Hi guys,
new to the forum and to higher end coffee making. Started with instant coffee (from Germany at least but), then nespresso capsules, then my brother in law got us a simple Swiss espresso maker (Klarstein) and blade grinder and that difference was immense. So, now I am on the search for the real deal.

Grinder question for the aficionados to help me out. Close to spring for the Niche Zero but awaiting reviews of the Eureka Mignon single dose grinder. I like the flat burr described profile but tbh I have neither experienced a flat vs. conical burr coffee. Should I wait and see what the Minon will be in reviews. It seems there have been issues already and the grinder is delayed. Or should I just go for the NZ and already getting much better experience. I looked into the Versalab combo-burr grinder (conical into flat) but the price is a bit too steep, especially as I have my eye on a brewer as well along the road.

Which brings me to the next question: Brewer. Is it too audacious to go for a lever one to start. My eye is on the Cremina to be able to learn, have fun, improve. I am a scientist so like to tweak and experiment... Or for a novice better an ECM Synchronika / Bezzera BZ13 or Lilit Bianca. This is like going into a paint shop and looking for just white - and being faced with thousands of whites.

Any advise would be much appreciated.

imager wrote: Brewer. Is it too audacious to go for a lever one to start. My eye is on the Cremina to be able to learn, have fun, improve. I am a scientist so like to tweak and experiment... Or for a novice better an ECM Synchronika / Bezzera BZ13 or Lilit Bianca. This is like going into a paint shop and looking for just white - and being faced with thousands of whites.

A couple of thoughts: Since you are a scientist you will have no problems with any of the above mentioned brewers. I can only speak of the Synchronika and offer that you won't outgrow it, yet you will learn it quickly as I think you will find it easy to use and without a lot of frustration. You will also be able to tweak your profiles and have fun learning the complexities of your chosen roasts and grind fineness. Most of Sync owners feel that they are very well made and if their are problems, easy to fix.

As far as the grinder, you might want to look at a Mignon Xl and convert it to single dose. There are all the mods you need on etsy and is easy to do. The XL's are available now and are a decent grinder. I have one that I used for six weeks until I got a much higher end grinder.

imager wrote:Grinder question for the aficionados to help me out. Close to spring for the Niche Zero but awaiting reviews of the Eureka Mignon single dose grinder. I like the flat burr described profile but tbh I have neither experienced a flat vs. conical burr coffee. Should I wait and see what the Minon will be in reviews. It seems there have been issues already and the grinder is delayed. Or should I just go for the NZ and already getting much better experience. I looked into the Versalab combo-burr grinder (conical into flat) but the price is a bit too steep, especially as I have my eye on a brewer as well along the road.

I've been using a borrowed Baratza Sette 30 AP from my cousin to make cold drip coffee using an iDrip. I am waiting for my Flair 58 to be delivered, hopefully within the next two weeks, and like you, am also deciding between a few different single dose grinders. If you're not in a hurry, I'd advise you to wait for comparative reviews to be done before deciding on the grinder that's best for your needs, since the NZ and Eureka Single Dose are essentially positioned as direct competitors and I expect to see a lot of coffee enthusiasts rushing to share their experiences with these products as soon as they can get their hands on one.

imager wrote:Hi guys,
new to the forum and to higher end coffee making. Started with instant coffee (from Germany at least but), then nespresso capsules, then my brother in law got us a simple Swiss espresso maker (Klarstein) and blade grinder and that difference was immense. So, now I am on the search for the real deal.

Grinder question for the aficionados to help me out. Close to spring for the Niche Zero but awaiting reviews of the Eureka Mignon single dose grinder. I like the flat burr described profile but tbh I have neither experienced a flat vs. conical burr coffee. Should I wait and see what the Minon will be in reviews. It seems there have been issues already and the grinder is delayed. Or should I just go for the NZ and already getting much better experience. I looked into the Versalab combo-burr grinder (conical into flat) but the price is a bit too steep, especially as I have my eye on a brewer as well along the road.

Which brings me to the next question: Brewer. Is it too audacious to go for a lever one to start. My eye is on the Cremina to be able to learn, have fun, improve. I am a scientist so like to tweak and experiment... Or for a novice better an ECM Synchronika / Bezzera BZ13 or Lilit Bianca. This is like going into a paint shop and looking for just white - and being faced with thousands of whites.

Any advise would be much appreciated.

It really depends on what coffee you drink I would say. Generally speaking flat dos high altitude Scandinavian/very light roast the best, as generally the more clean/transparent, acidity profile these deliver just suit those type of bean/roast well.

Conical mostly shiner with more medium light to dark roasted lower altitudes beans, where the blending, mouthfeel and sweetness work very well.

That is my subjective opinion at least.

But take it with a pinch of salt, flat are not just flat as there are just as much differences in flat characteristics as there are between flat and conical burrs. A classic espresso flat burr set from say Mazzer or Italmill has more in common with a conical burrset then a bulk burr set from Mahlkonig/Ditting or the SSP special designed burrs that are meant to work well with light roasted espresso.

With being a scientist of trade you should have no trouble with a lever. It's fantastic and you get far more bang for the bucks in the cup compared to pump prosumer machine in general up to certain price range, although the introduction of flow mods on E-61 has helped improve some of the shortcomings of said prosumer machines at the lower bracket. It however might not be the case in the price bracket the Cremina occupy, but it's still a fantastic machine that can last generations.

Thanks guys for that advice. I'll wait for the grinder comparison and reviews. Makes sense.
After reading more which is part of the fun I am debating indeed Cremina vs. EXM Synchroncia but it seems not all of them come with a flow regulator on the group head?

Pre-ordered a chrome version from WLL last week for $799. Looking forward to sharing my thoughts on this grinder. Seems to fit my needs perfectly.

Espressocoffeeshop.com said they'll take preorders for the USA version will be available for order (or pre-order) January 2022. Hard to decide between this and the Niche Zero... Hope someone posts a review comparing the two soon.

Looks like they are done tweaking. Their IG rep says everything in the photo is included.

So plants, microwave

On a more serious note, I'm not sold, it still seem like a half baked product and then they added a metal base to hold the dosing cup more firmly and put it closer to the spout. It seems just like something you come up with when the design doesn't work entirely as intended and instead of putting it back on the drawing board you add this cheeper solution, but then again the hopper with bellows is kinda in the same lane. Such solution is acceptable for something as cheap as the G-Iota but for something that costs as much as a Niche I just find it hard getting all that excited about it. I really hoped for a just as well though product as the Niche with flat burrs in the same price range, it should be possible, but the question is still who is going to make it.

I'm sure it's gonna sell well, I just wished they spend more time, effort and put more thoughts into it, for me it's more a SD by name then design, it's basically a tilted a hopper grinder, where the electronic have been removed and then tossed bellows on top, minimum investment in R&D, I'm almost on the brink calling it classic Italian design. I'm sure it's going to work and be acceptable in the cup, but it's a missed opportunity to really bring something truly exciting and show that Italian grinder manufacturers actually take the segment seriously and not just milking it.

I agree