Now eagerly waiting for my Niche Zero to arrive. 🤤 Just curious how NZers handle the process from bean bag to pour, and what works best or is most efficient for you (and why). I presume that everyone pre-weighs their beans? Do you RDT (is there static? Do you need to RDT?) What do you grind into (the NZ cup, basket, portafilter)? If into basket or portafilter, do you use a funnel to contain stray grinds? Do you reweigh the grinds and adjust or do you now skip that step? How is the clumping at that point? Do you use the NZ cup as a shaker (with basket on top) to declump and then invert into the basket? If so, do you do any further distribution after that? Or tap? Or do you WDT? WDT in the NZ cup or in basket? Or? In short, how has the NZ changed your espresso prep process? I’m hoping that it will allow me to cut out a step or two.

weigh beans, pour into grinder and grind into the niche cup - no rdt pour in to pf with dosing funnel wdt tamp brew

Don’t used RDT with the Niche. Other than that whatever works for you. Straight to portafilter for me with a funnel that sits on the rim of the basket. Used the cup for a while. A few taps on and a little shake to get rid if static and fluff up grinds before inverting into the portafilter works fine. No wdt either way. Might give the grinds a quick stir in the cup if using it. Generally no need to re-weigh and static varies depending in roast and bean.

As above but once in the pf I use the tamper with a wobble and a spin to evenly distribute (my funnel is one a tamper passes through) before tamping. No additional tools whatsoever - minimalist. I do swirl the grind in the cup before pouring and I give the cup a bit of a shake in a way that means it’s fairly evenly distributed to avoid it being very unevenly distributed. If I have to do a number of drinks I’ll pre weigh the beans into those little plastic cups that overpriced desserts come in. The great thing about the Niche is there is no mess whatsoever.

I’m a simpleton. I weigh beans then into the hopper and grind into the dosing cup. Invert portafilter over cup and invert cup over portafilter, give a shake and remove cup. Tap the sides of the portafilter to level. Tap on bench, then tamp. Very fast, very simple. Between shots I weigh beans and grind into cup. Tap out puck and brush with a stiff brush that came with my Lelit knock box, and repeat the loading of the portafilter. I have purged the group by then and it is back up to temp. When making drip I often RDT because I am often using dark roast, which can get static. Depends on time of year. Once ground I lift the lid and then push down on the red safety while spinning the ring to the fine grind of espresso that I had dialed in for those beans, and it works every time.

Weigh beans to dose (or a close as I can get, then chuck in 1 or 2 more beans. Grind into polished steel grind cup. No RDT. Reweigh dose & trim if desired (I use 0.01g scales for dosing as it’s faster & easier to get to 0.1g increments). Shake in the cup then transfer to PF via a wide mouthed funnel. level the dose with downward & side taps, then tamp. Prior to next dose, run the grinder & clack the lid to clear the chute.

Weigh beans to dose Grind into Niche container Pour ground coffee into gravy boat and check weight WDT Pour into Portafilter Tap and level with Chinese device Tamp

Rob1 Do you use a portafilter holder for your niche or just hold it?

PortafilterProcrastinator I just hold it and wiggle around a bit to get it a bit more even then tap to level and tamp. Not noticed a difference in shots using distributors and rakes.

I grind into the cup, put the pf on the cup, invert, slide the funnel over the top, remove the cup, wobble the tamper around to distribute, remove the funnel and tamp. I used to have one of those things that you spin round to distribute then turn over to tamp, can’t say I noticed any difference when it went into the cupboard and I just wobbled the tamper except it was a lot less faff.

My process is: weigh beans into dosing cup put beans in top and then grind into the dosing cup lock dosing ring onto portafilter put on top of dosing cup and invert give it a bit of shake and remove the cup (brush in any grinds retained due to static) tap the bed level with my palm wdt tap down to settle the bed remove dosing ring tamp I weighed the grinds a few times when I got, but quickly stopped as it was pretty much always spot on. Now the only time I weigh the grinds is the first time after I’ve cleaned the grinder, as I know it’ll retain a very small amount.

Dose Prep Process with Niche Zero?

SurreyAlan

It looks like the ring is above the level of the NZ spout so how do you get the pf out, do you have to lift it up so you can remove the stand?

prezes

SurreyAlan the ring’s got a special cut out at the front so can be pushed in and pulled out on the stand.
This picture might show it better

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