. In fact, I’ve probably been to 25-30 third-wave cafes in the US and I have not seen it yet.
it is kinda like the espresso but finer than that, you drink the particles too as there is no filter. but it has a unique taste to it. I didn't try it with a quality coffee yet but I'm sure it's going to be something crazy. hope to see it on this channel in near future.
Really terrific content. I'd like to express my appreciation to you for putting effort into honest, balanced and always insightful reviews. Your channel helped me dial in exactly how far I need to go in terms of equipment, process and knowledge to get truly enjoyable coffee with the amount of effort I'm willing to put in. For me that meant replacing my crusty old filter coffee maker with a nice new Breville/Sage Precision (happily bought via the link in your review), and sticking with good old Peet's (I'm in the SF Bay Area). Throwing you a virtual high five, James!
I brought a Niche to replace my hand grinder and have never looked back. It's pretty, it does a fantastic job, it's (relatively) quiet and generally makes me happier making coffee. The downside is that I am now drinking more coffee. Which means buying more beans. Oh and the amount of caffeine that I now consume could become a problem should I stop.
That awkward moment when you have a stupidly expensive commercial espresso machine handlined into a custom cabinet and an Amazon grinder.....(legit just ordered this grinder after deep diving down the rabbit hole)
@@Joshua-go4vz it was a Kickstarter back in 2013 that ended up with the founders selling the IP rights to Decent after two years of delay. People that backed the project got burned fairly badly and never received anything. Suffice to say, people were somewhat perturbed.
Only on indiegogo page and as soon as they put preorders it goes out of stock. You have to check that page and order when they put new units for preorders.
Early adopter & it's a terrific grinder - use it with my ACS Vesuvius machine. To avoid 'popcorning' I place the plastic top of a Pringles can over the beans. Close lid, flick switch & job done. Simple!
I'm thinking about buying this grinder for a long time. For now, I have too many other spendings, but I hope to be able to buy this within next year or so. I chose this one because I want to have one grinder for both: filtered coffee and espresso. Niche has easy grind adjustment and in addition, it's quite small. It's nice to hear your words of approval as I know your reviews are always honest and well thought.
Certainly, I'm pleased with mine. The popcorning is relatively minor, the ease of use and consistency are king. I find the adjustments highly responsive to small tweaks as a batch of beans ages. I dose directly into my portafilter with a funnel resting atop the basket, I used the centering screw for the wooden base to retain a PF cradle so the workflow is even more streamlined.
julianjump1 home barista attempts to answer it here (post #5): www.home-barista.com/reviews/niche-zero-grinder-review-t57516.html Tl:dr version: it can be compared to an EK43 for consistency and single dosing. It is quieter and faster than the Vario. I’ve got a Vario so upgrading isn’t the right word but if you’re deciding between the two, looks to me that Niche is better even with the slight price difference
@@AmitManocha, I have a Vario as well, but it grinds faster than James says - He mentioned the NZ grinds 18.5 g in 20 seconds. Mine varies from 12-16 seconds, depending on the coffee etc. What I don't like about the Vario is that if you decide to grind for filter coffee, you have to dial it in again afterwards (it won't necessarily be the same setting as before). I love with the NZ, that you can mark your espresso grind setting, set the grind to a coarser filter setting, then just dial it back to your mark, and be assured that the grind will be the same as before. I am considering the NZ seriously now :)
So I used to be a barista at Martin's local shop. They would come to our cuppings and we'd have at length discussions about what we did and didn't like about grinders from our mythos and ek to the more traditional home ones. One day they brought in the zero and left it with us to play with and give feedback. I ended up testing it and I found it was a joy to use but I encountered some of the problems highlighted, we discussed attachments for feeding larger volumes of coffee etc. I was blown away by its consistency over particulate size. So often grinders claim to handle filter and espresso but realistically can only manage one or the other with any reliability. Long term I hope they make some minor changes and having seen the design work I'd he surprised if they weren't backwards compatible allowing long time owners to benefit. To parrot James, has anyone else had much experience with the niche zero? What did you like/dislike/think could be improved?
Thanks again for this review. Just like the La Pavoni Manual Lever Facebook Owners Group, we have a FB support group also for the Niche Zero. facebook.com/groups/NicheZeroOwners/
Great video! This is how you do the second marker for anyone that is interested. 1: Set the grinder to 50. 2: With grinder set to 50 put A SECOND mark at 0 (I just used a blob of tippex). 3: You should now have 2 markers; the original marker at 50 and a second (tippex) marker at 0. 4: now set the second (tippex) marker to 20 (for reference the original marker will be around the back of the dial around where the allen key socket is). With this technique I set the Niche to around 65 for V60. I've also been using the 4:6 V60 method which needs a slightly coarser grind and for that I'm set around 80. I've had mine from launch, love it, great tasting coffee, really easy to use and switches between filter and espresso without a problem.
