Cuprajake The Earth is obviously flat white.
Hello! I'm Lance Hedrick and I'd like to address some things!
Ernie1 - good stuff! And thank you for taking the time to reply. At least you can truly say you prefer one over the other. I only have a Niche, and I am very tempted to buy a flat grinder because of everything that’s been said on the wider internet. I’m actually scared of buying one and then concluding I can’t tell the difference, or worse even, that I don’t have a preference of one over the other. I however, never had the opportunity to try them side by side, so the information you provided is very valuable, to me at least.
Many thanks!
It’s wierd.
I can taste a difference when using them, yet in a blind tasting didn’t get the results I expected haha so take that what you will,
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
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Ernie1 like rob666 my experience has been the opposite of yours however individual burr geometry and unique taste buds always play a part in this.
I think the great thing is that you’ve taste tested back to back and figured out what you like best.
At the end of the day, the best arbiter of what you like is what you like. 😃
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Ernie1 To me, conical highlights the more delicate flavours, brings out more acidity and overall has a thinner mouthfeel. These are characteristics I’d typically want in lighter roasts.
The flat to me has a richness, thicker mouthfeel and blends the flavours of darker roasts in a more enjoyable fashion
What’s interesting about these statements is that this goes completely against what most say on the internet. goes to show how personal and subjective taste is.
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MediumRoastSteam What’s interesting about these statements is that this goes completely against what most say on the internet. goes to show how personal and subjective taste is.
Exactly! I am surprised. I like these type of different take on grinders.
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I think as @tompoland says, burr geometry is playing a big part in my findings. I know there’s a subjectivity to it but I’d be surprised if anyone else wouldn’t notice the same as me (thicker body on the flat) with the exact grinders and coffee I’m comparing.
Comparing the Niche to my C40, the burrs on the Niche are 50% larger which will inevitably be making a big difference.
Perhaps a Niche vs a Super Jolly is a better side by side comparison. Even then I think there are too many other factors to say a once and for all ‘conicals taste X, flats taste Y’.
I don’t know how much each of these affect the result but you’ve got motor speed, burr alignment, burr orientation, burr teeth design, how seasoned they are etc etc before you even get into the coffee, age of coffee, how fresh it is, how it’s been stored, if it’s single dosed, WDT’d etc etc.
A lot of factors.
lancehedrick absolutely! I genuinely do try my best to be the in between of, say, Dave and Hoffmann. Meaning, quirky entertainment and deep dives. I don’t feign to have the knowledge or experience of Dave, nor the affability of Hoffmann, but I have helped a lot of people and that makes me happy.
One of the best things about Youtube is the diversity of both opinion and presentation. Personally, I’ve viewed quite a few videos from all three of you (and others) and I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t enjoy watching, and find them useful. The difference in style and approach only helps that.
It’s good to see you here. If nothing else, it means I can say thanks, for some excellent and very helpful material. Keep it up. ;)
If you grind a bean on a conical that is more suited to a conical (probably medium and above) then would you be surprised if it tasted better than if ground on a flat……and vice versa! I always respect those who have a palate that works properly (unlike mine) but I also respect my pal @DavecUK who drinks mediumish beans yet chose a Ceado E92 before his Niche and both are conical. I wonder if those who are lucky enough to have both……if they really really tried hard to tinker with their grinders, could not actually achieve neigh on the same results with both
dfk41 just realized I didn’t answer your last query. It is certainly possible to have some flat and some conical burrs producing a similar taste and viscosity. But there are others where it would be close to impossible e.g. a Niche Zero conical burrs versus flat burrs from a Moca. The 80mm burrs on the EG-1 however could produce similar flavor to an 83mm Mazzer Robur conical, given the right pressure/temperature profile.. Not the same but close enough.
Ernie1 Sprometheus did a video a while back comparing flats and conicals - his findings are similar to yours but not completely. He’s comparing a Mazzer Mini to a Niche with a medium roast coffee.
I was always under the impression the difference between flats and conicals are the way the grind beans, so flats produce more even slices whilst conicals produce more flakes and taste is the result of the geometry. - I could be totally wrong though 😅
Good to know I’m not the only one who thinks flats create the choc/caramel richness and muted acidity.
Now there’s two of us!
MWJB Do you happen to have a link to that study, would be interesting to see the methodology and maybe repeat it
Coffee Roaster. Home: Sage Dual Boiler, Niche Zero, Ode v2 (SSP), 1zpresso ZP6 Work: Eagle One Prima EXP, mahlkonig e80s, Mazzer Philos and lots more