As the title says, the time has come for me to downsize to a single dose grinder. I dont like having to leave beans in my Compak and have tried running it near empty with a quick purge each time but a) this is extremely wasteful, b) it is not designed to run that way and I get grind size inconsistency. My goldilocks scenario would be: * Primarily an espresso grinder roughly as capable as my current Compak F10 (taking a hit in build & longevity, but hopefully gaining **a lot** in bean freshness and grind consistency when single dosing) * Can quickly transition to a serviceable filter grind for 1-2 cups a week - adjustment akin to the niche, df64 etc would be awesome * Small form factor * Low mess & hassle * Aesthetic: important * Cant take a year to grind a single shot, I have become painfully accustomed to 3s grind times Given the sub £1k single doser market has exploded the past 5 years, I would love to hear thoughts and any answers to the following Qs from anyone who has done what I am planning: * What grinder did you switch to? * Are you happy with it? * What do you think is the best on offer right now (I guess with criteria above in mind)? * To the average palate, does flat vs conical *matter*? (I am craving a move back to flat for more clarity, despite the Niche…) * How much does the workflow of a flat burr single doser get old/tiring? * I have been dubious of conical burr alignment the past year or so (more planes for things to be marginally off), do you think the Niche suffers from this at all/does this matter in the grand scheme of things? * Have you been following the release of the Timemore Sculptor this month? **The 78S excites me but I fear it is a lot of good looking marketing (and a beautiful design) for what may be a bit of a dud with poor 3rd party burr options** **Loads of questions here obviously, and not expecting a reply to all, just really any thoughts that people have to weigh in with would be greatly appreciated!** Cheers!

Also interested in this, I hate clean up and coffee grinds from my moded Mazzer (even though it just takes me a few minutes), It's just not enjoyable! Another option is a hand grinder, however good ones are rather expensive (even second hand) and you have a forced 5 minute work-out every time you want a coffee.

NICHE fits the bill. I love mine but right now? I’d hang on for some proper evaluation of the Timemore or if I had a bit of extra cash I’d probably go with the DF83

If I’ve learned anything in the last few years it’s that if the question contains the word grinder, the answer contains the word Niche. It’s not for everyone (I find it ugly, loud and slow) but if looks/speed aren’t a factor then hard to argue it’s not the best sub £1k single doser out there.

@"Grahamsphillips"#p38127 appreciate the insights here. I had a good look at the df83 and for the price it felt like they have cut some unnecessary corners/not improved on issues from the 64. I definitely want to hold out and find out on the Timemore but also want to back it on release day and lock in a low price. Decisions decisions

@"Ernie1"#p38128 Someone should print that on a bar towel I am actually a real fan of how it looks fortunately. Speed I am on the fence with and loud, whilst not a dealbreaker, would be annoying. We had a Mythos for a few weeks at a roastery I worked in for a bit and my god grinding with that was a pleasure for the sound alone

The thing is with single dosing, by the time you’ve portioned out individual doses, probably taken some time over bean storage, the 20 or so seconds it takes to grind a dose on the Niche isn’t really much of an issue unless you’re making like 3 or 4 back to back coffees.

It's all preference. Speed, noise etc Some want fast others slow, unless you spend silly money you generally don't get all of that. New grinders are always coming out, but alot don't get real world testing or review so it's hard Given that the df83 is £800 odd

@"Ernie1"#p38132 yeah 20ish seconds really wouldnt be the be all and end all. I have probably been rubbed the wrong way by using a sage smart grinder pro whilst I had my Compak in pieces for painting, and listening to that thing scream its way through beans for 30s was rather painful

I just find it hard to not recommend the Niche. I have had mine for a year. Fabulous. Easy work flow. I find the sound it makes to be a very satisfying low sound, rather than the high pitch of some grinders. Easy to switch to a filter coffee. I do it everyday. Drip coffee in the morning, espresso in the afternoon. I like the look of the thing. I guess that is what makes horse racing. If you buy one and don't like it, it will hold value and can be sold. This flat versus conical thing is outside my taste buds. I am thrilled with the coffee I get.

@"dndrich"#p38137 this has been largely my thinking! I did just stumble onto this guy recently and have a lot of time for his approach and views: https://youtu.be/PBn223u7w2s It does make me wonder if i'll be trading the things i don't personally love about my current conical for another

Your advice downsizing to a single dose grinder?

tobyjrn6

Cuprajake i must admit re JH i have been feeling the same. Ultimately in going to sit and watch every time because I enjoy his content and the way he presents, but the subject matter is drifting further from what i originally came for.

Appreciate those thoughts on flats and the major. I am half tempted to pick one up and single dose with it for a bit until the Sculptor vs DF83 situation settles out

chlorox

tobyjrn6

On opinions, my own take on this subject is that everybody has a vested interest in their opinions on gear - including us forum members. Be it the natural belief we have in our favourite gear or even if it is the egotism of the rightness of our own point of view. This effect is further skewed by our own specific coffee preferences or prejudices or by friendships some of us have with the manufacturers or retailers who make or distribute the gear or by forum dynamics.

