THE NICHE ZERO - A Home Grinder Hero 

Love to see an updated review now that you’ve been using it

The only con to the Niche is lack of availability.

I am completely in love with the Niche Zero. It looks good, it's relatively quiet and the fact that you can go from perfectly dialed in espresso to much coarser pour over and back again (with no re-dialing in) is simply amazing. When I got the Niche, I actually kept my old grinder to use exclusively with a V60, but I very quickly found out that it wasn't necessary. The Niche does both espresso and pour over better :) As already mentioned, letting it run a few seconds more, then opening the lid and letting it drop, usually takes care of any left over coffee in the grinder/chute :) Oh, and all new Niche's come with the anti-popcorning-disc that works really well! The Niche Zero will be my end-game grinder.

If it's retaining .1g every single time, then that's quite the buildup you've got going inside the Niche. ;) I have the Niche (and absolutely love it), and also have an Acaia scale. I do 18g doses, and 9/10 shots will be 18g in, 18g out. It's pretty rare mine drops to 17.9. After the Niche is finished grinding I still let it run for about 5 seconds, and then I open and then drop the lid shut, which seems to knock out any remaining loose grounds. Regarding static, if you live in a desert, this thing has quite a bit of static. I make 2-4 shots per day, and I have to clean the side of my grinder a couple times per week due to grinds getting all over the place. Regardless, it's not any worse than any other grinder I've owned or tested when it comes to static. Regarding pourover. You're still in the fines in this video, the manual for the niche covers this in a bit more detail. You basically have to adjust the grinder by a full 360 turn coarser to get into medium/coarse territory for pouroveer. For example, if I do Espresso it's around a 16 on the settings. But if I do a 40g Chemex, I'd have to crank it up to around 50 + a full 360 degree turn coarser. The grind sizes written on the grinder are not actually accurate, they are just there as a guide for which direction you need to twist for adjusting for that grind.

Another great video! Just two small critiques, maybe turn the volume of the background music down a little and get a better pop filter for your mic. They're only small things but I think it will up your video quality loads! Another great review 😊

Fr fr I love this guys videos. I’ve been into espresso for about a year, and I don’t watch any espresso videos except his.

Again, a very good coffee equipment review. Loved the joke around grinding speed. I have the k10 WBC for about 5 years now...and it goes from espresso to drip with no sweat. I guess if I had to choose again today the Niche would have been in a good place. Glad to see you got rid of all those clumping you used to get with your previous grinder...gave me the shivers. Keep on posting

Fantastic review! Thank you so much.

Finally got one (nearly 4 years later)! Everything about the most recent release is so premium and polished! Even the flow control disk looks pretty sweet. My wood components don't at first look like they perfectly match, the legs and the dosing cup tray are darker looking but it's just the extra exposed grain on the curved surfaces than the large flat piece attached to the main body but they are very well finished and don't at all look like the cheap "dollar store grade" stuff that many have complained about on the first couple releases.

THANK YOU for testing it with BOTH espresso and pour over. I do both.. but mostly V60, at the moment at least. I seem to always change things up! While I understand that dual purpose grinders aren't generally the best.. I really haven't wanted to sink 750-1000 x2.. for two grinders to replace my old grinder that, sadly, has outlived its useful years. That, and the Niche is pretty. *waves goodbye to 1000 canadian pesos*

Thanks for the review. I just bought one of these myself to replace the Mini Mazzer Electronic i have been using for the past 4.5 years. You were comparing this to your Mazzer but didn't say what model you comparing it against. Its always good to get this information to gain a context of the comparison. Also, be good to know what machine you are using. cheers

Another awesome video, great skills mate keep it up!

I use mine now for two years. The only „problem“ I had was when after cleaning one day I realized that the little silver ball in the black ring of the funnel that points at the setting scale (visible in the video at 7:45 pointing at 25) was missing. I probably lost it, when I cleaned the funnel with some cloth. Only a little blind hole remained in which the ball was rested before. I filled the hole with a dot of white acrylic paint the problem was solved. And that was the only problem I ever had with the little thing. Since it is built quite well, I assume that it will last many more years, should it break down in 5 or 10 years, I would immediately get another one.

