NICHE ZERO GRINDER REVIEW
- Dec 24, 2019
- 7 min read
Christmas is Tomorrow folks, So I have decided to release our Review of the Niche Zero Grinder Just in time to help you make your New Coffee Grinder decision that wee bit easier.
ZERO Retention is what you read when you go on to Niches website, a grinder that has been designed to put all the other home coffee grinders to shame. I have had the Niche Zero Grinder for over 2 months now and I’ve definitely put it through its paces, a total of 6kg of coffee have passed through its burrs. Believe it or not I didn’t even know that niche existed over 6 months ago, It is all thanks to the guys at White Star Coffee Roasters who made me aware of the grinder and from there I was intrigued. I reached out to Niche to send me over a Grinder to review and they were more than happy for me to review it.
For anyone that doesn’t know who NICHE are, they are a new Company who successfully funded their Grinder in Indiegogo with huge hype. It was designed by CEO and Designer Martin Nicholson, who has worked with the likes of Kenwood, Phillips, Braun, Tefal and more. In a press release, he says, “Having worked in the industry for 30 years, I wanted to design and produce a revolutionary coffee product… Our revolutionary Niche Zero Grinder retains virtually zero grind, guaranteeing you the freshest possible coffee. We have designed a coffee bean grinder that is better looking, reduces waste and is quieter and easier to use.” It states on their website that Martin Nicholson likes a challenge. He looks at things and imagines how they could be made better. He thinks and designs; he builds and invents. He has many patents to his name on everything from gearboxes to food processors. He loves really good coffee.
Martin saw an opportunity to design and build a revolutionary coffee grinder incorporating game-changing technology. The goal has always been to bring coffee grinding of the highest professional standards within reach of everyone who truly loves great coffee.
This didn’t just happen overnight. The ground-breaking Niche Zero Grinder is the result of significant self-funded investment; with 4 years of technical engineering, refinement and development with over 30 prototypes.
For Martin, being able to have an impact on the quality of coffee that people consume represents the fulfilment of a lifelong dream and something that continues to drive him every single day.
James from Niche, who is Martins Son kindly gifted us with a Midnight Black Edition Grinder.
When you open the box, you are greeted with this visually attractive, shiny piece of equipment. I knew when I lifted it out that the weight and build of the grinder just oozed high end. After a close inspection of the shell and the small extras that came with it, I can say that I was thoroughly impressed with both the design and the finish. The oak accents are a great touch and really bring together the aesthetics of the grinder. I especially like that the grinder was made for the Kitchen. Most commercial and even Domestic grinders just don’t deserve to be placed on your kitchen worktop, but this is different, you can tell that the team at Niche have put a lot of thought into the design and it just looks darn cool.
The price tag for a grinder like this is £500. Automatically people are going to be like What! And if you’re not really into coffee and are just looking a cheap grinder then maybe this is not for you. Although after doing a bit of research and having experience on both the established home grinders like Wilfa and Baratza, I can say that this grinder, although more expensive, is better value for money. In my opinion, you get what you pay for. A £500 grinder of commercial grade isn’t as bad as you think when there are commercial grinders such as the EK which can set you back £1000-£2000.
With the Niche you are still getting that quality and consistency at a fraction of the price. No brainer for me. Below is a list of my pros’ and cons of the Niche Grinder.
PROS’ and CONS
Zero Retention - This Grinders biggest selling point was ZERO RETENTION. This was advertised throughout their marketing campaign and I can confirm this is true. We weighed out 20.5g of coffee and we got back 20.5g, now that’s impressive. Niche say that it is all down to their unique grind path which has been developed to retain virtually no grind. This means that once the beans are ground it goes straight from the chamber directly into the dosing cup. CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS.#
Built to last - The shell of the Niche is made from an Aluminium metal and it weighs in at 4.1KGs, which is very light compared to most Commercial grinders. I have fiddled about with everything on the niche, it is very minimalist in its design which is a great concept as there is few things that can go wrong or brake. It has a very clever safety feature which does not allow you to grind beans unless its closed.
