Thinking about replacing a Niche Zero with a Fellow Gen 2 Ode

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
User avatar
Moka 1 Cup
Posts: 835
Joined: 5 years ago

#1: Post by Moka 1 Cup »

I use two grinders, mainly for espresso. One is an Eureka Specialita'. The second is a Niche Zero. We prefer grinding on demand rather than single dose. I also prefer the taste of my espresso when I use the Eureka. For this reason the Niche sees very little use. Typically I use the Niche only when I try new blends or, and this is the point of this thread, when I do pour over.
I do pour over mainly for my wife but lately I have start drinking it more, again. I use Hario V60.
My wife adds a touch of milk. I drink it black.
Our daily consumption for espresso is medium dark roast arabica blends and that is what we typically use for pour over as well. However lately I have been enjoying some lighter single origin roasts as well. My interest for pour over has been increasing.

I am thinking about retiring the Niche Zero and buying a grinder dedicated to pour over. I would not want to spend more than the value of the retired Niche and considering that we may make not more than one or two cups daily, a hand grinder would probably be considered a wise choice. However I do not want a hand grinder unless it's something that I do not have to hold in my hands. I think that there are some "OE Pharos style" table-top hand grinders but if I am not mistaken they are very expensive. Electric tends to be my preference anyhow, I had a Lido E four years ago and I sold it.

I have been thinking about the Fellow Gen 2 Ode. Single dosing in this specific case would be ideal. I like that little grinder. I have been following the Fellow News discussions and I like the company's attitude. I like "rounded" flavors, I don't think I am interested in the model with the upgraded burrs, just the basic Gen 2 model.

Any reason why I should prefer something different?

In case I go with the Ode:
Should I add anything that may be useful when using it?
Is it "plug and play" or does it need to be calibrated, aligned or else?
Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.

ira
Team HB
Posts: 5497
Joined: 16 years ago

#2: Post by ira »

I like the Ode, I have a Gen1 with Gen2 burrs. I guess like all grinders aligning the burrs might help. Should not need calibration, but doing so s really simple if you decide to. It's a great brew grinder at it's price point.

Advertisement
User avatar
Moka 1 Cup (original poster)
Posts: 835
Joined: 5 years ago

#3: Post by Moka 1 Cup (original poster) »

Thank you!
Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.

User avatar
Moka 1 Cup (original poster)
Posts: 835
Joined: 5 years ago

#4: Post by Moka 1 Cup (original poster) »

Received yesterday. Made five cups, two from single origin and three from our daily espresso blend. Excellent. Definitely an upgrade from the Niche.
Thanks again.

Wondering about the Stagg EKG now :D ...

Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.

ira
Team HB
Posts: 5497
Joined: 16 years ago

#5: Post by ira »

I have an EKG goose neck from the KickStarter days and it's a great kettle, biggest advantage is temperature stability. I recently picked up a second on, an EKG Pro with the normal spout for tea and hot water just because it pours faster. I got the Pro for the beep when hot feature, but even at max volume if I'm not standing right in front of it, it's so quiet I never hear it. But one month in, other than that, it is also a great kettle. And at least IMO, the best looking one or close there is. And I guess one last suggestion, Mine are black because our kitchen is black, but for performance I would pick white as I'm guessing it would lose heat slower. That's a really minor thing and I've never had a white one to compare or so it's just a guess.

Jonk
Posts: 2176
Joined: 4 years ago

#6: Post by Jonk »

ira wrote:And I guess one last suggestion, Mine are black because our kitchen is black, but for performance I would pick white as I'm guessing it would lose heat slower. That's a really minor thing and I've never had a white one to compare or so it's just a guess.
Interesting thought. Seems it wouldn't be a noticeable factor though:
https://www.pentronic.se/wp-content/upl ... ck-mug.pdf

ira
Team HB
Posts: 5497
Joined: 16 years ago

#7: Post by ira »

yes, but in a mug most of the loss is from evaporation.

Advertisement
Jonk
Posts: 2176
Joined: 4 years ago

#8: Post by Jonk »

Look at the graph, they also covered the mugs and got pretty much the same result. Someone with two actual kettles could verify of course.

dwarfboy1717
Posts: 17
Joined: 1 year ago

#9: Post by dwarfboy1717 »

3 years of Niche Zero v60s - sweet and astringent, forgiving but muddy! Here's my perspective on the Niche's pourover qualities now that I reflect after brewing with the ZP6:

I'm enjoying my cups so far from the ZP6.

Conflicting first impressions, after one week:

1. The clarity is there for the "higher" notes, but it seems like it may take some skill to dial in

2. The cups are significantly cleaner than those with my Niche Zero. So much cleaner, less muddy flavors, less astringency, less distracting body, that I find it almost unpalatable to imagine switching back to my Zero. I have not brewed a single cup with my NZ since opening this ZP6.

3. I am finding the lower body / texture to be a little unnerving. Turns out I built a familiarity and preference around textured filter brews, as those are all the NZ will brew!

4. I am finding it impossible to get my V60s as sweet with the ZP6 as they were with my NZ. If I grab a medium, chocolatey coffee, I may brew it with the Niche. I've ground on the ZP6 as coarse as 5.1 (51 clicks past 0, my burr lock position), and as fine as 3.1, and found a slight uptick in astringency between 3.5 and 3.1 for this coffee. I simply can't get my brews as sweet as I'm used to, but that sacrifice is rewarded by virtually no astringency.

5. Oh yeah, astringency doesn't exist. I didn't know it was possible. But above a 3.2 or so grind size, for this current coffee bean and setup, my cups are just so gentle.

I'm honestly having a little trouble adjusting to the gentle cup profiles. I'm chasing clarity and flavor notes, and finding a huge difference from my Niche Zero already. But I'm hoping I can at least get better at dialing in additional sweetness out of the ZP6, it may need slightly higher hardness or buffer in my water recipe to help that flavor perception.

All in all, a good purchase. If I wasn't expecting a Sculptor 078 sometime in the next year (backer #12,968 - better late than never?), then I'd wish I had gotten an Ode2+ssp instead of this handgrinder. But as it is, I think I'll be very happy with this setup.

My 2 cents. When they say "it's not a better cup, it's a different cup," it's hard to understand. But body and texture are pleasant even though we associate them with astringency. And if you're good at dialing in coffees on a low uniformity grinder (e.g. Niche Zero or other lower end conicals), then you're likely getting a LOT of sweetness in your cup along with that astringency. And maybe we take that for granted. But the flavor profiles are definitely muddied, and I'm so excited to keep playing with the ZP6 to see where I can go!

Anyways, happy brewing y'all.

User avatar
Moka 1 Cup (original poster)
Posts: 835
Joined: 5 years ago

#10: Post by Moka 1 Cup (original poster) »

ira wrote:I have an EKG goose neck from the KickStarter days and it's a great kettle, biggest advantage is temperature stability. I recently picked up a second on, an EKG Pro with the normal spout for tea and hot water just because it pours faster.....
Have you tried the Corvo for pour over? If so which one do you prefer (for pour over), the Stagg or the Corvo?
Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.

Post Reply