Can‘t wait for my black Niche which will arrive in september. ❤️

Big fan of the Niche! Had one since the campaign launch. For mitigating popcorning, I throw on a rubber tamper base on top of the coffee and shut the lid. Works for me. Thanks Asa!

Love it spro the best! 🎄👍😍

Thank you so much for the valuable review. Three things I think make me impressed about Niche Zero: 1. Great grind quality with the NFC installed. 2. Being able to grind both espresso and pour over. With the third wave coffee fashion, one cannot day he/she will only take espresso, or vice versa. Using light/medium roast for pour over or drip, and using darker beans for espresso would be the way to go. As reviewed, this is very valuable and actually missed by a lot of reviewers. 3. Low retention. Actually nowadays, people care so much about industry design but this is the first grinder that I think brings aesthetic insights on it. The other ones looks a little out of time.

For adjusting the grind on this one, apparently you can actually go another full rotation around, so you can go even courser if you wanted to, since it sounds like you didn't get as course as you wanted for the pour-over.

I use a little collapsible silicone measuring cup as an anti-popcorn gasket and bonus it works as a bellows to blow out the tiny bit of grounds that do stick around.

Great review Now you just need a friend with the Lagom P64 😜 would love to see a head to head single dosing, minimal static & retention conical vs SSP flat

🤘I hate popcorning! My espresso machine came with a grinder, so I use a cuisinart for Drip to even cold brew...and that one does it a lot. Not the best of grinders, but a good beginning. Anyway, to get rid of popcorning, I stop the grinder, and let the bean fall in between the burrs... Then turn it on. Kinda like the pulse-mode in a food-processor.

in 10mins, you covered things other couldn't in 20or hell 30mins. Great video especially the pour over part, and the joke about social media :p

Beautiful 🤩

Always watch your vids and enjoy the content but this video was great! Only problem is now I want to wait instead of a cheaper just filter grinder like a Wilva or Baratza I want one of these beauties! Such an aesthetic piece of kit on top of the specs

You need to take a vacation :D Is that Sprometheus beginning to do jokes? I like it

OK I now this is an old video (2 years) - That said I have been on the hunt for a new grinder. I have considered several. I have decided (largely because of your reviews) - Thank you

I'd love to hear about longevity and how easy it is to repair. I wonder if this grinder could work for you over a span of ten years or so. I'm looking at the eureka mignon specialita from Clive because it's a time tested product that I can get all kinds of support for. Still bouncing back and forth between the two...

Thanks for the review. I'd be interested in what grind settings you are using for espresso and pourover. At the moment I do struggle with my V60 brews. The grind setting for espresso is usually around 22-24 for me, for the V60 I'm well beyond the indicated markings -- I usually have to coarsen the grind setting over the 50 mark until I've reached what would be a 80-85 (in fact, the indicator end up pointing at the 1-5 espresso mark).

Thanks for the video. Would be nice to hear the sounds versus the music. I'm really curious to hear what this grinder sounds like. The only reason I would switch from my Sette is for a little peace and quiet and perhaps better durability. It's nice to know the grinder is consistent as far as pass-through. What you test didn't answer is true retention. How many grams of grinds live in the inner workings from day to day?

Thanks for the review on this popular grinder. One thing I did notice is that you use the Fellow vacuum container to store the beans. What’s you opinion on how well these increase the shelf life of the beans?? Could be another video?!

Great video, thanks for the review! I have a Baratza Virtuosc which I use for drip coffee and I’m thinking about upgrading to a single serve grinder as I’m the only one that drinks coffee. I plan on getting an espresso Manuel level machine in the future. I have an Aeropress and a French Press is on the way. Where did you get that cool looking espresso glass and what model scale is that?

man I've been waiting for this!

Hey man, just wondering how this grinder goes with bur expansion and the effect that has on grinds. Do you find you need to run through a couple of "dummy shots" so you can warm up the burs before you get a decent shot? The guy at my local equipment shop (the place i bought my Profitec Pro 700) told me that you have to do this to get a decent espresso? So i was wondering what your thoughts on that were, and if you've found it an issue with wastage with this grinder? I'd appreciate your input, cheers man.

I’m very new to this hobby, my Breville espresso has a built-in conical burr grinder. The max grind size is 30, so if I want to use it for drip coffee. How coarse and how fine should I set the grind size? 🙏 I know to get the best result, one should get a dedicated grinder but will the built in grinder help do the job?

