Niche Zero grinder - Page 235

#2341: Post by **splashalot** » June 6th, 2020, 7:58 am

DaveC wrote:With the espresso machine, if it's a dual boiler, always switch the service boiler off rather than have it come on in the morning with the smart plug. Just use the smart plug for the brew boiler and group.

Not an Issue with your Unica but important for others with dual boilers.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but why is that, Dave?

June 6th, 2020, 5:30 pm

It's the one boiler that should you have a problem can cause a fair bit of damage on some machines, it's also the hottest boiler and the most likely one to have problems. 50% of boilers on 50% of the risk and it only takes a little while to warm up the service boiler in the morning. It's simply a minimising risk thing.

Over the years working/testing new machines (to me) I became very cautious....good job too, considering some things that have happened.

#2343: Post by **peterLAN** » June 7th, 2020, 11:18 am

I recently bought a Niche Zero a few weeks back, and after grinding through 2kg I wanted to dump my numbers, with a mini-review.

TL;DR:
- Retention after ~2kg of coffee and 84 grinds averaged at 0,045g, 95th percentile of grind retention is 0.1g
- Grind uniformity is great with the FCD installed.
- Tasted coffees on V60 02, Kalita 185, Aeropress. Consistently better results than from an Encore.
- Dialing in (still) takes me longer than with the Encore.

Tasting

I tried each two recipes for the v60, the Aeropress and the Kalita, with a few people. Only surprise: Hoffman's v60-method on the Kalita is not as great as expected. The recorded numbers are the avg of each tasting scored 1 - 10.

                                 | Baratza Encore | Niche Zero
v60: Hoffmann                    | 8              | 9
v60: 4-6                         | 8.5            | 9
AP: WAC 2018                     | 9              | 9
AP: 1:10 20g 92°C                | 9              | 9
Kalita: 1:13.5 28g, 5 pulse pour | 8.5            | 9.5
Kalita: Hoffmann v60             | 8              | 8.5

Grinding
In total, 2010g of coffee went through my Niche, and 2006.4g* have come out, in 84 grindings. In average, 0.045g were retained (for the number nerds: 95th is 0.1g, unsurprisingly). I measured all these results on my Acaia Pearl S.
*) I've cleaned the Niche a few times, so there are not magically 4g of coffee hidden in this grinder, but have been removed during cleaning.

On the few siftings with a Cruve the Niche was WAY better than the Encore in terms of fines. In terms of "coarses" the Niche has less a lead, but is noticably better. I should have recorded the weights, but you'll have to take my word on this.

Dialing in
I am no fan of the indices on the Niche. So far, it has taken me more brews than on the Baratza Encore to dial in new coffees. I've gotten better, but I'm still not where I was.

I think the Niche is a great grinder, it's a pleasure to use. My results with the Encore were already satisfying, but I still noticed a step up in taste, so I'm happy about my purchase. This is obviously by no means a professional review. If you are interested in anything particular, please let me know, I'll be happy to caffeinate me by finding out.

#2344: Post by **Freddofl** » June 10th, 2020, 6:43 pm

I, too, am waiting for the July delivery.

#2345: Post by **Ultrafiche** » June 13th, 2020, 5:07 pm

MPantani wrote:I gave up and started to use a dosing funnel. I got one by Motta. They make them either 40mm or 60mm tall, and I use the 40mm.

I grind into the funnel/portafilter, then give a quick stir with a chopstick, then tap on the counter to settle the grinds.

Do you just hold the portafilter+funnel by hand underneath the spout when you're grinding?

I'm in line for a July delivery NZ and still trying to determine what accessories I might need to pick up for the easiest workflow. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

#2346: Post by **silkypull** » June 18th, 2020, 5:31 pm

i'm on the fence for a NZ to pair with my first spring lever. no doubt the NZ has picked up a lot of momentum in sales and next delivery is in Sept. with shipping and US currency exchange, it's not at $680 range. for that price range would you recommend going with some other grinder or would NZ be the one all end all?

#2347: Post by **GregoryJ** » June 18th, 2020, 5:36 pm

silkypull wrote:with shipping and US currency exchange, it's not at $680 range.

If you're in the US it should still be ~$680. I think the total price is 545 GBP and you can ask Google for the current conversion.

June 18th, 2020, 6:38 pm

yup, i just added to cart in indigogo and after shipping is added it showing around $680. delivery in sept, i'm not to worried about as i haven't saved up enough for my spring lever but hopefully by Sept it'll happen (assuming no other major purchases needed at home). but i figure in any case, i could use a new grinder as the grinder on my BES870 is not consistent; even though doing WDT does help a bit.

but figured around that price range, would NZ owner suggest to go a different route with a different grinder?

#2349: Post by MB » June 18th, 2020, 7:07 pm

No other recommendations in that range unless you want a hopper full of beans. For single dosing, not wasting coffee, switching coffees whenever I want (which is daily for me), the Niche has it covered.

#2350: Post by **mtbizzle** » June 19th, 2020, 3:57 am

silkypull wrote:yup, i just added to cart in indigogo and after shipping is added it showing around $680. delivery in sept, i'm not to worried about as i haven't saved up enough for my spring lever but hopefully by Sept it'll happen (assuming no other major purchases needed at home).

Is Indiegogo 'pay when shipped'??