5280grindz wrote:Late July order arriving Tuesday the 20th.
Didn't see this posted but John @ Decent has a solution for those who want to dose directly in the portafilter. I've got the parts on the way.

Hello,
did you receive the parts and does it work as you wish?
Have a good day.

My black Niche came on Wednesday, five days after ordering and a day ahead of schedule.
Looks really small compared with my Mazzer Major. I wasn't sure about the aesthetics, but my wife, who thinks I go way overboard with espresso and who only just tolerates my equipment taking up counter-space, thought it was a very stylish machine, especially with the wood appliances. After setting it up and testing it with the espresso blend I had at hand (fresh medium roast by a reputable local roaster, 100% Arabica with some Kona in it) I was bowled over by the round and smooth fruity taste. Very easy to use, no mess, practically no waste and quiet. Cup works well for me. So I cleaned my Mazzer Major, that I had been single dosing, and put it away thinking of selling it (though I will miss its muscularly look).
Then I started wondering about the old and still ongoing discussion about flats vs. conicals. So I thought this is my chance to do some testing and get my own impression. Comparing grinders can be very complicated what with TDS and grind-distribution and I don't have necessary the equipment or the knowledge. In addition I use a Strega which makes exact measurements a bit difficult. All I can and want to measure really is the taste. All the same, I decided to try some amateur blind testing.
Using a fixed dose of grinds for this doesn't seem natural to me, as in my understanding every bean/blend, grinder, basket, machine and ambient condition need their one variable settings to get the best shot for a particular taster. And the most important variable for me in dialing in a new blend is the grind-setting. The dose for me is mainly a result of the grind setting and secondarily of trying to balance the sour and bitter flavors. So in taking a fixed dose and adjusting the grind accordingly, I might risk missing the sweat-spot on one or both grinders, which wouldn't make the comparison of taste fair. And my goal was to compare the best taste possible for each grinder. But I've probably got everything wrong here.
Anyway, what I did was to dial in my blend for each grinder, first adjusting the sweat vs. sour/bitter balance via the grind setting and then the sour vs. bitter balance via flow and temperature (this is based on what I've understood of what Jim Schulman has been saying and what works for me). This resulted in 11,8g of grinds for the Major and 12,4g for the Niche (which is at the limit of my two old LM single baskets). Output was approx. 14 g. Now I know there is so much variability in all this (what with TDS probably all over the place, a well-seasoned Major that has been used in a commercial setting vs. a new Niche) that you can't expect much from this. But I figured if I could tell the difference between the grinders even with all the variability and with my limited experience in cupping blinded, then there must be a significant difference between the grinders.
Well up to now I've done two rounds of one shot each and am astonished, that the marked difference I had anticipated due to my first impressions of the shots from the Niche after setting it up and my memory of the Major shots were much less distinguishable in the blind testing. Although I could identify each grinder in both rounds, the taste including the fruity flavors for me was pretty much the same. No real difference for me in mouthfeel and crema (but that is probably just me and my limited abilities). The main difference was the smooth, round taste of the Niche and the somewhat more structured taste (sharp acidic and bitter tastes) of the Major that helped me identify each grinder. In addition I perceived slight roasty tastes in the Major shot, that I didn't get in the Niche. But all in all I found them quite close. I have ordered a new blend with a lot of chocolate flavors and hope to do my test with this as well.
Still very happy to have the Niche because of this smoother, rounder taste, the small footprint, single dosing, practically no waste, ease and speed of workflow and quietness. But I have decided to keep the Major for now anyway just to be able to try bends and beans on a big flat as well.

I should say that the burrs do take time to bed in and many will only now be experiencing a properly run in set of Burrs. Certainly there have been some posts to that effect in places.

It was very apparent to me when after testing the long term USA spec grinder which has done well in excess of 70kg since February 2018 I received a Japanese specification unit to test. This unit had brand new burrs and I was initially tempted to swap them out with the existing run in burrs. My thinking was that although the external case of the grinder was a reject and the motor would be ripped apart for examination, Niche could use the burrs, grind cup etc.. in a new grinder if I did not use them.

I'm so glad I decided to use the grinder as is, new burrs and all....there was a big difference between new and run in burrs. I have now put around 6-8kg through it and it's starting to act and taste more like the grinder that's run in.....so I do believe a Niche needs a good 6-10kg from it before you start getting the best out of it...and at 20Kg it's as run in as it's ever going to be.

For most people the change is gradual, but when you use a run in grinder burrs vs brand new side by side, there is a difference.

TV33 wrote:Hello,
did you receive the parts and does it work as you wish?
Have a good day.

Yep. Only thing I did different is I added a washer under the head of the bolt.

One thing to note, the Decent bottomless portafilter stand works best with a straight, non-angled portafilter. I have an ECM angled portafilter and the stand tilts it forward a bit. Still usable though.

Received mine today. Haven't actually used it yet so I can't comment on that. But wow, what a beautiful little thing Love how it looks! Also, it's super heavy and has a high build quality. Super happy, even if I haven't tested it yet

One question though, does anyone know if the grind catch cup is dishwasher safe?

mianor wrote:Received mine today. Haven't actually used it yet so I can't comment on that. But wow, what a beautiful little thing Love how it looks! Also, it's super heavy and has a high build quality. Super happy, even if I haven't tested it yet

One question though, does anyone know if the grind catch cup is dishwasher safe?

Yes, all of those metal dosing cups are dishwasher safe.

Enjoy your new Niche

After taking the burrs off for deep cleaning and reassembling the grinder I check the calibration. I would say that with the exception of one time when I had to make a very small correction, everything always goes back to the zero position with no need to touch the lower ring.
And of course this is not a complaint, in fact I'm very please with that, I'm just reporting. I think I have read that other users had to recalibrate it from time to time.
Opinions?

In fact, since I have it, I have not cleaned it,
it has been used daily for several months and in terms of taste I did not feel the need.
Having said that, is there a rule in this area?

The manual says every 3-6 months, depending of use.

I have since February 14, so I have to think about it ... Thank you.