Keep it up man

Don't know if it's already been said but there is a anti popcorn disc you can after install, James Hofmann had one installed.

It would be cool to hear how Fellow’s Ode Brew Grinder stacks up in July.

Great video. What is the cool looking glassware you made the espresso shot into?

The EK absolutely can do both filter and espresso. Obviously, whether or not you want to do so depends on the sort of coffee you are looking to make, and some tweaking of the EK is often required to make sure it's suitable (aftermarket burr selection and alignment). But I go to a cafe that literally single doses every cup of coffee, both espresso and filter, in one grinder. Of course, that doesn't make it a suitable home grinder (though some folks don't seem to mind), and the niche is certainly an amazing value proposition. I considered getting one, and ended up picking the Option-O Lagom 64 (check that out sometime), which is sort of a best of both worlds (well-aligned ssp flats in a more home friendly package, price, and size than, say, an EG-1).

Love the review. Where did you get the stainless cup that you grind into that's the same size as the portafilter basket?

Hey Sprometheus, I‘m saving up for a Niche myself. Could you do another video on your thoughts on the Niche after owning one now? It’s hard to justify a $700 grinder as a college student right now. Any extra input would be appreciated!

I gotta say I don't buy the conical vs flat burr changing the flavor profile. With my Niche I would say I generally get a pretty good balance of fruity and chocolatey. In fact on one of the beans I used recently I got much more of a nutty/caramel/chocolate flavor profile when the roaster claims there are flavors of cherry and other berries along with the other flavors I mentioned earlier. I think a lot of that debate is coffee people living in their own heads.

Hi, is it a clean machine to use or is there grinds escaping on the workbench , thank you

Great video. keep it up. Actually think of getting a Rocket Appartamento and this Niche zero to replace my old machine. hah

I'm currently researching components for my first espresso setup, and I'm noticing that a lot of people have this grinder and are happy with it. What do you do if it needs a repair, though? I was planning on buying my espresso machine through somewhere like Seattle Coffee Gear because you can send it back to them for maintenance if needed, but they don't sell the Niche Zero, so that wouldn't be an option. I don't see anything on Niche's website about that, either.

Try to keep your camera in focus! Love your content excited for you with the launch of full time RU-vid!

As someone with a Mazzer mini frustrated with constant purging and wastage, I’m keen to know if you’ve sold your Mazzer and moved on to the niche with no regrets? Keep up the awesome content

I've had my NZ for 4 months now, and so far, popcorning is the only very minor issue I've had with it. I use an inverted blind basket to help with this issue. I'm a newbie to the world of espresso, so ease of dialing in the grinder, calibrating, and cleaning were important for me. The NZ is terrific on all these fronts. Also, I'm saving a lot of money because there's virtually no coffee wastage. I can't imagine a better single-dose grinder for the cost. There are so many espresso machines for home use at a fairly reasonable cost . But single-dose grinders? Not so much, as far as I can see. The NZ is filling a huge hole in this market. As others have mentioned, I, too, was a bit concerned about customer support for this new product. But the company has been extremely responsive to my questions. My sense about them is that they are very personally vested in the NZ and really care about customer satisfaction.

I have mazzer mini e with SJ burrs, would I notice any differences with the Niche (both for drip and espresso)?

Hi. I know this is not a fair comparison but would you rather have a ECM V-Titan 64 grinder instead of the Niche? I have a chance to buy a used one for about the same price as a Niche. At the end of the day I am making 1-2 drinks max per day.

What is a good alternative for Niche Zero? since it is not available right now for purchase and the lead time is pretty long.

thx. popcorning is solved now with a little plastic cap. can be refitted easily and cheap. works fine for me. design is a bit ugly but ok. in europe customs it is expensive now. about 750 Eur incl. tax / customs. would buy it again. my eureka speciality is not used anymore since my niche moved in... have a nice day and thx, fx

Do you have the NFC disk already?

What espresso glasses is he using, they look great.

The adjustment is stepless. Is it possible you were turning the pointer/calibration ring...as that does click?

Great video. What chisel distribution tool are you using?

Two years later and Lance Hedrick tore the Niche to shreds, fun times.

