Niche Zero

Sp0ke More than likely. What machine do you have?

Grind size is massively bean dependent and even varies on time of year. Over the last few months I’ve been down at 8 or up at 16.

I find it very hard to knock the niche out of calibration. Don’t focus on the number, focus on the extraction, not on the number. There is no ‘right’ number for the niche, just a number for that bean and brew method you get your most pleasing drink from.

Mine started in that sort of range and then moved down as the burrs seasoned. It’s now in the 5-15 range, bean depending.

Like advised though, don’t worry about the number just the coffee

Yeah I thought seasoning made a big difference with the Niche’s consistency when I first got it, you’ll notice a difference after a few bags of coffee.

I’m currently at about 15, for this particuilar bean, brewing espresso. It varies a bit as the beans get a bit older, but not hugely. I do find a SMALL tweak makes a big difference. The only use I really have for the numbers is that I record what I did for every short as a learning tool. The first thing it taught me was that about a quarter, from say 14 to 14.25, is a pretty big jump.

The next thing it taught me was that consistent tamping is important. Due to shoulder pain, I find tamping quite hard and consistent tamping harder still. But worth taking my time to do, because even a little lighter on the tamp makes a big difference to my shot time. I’m wondering, given my shoulder prblem, if I should have just gone for a Puqpress. The cost, though …. ouch.

Anyway, back to grind setting - another lesson I learned quickly is to not to try to relate what suits MY grinder, calibration, bean choice and espresso machine probably bears no resemblance at all to what someone else gets. As other have said, go by the coffee. I’m still trying to maintain consistency in as many factors as ossible, so using the same beans (well, different roasts obviously, but the same choice from the same supplier), in a 20g VST with a target 19.1 in, 38-ish out, in 30 sec +/- about 4 or 5 sec. But even 40 sec is drinkable. Keeping everything else the same, I end up tweaking grind settings about 0.1 or 0.2 of a Niche number at a time, if I get two or three on the trot outside my target output.

Next for me? Try adjust the “in” a bit and study the effect. i.e. what about 18 in, or 20 in? Or what about 2.5:1 ratio? In other words, just trying to learn what to do …. by trying what turns out to be what not (shudder) to do.

I am finding a few extra avenues of the rabbithole I was warned home espresso turns into.

Still, it’s all part of the fun …. I tell myself. :D

Even niche to niche numbers can vary due to how we all calibrate our grinders.

A number on a Niche, is just a point of reference for your next shot, ie leave it along, tighten or loosen it. Can you imagine having a Niche with just the markings to delineate the coarseness ie espresso, filter etc with no other markings. You would soon come up with a system whereby the shot you have just pulled needs adjusted or not…..do not become fixated with numbers!

Sp0ke Same coffee again in order to make the same recipe 1:2 , in 30 sec , I needed to set it at 31-32 (in filter drip area)

31-32 on the Niche is more like coarser side of espresso/moka pot/fine immersion brewing. Too fine really for filter drip.

Time isn’t so much a part of the recipe, unless it is a range of times, nothing is going to happen at 30s that won’t also happen at 29 or 31sec.