The views of social influencers and bloggers are only different as a matter of degree from this since they either make a living from their posting of media or are trying to build their brand unlike almost all forum members. Therefore IMHO it would be a capital mistake to dismiss influencers out of hand while elevating forum views to a higher pedestal. We should listen to all but ne wary of all and make up our own minds……As always, “caveat lector” and “caveat auditor” - let the reader and listener beware…

tobyjrn6

DavecUK i had a read of this, it was very helpful

Cuprajake

Just have to be aware than YouTubers etc have to stay relevant where a forum member doesnt

DavecUK

chlorox In line with what Cuprajake was suggesting about larger flat burrs being better, I am wondering if getting larger burrs if we can hold the quality of the burrs constant- which is naturally not a given - will always end up improving the quality of the cup where it concerns light roasts.

It’s a tricky thing to answer really, a grinder is made up of a number of “important” areas to the consumer:

Quality of grind (who do we trust, how can we know)
Aesthetics
Workflow
Size
Reliability
Noise
Price

The question is how do “you” personally rate each item in order to come to a decision….

e.g. I used an EG1 grinder, it was such a faff to use, loads of static, too much buggering about, I didn’t enjoy it….was it better in the cup than other grinders I pitted it against…unsure, but if it was, no where near enough for me to put up with the general ballache of the workflow and wait in line to shout “take my money” as I fork out 5K+.

Cuprajake

Agree

Its too subjective

I prefer the taste of my mazzer major 83mm flats,

I prefer the workflow of the niche,

While the major isn’t hard to use, it’s bigger, has more faff involved.

I’m not one for bellows, as it makes a mess why I got rid of the wong kit

MediumRoastSteam

Cuprajake I prefer the taste of my mazzer major 83mm flats,

Jake: given both the Duo and the Major use the same burrs (I think?) why do you think the shots from the Major are better?

BrewLiam

@tobyjrn6 what did you end up going for?

In a very similar situation and wondering what to do at the moment.

tobyjrn6

BrewLiam i backed the timemore 078s in the end (earlybird price, so around £400). For my preference it appears to have enough simple workflow along with big enough flat burrs that will do more than well enough for my espresso preference.

In case it is of any interest, I picked up and have been using a mazzer super jolly modded for single dose and with Food Friendly long life burrs (who knows if they are any better than stock, but the one i bought needed replacement anyway). It has been a night and day difference with my big conical. I just think i prefer the profile of flats and the workflow of single dosing.

When the timemore arrives, I will probably use it as is for filter on occasion, with a view towards maybe buying some turbo burrs for it down the line, more likely picking up a kingrinder K6 for that purpose.

I should probably add, i really considered the df83 and niche duo but don’t quite have the appetite for the increase in price required to get to either of them for what is likely to be fairly marginal gain for my taste, plus i am really sold on what i have seen from the workflow and aesthetic of the timemore

tompoland

MediumRoastSteam ah methinks that Jake’s reference to the Niche was pre Duo I.e. Zero.

When he had it but couldn’t tell us he had it.

Must have been torture @Cuprajake !

DavecUK

tompoland Must have been torture @Cuprajake !

There were quite a few test users, all who said nothing for almost 7 months.

Cuprajake

Yeah in reference to the zero sorry, the major but is slightly different to the duo burr

Major is 151a duo 151b , 151b ever so slightly more aggressively cut I believe

DavecUK

Cuprajake Major is 151a duo 151b , 151b ever so slightly more aggressively cut I believe

The 151B is more aggressive hence its listing as single phase/3 phase, for more powerful motors.

mobius

Just to add, if switching between two coffees (espresso and filter), you need to bear in mind two major workflow points:

Transition grinds. Different from retention, but often not mentioned. I don’t know if the Niche Zero has this, but I know my Vario+ does. If I just grind espresso, after about 2 doses, I will always get out what I put in… but they’re not the same grinds, as about 3g is held internally. I know this because if I then change to filter, there will be some much finer grinds out at the start, and then when switching back to espresso, the first grind I’ll actually get more out than I put in. Retention is important, but transition is more important when changing beans/grinds and so you’d still need to purge.
Settings change. I went for the Vario+ as it’s easy to switch between two settings, one for espresso and one for filter, as they’re stepped and marked. Something like the NZ would be much better for espresso, but then much harder to get back to your dialled-in setting exactly for each. This is why, aside from burrs, etc. I think two grinders are more useful for drinking both espresso and filter (or whatever).

I’ve actually gone back to a hand-grinder for espresso at the moment (C40) and then use the Vario+ for filter. I may eventually pick up a NZ just for the espresso, but would never want to go back to one grinder for multiple beans/methods.

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