I’ll defo buy this if I can convince my parents to let me 😂

Is the grind quality good enough for the linea mini? Saving up for a LMLM now and just received the Niche currently using for Chemex.

It looks wonderful, except that it’s quite expensive, IMO. Niche is getting great reviews, and I hope their success leads them to higher production volume and lower prices.

Great easy review, Where can you buy this?

Can anyone tell me where I can find the bean beverage?

Nice review. One major gripe I have is the metal cup that is used. For finer grinds like espresso, there is a lot of static retention of the grinds on the side and bottom of the cup. It almost negates the hype of zero retention. I end up having to waste an extra gram or two to fill the porta-filter. Wish they had gone with a ceramic cup instead.

Good review. Did they give you any idea how long on the wait list?

Did anyone upgraded to Niche Zero from a Rancilio Rocky? How big is the difference?

I really wanted one initially when choosing an espresso grinder but a lack of long term reviews made me choose the Eureka Mignon Specialita. I don't have a need for this grinder now but am so tempted to buy one. A few complaints I've heard is focused on quality control. This company has changed factories since release and the quality has gone down according to some. I think one complaint was that a dense bean will choke the grinder. Though not a lot of people have complained about this so it could be a defective grinder. Anyway I can see myself buying one of these later on but I'm happy with my Encore and Specialita.

The EK does espresso and filter with the same burr set . The modern burr sets are very flexible

What is that bean container on the counter?

the ROK grinder is the same and cheaper but it is manual also I did an experiment 4 months ago storing coffee in humidity controlled environment and it preserved the coffee freshness and eliminated the static James Hoffman also did a video after trying it and had similar results you can watch my video on my channel we used boveda 69 humidity pack with 250g bag of coffee and still tasty and fresh to this day try it your self andd if you have any questions I will be happy to answer them

Niche zero and mazzer mini A. Which is good???

Looks good, was surprised at time/18g....not that 14 secs is long but my k30 vario does at 20g dose in 5.7secs...bought it due to low grind retention compared to conical... 0.1 is amazing... Nope I'm sticking with the malkonig/synkronika combo but great vids there☕👍

You can go further than the 20 points on the dial for filter. I tried mine around 400 degrees from the 0 point and that gave mice coffee for V60

For the grind retention experiment, did you clean the grind chamber every time to check how much ground coffee left in it?

Whats that scale, you have a link for it??

I’ve seen a few videos now and the overall review it’s a good product. I haven’t seen it advertised or available from any store. So where do you buy it from?

Who ordered this one from USA. How much is going to cost me a white one including shipping cost and taxes? I know I cannot order it right now. Just curious for future

Okee... unrelated to the video itself, but where did you buy those espresso cups!?

What might also be interesting is to see how much of the 18g you put in on top are actually coming out at the bottom. This is particular relevant for a single dose grinder that invites to frequent bean changes. How much of the last roast do I get in the new one?

I love this grinder but I’m not a fix-it person and I would need to ensure their is and will be future support from the company. Do you have any info about this? And can it really grind for French press as well? Have you tried it? I’m looking to buy a grinder for pour overs and French press. I have a ceado e6p for espressos.

Your Niche doesn’t have the plastic plate above the burrs in this vid, did you get one fitted? It solves the popcorning and gives perfect solution to the single dosing issue, that being the last beans ground don’t have weight on top of them like the first ones do, so they get ground up differently. NFC disk or something I think...

What dosing cup do you use, bro? I have the rhinowares dosing cup and it is way too thick up top leaving a rimmed gap around the edge of my filter basket.

What are your thoughts on the Sette 270wi? I’m so close to pulling the trigger and buying it.

Would you recommend the eureka atom 75?

The idea that a grinder would retain less grounds would be amazing. I am hoping there is at least something designed that is easier to clean out.

Looking to upgrade my home espresso setup. Going to do my grinder upgrade first. If I bought a grinder like this, would you feel comfortable pairing this with a Linea mini?

Amazing video as always...But would it really go course enough for like a 1/2 liter Chemex? 🤔

I have a niche now and a LM. What is your grind setting for the blue bottle Hayes valley or 17ft ceiling? I believe you’ve used that coffee before

So basically, over time it is always retaining .1 grams which accumulate and should theoretically come out at some point of time. It’s surely not gonna eat or evaporate that. Would be interesting to know when that happens. Yes, that is the case with any grinder, which is why I always weigh my grounds after grinding.

I’ve not been wanting a single dose grinder, until now. Can you comment on repeatability and adjustability? Here are the cases: 1) You dial in a shot at, say, 25s. Are the next few shots 24-26 seconds, or do they wander? (My Mazzer Mini w/ doser generally grinds the second shot finer than the first one morning.) Of course, I expect fine tweaks as ambient humidity and temperature change, but how stable is the grinder itself? 2) How smooth and predictable are adjustments? Let’s say you pull a 30s shot and want 27s. Do you nail it in one or two shots, or is it hit and miss? 3) You’ve nailed your espresso grind and then slam it open for a V60 grind. Turn the adjustment back to your espresso grind number. Does it nail the previous shot length, or does it just get in the ballpark and need to be dialed in again? Also, any feelings about cleaning and maintenance? Much appreciated!

Great video like always. I would like to add something about retention, putting 18.0 in and taking 17.9 out doesn't mean retention is 0.1g it is possible that some of the coffee that comes out is coffee that was already there

Hi Asa, I’m thinking I’ll pickup this grinder for myself as I need an upgrade from the built in grinder on my Breville barista express and I’m also wanting to be able to brew drip coffee. My question is more about the breville barista express. How does it hold up purely as an espresso brewer when paired with a nicer grinder such as this. Will the breville be hindering the results I can achieve from this grinder significantly? Not sure if you’ve worked much with a barista express but any feedback would help. Cheers

As far as I know the EK43 DOES NOT require burr swap for pour over. At least when I was into them, they were originally a bulk grinder for courser grinds, and you had to “chirp” the burrs (reset) for espresso. I think you could still manage a V60 grind once reset, but certainly if you got EKK43 (dual head) no problem. I never got into grind retention with the EK, but it wasn’t much and you could definitely single dose. I completely disagree with conical burrs bringing out fruit notes over flat burrs. With the EK(93mm flat burrs), I could easily taste everything clearly as opposed to my OE Pharos which has similar burrs as the Mazzers common in shops 68mm conical burrs, vs 73mm conical burrs.I believe the SIZE of the burrs in the EK + flat burrs gives a more consistent grind which allows for more precise brewing. The conical burrs produce a range of particle sizes and thus more uneven brews. The Niche BTW has 63mm conical burrs, so theoretically the Mazzer and Pharos should produce better grinds.

Had mine a week, now. It is an awesome home grinder! You keep your beans fresh and only grind what you are going to use. You weigh before you grind, so no waste. It grinds into the, surprisingly high quality, 58mm doser. Just invert the portafiller, put it over the doser and turn it back over - perhaps give it a little shake? Go on, you know you want to. : ) Oh, and the ease of changing settings: I make espresso, the Mrs, cafetiere. (What is 'French Press, anyway?). Why would you use a modified/make-do commercial type with a hopper full of stale beans, when this is designed specifically for what you want at home?

Considering fruitier notes with the conical vs bolder more chocolatey notes with the flats would you suggest that maybe the mazzer is a better choice for milk based drink drinkers...?

Sprometheus! Thanks for the video, super informative on the Niche Zero. Question - where did you get your coffee bean container, with the black top and green indicator? Cheers ! :)

I'm extra so I bake my poptart in an air fryer. I also have a niche zero. In my experience my niche started out really well but slowly it started to generate more and more static. Isn't too much for me to matter as much but enough for me to notice.

Nice video! Comparison sake, which type of Mazzer did you use before? I always assumed it was a major or a robur? What makes me very curious tho is, why go in detail about taste? As a Mazzer Kony in principle should have the same taste profile. I see the whole Niche 'revolution' as everyone getting konies, with little retention, small footprint, apparently little static and a bit of popcorning that will be fixed/ addressed soon. I'd say Niche nailed it with this product when it comes to home-brew users. The only things it has to show for is longevity and durability... and design. The base looks too much like a toy, the entire thing even.

Hey man what is that bean holder jar you are using? I want one

Hi Bud, pls tell me if you didn't waste real freshly roasted beans ?? :) btw, I hope you are safe and well in the midst of this crazy ordeal. You are awesome as usual.

I have Niche Zero but now I want E65s GBW