Niche Zero - One Year in Review

LMSC You need somehow to come to a consensus of what separation (as opposed to identification) of flavour is/it’s threshold (a glance at any thread on a bag’s tasting notes is informative here). Difficult when everyone is in their own little bubble & not sharing the experience of the same coffee. Scott Rao made an interesting post on Instagram the other day saying that when discussing ‘clarity’ not enough mention was made of accompanying astringency…everyone’s preferences and choices are their own prerogative but an upgrade that simply swaps one malfunction for another is not on my agenda.

I do make espresso, but it’s not a subject I talk about, just because it’s so hard to establish datums (grind size difficult, grind distribution impossible for most, extraction expensive in terms of filters) and because most people are making a drink of little interest to me personally. So I hope people chip in, without bringing any baggage and can provide some objective thoughts. Personally, if I don’t like a shot so much, I usually make a small adjustment for the next. Worst case scenario, it only takes a couple of minutes to make another. It’s a fast, easy way to make a small amount of coffee, analysing it has no interest for me and “nice” trumps “clarity”.

LMSC

Personally, I can detect flavours in espresso if they are there to detect. When I buy from roasters I buy from those who have a track record of delivering the tasting notes on the bag - this is going to be a matter of subjectivity, a roaster will either taste the same things as you or they won’t. Tasting notes can come from either the roasted coffee brewed as a filter and espresso, or from the green coffee roasted and cupped, or possibly just from the importer’s tasting notes. If it’s the latter two, you may not find the coffee tastes the same as roasted by your roaster whatever brew method and equipment you use.

I don’t experience a lack of clarity using conicals vs flats. If you want greater clarity then dial in for a greater yield. That said I usually have a 1:2.5, but really will adjust for the best flavour balance. I have no interest in ‘accentuating acidity’ by pulling shorter and shorter shots - a trend I imagine was started by some barista going for the world championship that everybody wanted to copy - and I’m not against going as high as 1:5 if that’s what tastes the best.

I remember taking part in an LSOL on the old forum, and a bunch of the people using EKs, Mythos’, Royals and Flat monoliths were going on about flavour notes that turned out to not even exist on the bag, while I was nailing 3 or 4 out of 5 with a Pharos (or maybe it was a Lido E at the time) pulling to a 1:3, and at a 1:3 it’s still plenty concentrated to enjoy for the body you get in espresso. If I were determined to pull everything as a 1:2 for some reason, I might have a different opinion, but it would be a stretch to complain about the grinder if I’m not willing to adjust parameters to get the best shots.

LMSC Fruity notes - example berries, citrus - are what we get as brightness, acidity, astringency, body.

Certain flavours like blueberry and vanilla are what we some time get as aroma or feel when we drink.

Flavours like Chocolate, floral, sugar are after-taste.

Fruit notes can describe an acidity e.g citric, but they can also describe actual flavour (as in a combination of aroma, sweet, savoury, bitter and sour). I had a Rocko mountain reserve that tasted very clearly of Strawberries, I’ve had very obvious blueberry and apple notes too, as well as lime. I remember the Rock mountain specifically because I almost broke my wrist grinding it in the Pharos. These flavours would be described as acidic and sweet - as fruit tends to be - in a way that was so similar to the fruit described that your memory tells you that’s what you’re tasting. In the same way, I taste Banana in Jack Daniels because of Isoamyl acetate.

Floral notes can be aromas and up-front, rather than present in the aftertaste. Something like “tea” notes could be astringency and aroma. Chocolate can be used to refer to body as well as bitterness or sweetness. You can get chocolate from the roast too.

LMSC That’s a very kind offer, I’m happy to buy the coffee (I have no suitable beans on hand and need to get some anyway).

I can’t really address any issues on clarity and I don’t have anything else to compare to, on a day to day basis other than the Wilfa, which isn’t practical for espresso and both are a total faff for constantly switching from V60 to Clever, so it would be V60 only. (But as I said earlier, I don’t think the conical/clarity issue affects anything other than espresso).

LMSC This says it all. A lack of it sends every one chasing a wild goose! I agree, notes are very subjective. I do think finding notes / flavour which are not mentioned in the bag is likely to be a brew / espresso malfunction, unless we think the roaster could have also failed to notice them.

Just cup the coffee and see if it tastes remotely like anything on the bag. If the roaster mentions brew methods and describes different tasting notes for espresso and brewed then you should be able to get to them or at least understand why the descriptions are there.

Dark Arts always delivered for me. There was one coffee described as “shrimp cocktail”, I trusted they’d roast properly and I thought at least they’d be weird and boozy even if I didn’t get the exact flavour - to my surprise I pulled a shot and immediately got the reference, and remembered how the little foamy sweets looked from when I last saw them in a pick and mix thing as a kid. I suggest finding a roaster that matches your tastebuds if you’re struggling a lot or feeling dissatisfied with what you’re getting.

LMSC I’ve got this as got in sent instead of Chelbesa. With my limited tastebuds found it very pleasant and drinkable but nothing exceptional. Sweet hazelnut maybe aftertaste, very light tea like mouthfeel

It was @DavecUK comprehensive review of the NICHE that convinced me to buy it. I’ve not regretted it. That said I’m open minded and also have the flat burrs of the GEVI for pour over. That said I disagree with all the negativity about Lance. I think he’s a genuine guy and he’s always responded to my questions sensibly and reasonably. He’s working withv GORILLA on a new burr set for the NICHE.. which I’m awaiting with interest.

LMSC It’s simply an idea at the moment in the mind of Lance and myself…in fact he might well be further ahead in his thinking than me. Who knows how it would impact light and medium light, until someone tests it. Lance is the one talking about Gorilla Burrs and I guess it will be down to people to buy them independently and fit them to the Niche if they want to. The Gorilla Burr idea is an independent one from Lance and not yet tested.

I think you are looking at the finish line and no one is in the starting blocks yet.

DavecUK 100%. In theory one could add an external voltage regulator to slow down the rotation but there’s the risk of a stall. I have to say the idea of a NICHE with flat burrs has its attractions.