Niche or Specialita

pbg

I’m torn. I’ve been dithering about buying a Niche for a long time but I only brew espresso so the adjustability isn’t relevant for me. More importantly, my wife doesn’t like it. She much prefers the (red) Eureka Specialita which seems to be very capable (and cheaper). I currently use a Santos 4 (bizarrely the wife prefers the Santos to the Niche too, not sure what that says about her judgement) which is a good visual (size) match for my Astoria Greta. I single dose the Santos which works surprisingly well and is VERY quick.

So what’s the collective wisdom - will I be making a mistake opting for the Eureka?

MediumRoastSteam

pbg I’m torn. I’ve been dithering about buying a Niche for a long time but I only brew espresso so the adjustability isn’t relevant for me. More importantly, my wife doesn’t like it. She much prefers the (red) Eureka Specialita which seems to be very capable (and cheaper).

Do you want to single dose? If yes, then Niche. If not, then… Niche, for me at least. Reasons:

a lot easier to keep it clean;
no need to keep tweaking the adjustment almost on a daily basis;
Ability to change coffee beans easily (fancy a defaf? Or a different bean today?);
Built from the ground up as a single dose grinder;
No timers, no displays, no nonsense.

If you still want a red grinder… maybe consider film wrapping?

dfk41

Experience shows…….ignore your wife! Grinders are built around burrs. Niche uses Mazzer Kony burrs which are circa £160. The Specialita burrs are £30……that should tell you enough!

pbg

dfk41 Experience shows…….ignore your wife!

Quite funny considering your signature :D :D :D :D

Rob1

My understanding may be wrong but I was under the impression the Eureka would be a significant step down from the Santos.

pbg

I guess I need to look for somewhere to powdercoat or wrap a Niche :)

thanks all.

dfk41

pbg Seriously though, the Niche is a cut above matey. The Eureka (and I am a fan) is not in the same league. It has 55mm burrs if I am right, flat, compared to 63mm conicals…..forget aesthetics on this occasion

pbg

dfk41 forget aesthetics on this occasion

You read what I use now didn’t you :)

I’ll start the PR campaign later today. I’m assuming the Niche will be a big step up from the Santos by virtue of the adjustability. Although I’ll be happy to save £500 if I’m likely to be disappointed in that regard, the workflow with the Santos is very quick and easy using a dosing cup.

Grif

If its working for you, why not just keep the Santos?

pbg

Upgradeitis as much as anything else…. the ‘justification’ is the santos isn’t ideal because it is stepped, plus I really need to align the burrs better as it should be capable of Turkish grind and it isn’t.

Grif

pbg Upgradeitis as much as anything else

I’m sure we can all get behind that 😃. I’ve only had the Niche a couple of weeks and I agree with many who say it’s a nice thing to use, and personally I think it sits in a domestic kitchen far better than most grinders of its quality, although I did’nt buy it for its looks. Good luck with the sell😉

Rob1

pbg

Very few grinders are genuinely capable of turkish grind. They say they can do it because you have the ability to mash the burrs together but other than that….

Would be really surprised if the Mignon was an upgrade on the Santos. Alignment isn’t going to be perfect in the Mignon either and the burrs are smaller aren’t they?

pbg

I think so - 55mm in the Eureka vs 64mm in the Santos. Black Cat suggested the Santos should be able to do Turkish. I’m one or 2 clicks away from touching most of the time with espresso which makes me think they need aligning.

DavecUK

pbg The Santos is not renowned for doing Turkish, also have you got Turkish burrs installed?

pbg

I’ve put new burrs in but just direct replacements. It was Black Cat who suggested it could do Turkish. I don’t need Turkish but it was more that I’d expect a bit more adjustment available as I’ve never managed to choke the machine through grinding too fine

pbg

How much of an upgrade would the Ceado 37 in the classifieds be ???

dfk41

pbg E37 or E37S……they are very different beasts!

DavecUK

pbg Probably significant, compared to the Santos, It’s a very good grinder….not for doserless though, best as hopper fed. They are not cheap grinders either.

pbg

37 S according to the advert

pbg

DavecUK Its in the classifieds at 525 with a ‘tube’ for single or small dosing…

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/228-ceado-e37s-for-sale-ps525/3

And the wife likes it 😄

DavecUK

Cuprajake Umm 83mm flat burrs are they not

If you are talking about the 83mm Ceado E37S in classifieds, they are definitely 83mm flats….if you are talking about a different grinder hen hopefully this clarifies it for @pbg

pbg Its in the classifieds at 525 with a ‘tube’ for single or small dosing…

You can single dose it, but it’s ideal mode of operation is as a hoppered grinder. I’s a good grinder, don’t discount it.