I would really like to play in the conical grinder space for a while, I do not want to single dose, I don't want a hand grinder, I want something smallish and on the low/middle price tier.
I basically want a Niche Zero, with timed grinding and a hopper. A quiet, more durable Sette at around $600 - $800 would do the job too.
Desired:

• Motor
• Conical burrs
• Low-ish retention
• Timed grinding
• Niche Zero price point
• Not super noisy or frail

Any ideas? Is there something like this out there???


Update by moderator: this thread is closed at the OP's request on 5/4/2021.

Isn't this basically the Eureka Mignon Specialita?

The Bezzera BB005 meets your requirements.

The Bezzera does not have the Niche's burrs, however.

Thanks Carl but Clive Coffee says the Mignon Specialita is a flat burr grinder
https://clivecoffee.com/products/eureka ... so-grinder

Ha, yup. Sorry, missed that requirement.

There's this: ..that is available for a lot less from what I assume is the manufacturer: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001942508570.html

Who knows if it's any good though. A gamble for sure.

Casadio Instantaneo is worth mentioning - solid, not very noisy, low retention as far as I could tell with a nice slide for the grounds. Burrs and performance very similar to Kinu M47.. but it's a thing of the past, so you'd have to shop around for a used one. I thought the worm gear was a bit annoying as well.

Thanks for your responses. In the past 6 months, I have drifted to buying darker roasted beans and pulling them ristretto. I love the thick, syrupy, liquid chocolate I am getting. When I drink straight espresso, this is what I want. Consequently I am drinking a lot more straight espresso these days. I think the conical grinder would add to my satisfaction with this kind of espresso.

When I use espresso for americanos, I like something with more flavor notes. I especially like the way the individual flavor notes, present in a well extracted medium roasted espresso come out in an americano when it is at room temperature. When i use coffee extracted in the manner I prefer for straight espresso (as above) for an americano, I am disappointed by the lack of complexity and range of flavors.

Up until a few months ago, most of my espresso consumption was in diluted drinks - lattes and americanos. Maybe only 4 or 5 straight espresso a week. Consequently, I settled on medium roasts. This was not on purpose but intuitively. I prioritized the taste in diluted drinks. I was always very happy with my americanos but a little disappointed in the straight espresso experience.

Since I have gravitated towards coffees that result in the kind of espresso I like to drink straight, I have been more and more disappointed in my americanos.

Maybe this little writing exercise is showing me that I should be thinking of a single dosing grinder?

lancealot wrote:Maybe this little writing exercise is showing me that I should be thinking of a single dosing grinder?

Either that or use two grinders. I keep a few jars of pre-weighed beans around so it's convenient to single dose, mess around with the setting and switch beans.

One word of caution though - if it's very dark beans you might get quite a bit of static on the Niche and it won't be accurate to call it Zero then

A motorized Pharos on a timer would fit the bill

But seriously, it seems there isn't a clear cut competitor to the specialita but with a conical burrset.

Is the Sette out of the question? I know there could be long term durability concerns, but if you're okay with the idea of repairs and maintenance it could be the way to go out of all current options. The performance and taste in the cup has been noted to perform very well.