Grind adjustment – Because of the minimalistic design all that is required to adjust your grind setting is a simple twist of the dial shown in the photos. Although the recommended settings for filter are a bit off (I found their Filter setting too fine for drip coffee) this can be simply adjusted in seconds and the right setting and be found quickly with no fuse.
Easy to Clean – you are provided with a small brush when you get your Grinder, this comes in really handy when brushing down your bean chamber and the burrs. The adjustment plate can be easily removed, and the burrs can also be easily removed in put back together and a matter of minutes.
Visuals – It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but come on just look at it, it’s beautiful. It does not look out of place in my kitchen and it certainly wouldn’t look lost in a coffee shop. You can just see that the company have put a lot of thought into the design and it has a style that will not age and will stay on your counter for many years to come or until the inevitable Niche 2.0 is released.
Super Quiet Motor – This for me was a huge selling point as the Wilfa Svart is ridiculously loud for a grinder. This was a breath of fresh air, when I turned It on for the first time, it super quiet both empty and while grinding beans. Niche have stated on their website that it grinds at 72dB, check out our INSTAGRAM stories to hear it compared to the Wilfa Svart.
Versatility and Consistency – I brew a lot of filter coffee in our house as we don’t have an espresso machine (Hey Espresso machine companies if you’d like to sponsor our website and Instagram page by sending over a nice home espresso machine slide into our DM’s lol). The recommended filter section on the dial is a bit off, but it’s just a guide and I’ve found myself going way beyond that to find the right grind size. A lot of people online are using the grinder for Espresso as it allows you to grind really fine compared to other home grinder. The handy dosing cup is just under 58mm and it fits snug inside your portafilter. I also found that my morning coffee routine has got easier, quicker and more consistent. I just take out my scales, weigh my beans and grind with no need to flush out any stale coffee from the previous day. The consistency of my brews since using the niche has been noticeable with no need to make big adjustments in grind size as each slight turn makes a big difference.
CON’S
Popcorning – The beans, having no weight on top of them fall on to the spinning burrs and get tossed up into the air. They then fall onto the spinning burrs and get tossed up into the air. Not that I have noticed any taste difference with non-popcorning beans, I have found myself stopping the grinder in stages to allow the beans to fall into the burrs although this is probably just me and might not be a problem to most people.
No Self Retracting Cord – This again is not a big issue and would not put me of buying it. The cord does pull out and retract back into its base. This is great as you can only pull out the cable that you require which keeps your counter nice and tidy, Although maybe for future models they could incorporate a self-retracting plug, where you pull on the cord and it pulls itself back into base as I have found myself pushing the cord back in (If this is possible).
No Auto Stop – a big advantage for me with the Wilfa Grinders is the Auto Stop function. This allows the person to grind their beans and work away with whatever else they are doing, and the grinder will automatically shut off when done. The Niche does not have this, and you have to manually turn the grinder off after it has finished grinding the coffee, which in itself is a bit of a minor nuisance.
Small Dosing Chamber - I believe that the small chamber only holds approx. 50g of coffee, the Wilfa Svart I think can hold over 200g+ of coffee. Now this is not a big issue yet again as the NICHE is advertised as a single dose grinder, although if I ever found myself wanting to brew maybe a Chemex for 4 people or even grind some coffee for a Mocca Master Batch brewer I would need to grind twice to get the required amount of coffee, which could affect the consistency of the grind.
As you can see the Pro’s definitely out way the Cons with this grinder, it is just beautiful, Even James Hoffman hasn’t got a bad word to say about it and that’s got to count for something. The price tag should not put anyone off from considering purchasing the Niche, you get what you pay for. For me this is a well built, Consistent and visually attractive piece of equipment. I know it’s just a machine but I’m in love with it and I believe anyone who buys one will know what I mean.
Now I know that I’ve been gifted this grinder and people probably think oh! you’re just saying this because you have to, But No! I don’t, if I don’t like something, I’ll say it. This Grinder Looks Good, is easy to use and consistently delivers great Brews.
Christmas Day may be tomorrow, but it’s never too late to send Santa a letter telling him what you really want for Christmas……… A NICHE ZERO GRINDER!
MERRY CHRISTMAS GANG!!
Comments