No he said it was the s didn’t he. He’s had them for 2 months.
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
Please could I get a sanity check on my upgrade thoughts
Cuprajake Think he bought the 078 ages ago when they were buyable in some regions then he got a 078 but with the “s” burrs. Not sure anyone has had a actually 078s out of the box (so I think they have been stepped not step less on the machine)
Not sure what I think - it’s not really helped me make a decision.
Cuprajake I just tried to link to black cat coffee as they sell the bezzera duo matrix but his site has closed.
The Black Coffee website is still up
I thought, to me, it appeared like a brew grinder review.
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So, I’ve spent the last couple of days looking over my grinder choices and narrowing it down.
Again, like with the espresso machine, I’d love some feedback on my thinking in case there is something I’m missing.
And please bear in mind I’m coming from the built in grinder of the SBE for espresso. So, I’m sure everything will be an upgrade.
Recap on my needs:
- Up to 6 shots a day (usually 4)
- Mainly flat whites, the odd americano and if my new set up produces better results (bloody hope so) then I could get into neat espresso
- I prefer medium to light roasts. Rarely do anything too light as I currently find them impossible on the SBE. I also find they get lost in milk (my own opinion currently)
- Space is a minor issue for the grinder, although all home grinders I’ve looked at are ok
- I prefer single dosing
- I like the things I use to be aesthetically pleasing
- I may use it for filter on occasion. But I wouldn’t be out of a grinder if it was espresso only.
- Budget no more than £600 really.
- Ideally don’t want to buy used just to save £100.
I currently have the Timemore 078s backed, but I’m not a gambling man so have my concerns (let’s not get into the reviews) that the quality might not meet my expectations and shipping could be VERY delayed, effectively delaying my whole upgrade. I’m not using the SBE grinder to grind for the Bianca in the meantime.
Here’s my thoughts so far:
- Timemore 078s (£420) - back this and looks good. But have concerns (see above)
- DF64 - good price with BB discount when buying a machine (c.£320) but it looks a bit unfinished in my opinion. Could add SSP MP burrs in my budget but also read that they are difficult to dial in espresso
- DF83 (c.£600 after BB discount) - it feels like this is hailed as the best for the budget. Looks a bit better than DF64, but a big thing. Not sure if I need to jump this far up from the SBE grinder.
- Niche (£500) - I’ve always wanted one. Very nearly bought one before. Looks are good (not great). Size is lovely and the workflow just looks brilliant. But, I’m concerned here because flat burrs are held so highly and people talk about the Niche being poor at lighter roasts.
- The Solo Compact SPTK 38 (c.£120 after BB discount) - looks great but it’s small burrs. Dubbed ‘occasional grinder’ and the power brick is a turn off. My thinking here was that it might be enough for a year whilst I wait and see how the Timemore and Niche Duo perform and I save a bit for a future grinder.
- Eureka Specialita (c.£330) - not a huge fan on the look. Not single dose. Just feel like I should consider it at my price point?
- Varia VS3 (c.£400 I think) - love the look of this grinder but in a world of ‘bigger burrs are better) the 38mm burrs concern me. Also, I think it has a power brick which ruins some of the aesthetics.
Sorry for the long post. Writing all this is probably partly to help me get it straight in my head too.
Any help or thoughts on the above would be great!
Thanks
You might want to save £100 on a package deal. But if he offers are not what you want, is £100 worth the while in the grand scheme of things?
You also say you are not a gambling person, but you backed up one of the grinders on kickstarter? Even if they deliver, will they be any good?
If you are into filter and espresso…. The Niche Duo will tick the boxes.
I have a Niche Zero, I drink light roasts.
Think about the investment. If you set yourself with hard budgets, is there a risk of making the wrong decision and therefore finding yourself going over budget anyway?
It’s a big investment. Best to get it right first time if you can. That’s the cheapest option.
I personally would not even consider paying an extra £400 or whatever it is for a powder coated Bianca. It just feels wrong. I’d instead use the money towards the grinder you want.
MediumRoastSteam wise words.
Im guessing light roasts on the Niche are generally ok for you? How long have you had it?
BrewLiam I was a super early bird backer. So since June/July 2018 approx.
My tastebuds are not amazing. I think I will eventually buy a Niche Duo, or another flat burr grinder. But you can’t beat the workflow of he Niche.
But for the moment, he Zero is not going anywhere. I drink a milk coffee in the morning (I’d like to call it a flat white) and an espresso in the afternoon. I don’t drink filter coffee, or Americano - not my thing.
For your use case I would say look at the df range the 64mm with a scope of later changing things up with different burr types should you wish.
Then there’s the 83 which will give good results, lance put it Infront of the 78s in his list, but I believe they come with italmil burrs, the mazzers 83mm would be a step up, the SSP are now $400. But that then puts you in duo range.
I’m kinda with @MediumRoastSteam and not because I sold a white grinder to buy a black one too match, that £400 extra opens up more choices
If it were me I’d be buying a metal Bianca and a duo.
I rate the duo for its big burr size and great work flow, no modding, now bellow
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
Yeah I don’t blame you, last thing you want to do is spend 2k then kick yourself
The duo is a bigger zero
It has near the same retention, near the same exchange, it’s 4db louder than a zero.
And for me, I prefer the flat profile.
I’d like to try some of the 64mm upgrade burrs as they weren’t around when I had that size burr
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
BrewLiam - it’s a tricky one. If we could only taste things through the internet hey…
One of the reasons why I’m very skeptical of having any other grinder at the moment despite all the flat burr hype. The Niche Zero workflow is so good that I worry I’d be kicking myself if I have anything else. And for me at least, I couldn’t tell the difference between the Duo and the Zero, for espresso at least. I was expecting the Duo to blow me away in comparison…. But for my humble tastebuds… it didn’t. I suppose that’s a good thing, for me at least! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
MediumRoastSteam and where I’m coming from I’m sure either will be an improvement. I’ve never tasted any burr style side by side, or even different grinders, so no idea if I’d be able to tell the difference. I’m guessing probably not.
BrewLiam - to be clear, I did t taste it side by side. I just didn’t hand couldn’t) recall any pronounced difference between the Duo and the Zero. I’m sure that, if they were side by side, I would, but would it be a remarkable, pronounced difference worth the difference in price? Probably not. Again, for espresso at least.
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BrewLiam As one of the few that’s used the Duo and the Zero, does the Duo have everything that makes the Zero great, but with bigger flat burrs?
Essentially…it does and allows a much better exploration of brewed coffee.
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BrewLiam got the Varia, DF64, DF83, Niche and others.
My pick for best value, highest quality espresso would be a DF64 with Gorilla Gear burrs (or SSP Espresso HU).
The DF64 is a good grinder.
No, it’s not a precision engineered machine and yes, a couple of inexpensive aftermarket bits are helpful. But if you are OK with bellows and fitting upgraded burrs you’d be hard pressed to get a better in-the-cup result with any grinder at any price, for medium or medium/light espresso.
Bold words I know.
Also, based on comparisons so far (blind tests yet to come) the GG burrs produce espresso as tasty as the SSPs and the former is less expensive.
That said, you have to be OK with a little more faff (bellows) and if you don’t like the looks then that could be a deal breaker too.
- Edited
64mm has a load of options
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -