MediumRoastSteam

With Niche I have not spent a lot of time, I got it in Feb and only used it on a single type of beans. Good enough results so far. I like the workflow and the fact that is super stable in grind settings - once dialed in, you don’t need to change it unless you change the beans - unlike the other two grinders that need some adjustment almost every day.

When I compared those beans (Square Mile Rotutu) with DF64 (which has SSP HU btw and it is aligned within 10-20 microns) I found the shot on DF much more interesting - more clarity and more acidity.

A whole new story since I got the Mazzer. For context, it seems like a unit that has been beat up in a cafe but it has Mazzer original TIN burrs which seems in a good condition. I aligned them within 20microns. Although got it quite recently too, the differences were huge compared with the other 2: the shots have thick, smooth body I never seen before and they seem more sweet also. Acidity seemed a bit more toned down than DF64. Overall I feel like I get more from the coffee with the Mazzer.

Sorry I did not have too much things to compare between DF and Niche, I need more time with the Niche and since I am so focused on the Mazzer atm that might take a while.

I only drink espresso, using medium roast beans, I don’t have a lot of experience extracting light roasts and I don’t really like dark roasts.

      See weber is getting a bit of bad pres

      Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

        My belief is that, for most of the so called “influencers” and “reviewers” out there, there’s no reason why they would ever criticise a product. After all, their channels are monetised. If they say anything negative about a product, public ally, it’s very unlikely they will ever receive another one from the same company. It completely goes against their business model, at least for the majority of them.

        Similar to some general public forum members - but not all, of course they would always be positive, and of course something expensive will always be the best thing ever. After all, they also at some point will want to move their product on and sell it on, specially if they don’t find it that great themselves. They want to at least get back what they paid for.

        I watche a review for the Lagom Mini.. after almost 30m the one thing I had not seen, it grinding a full dose from start to finish. What I did hear was one load of BS for what appears to be a flawed product.

        Remember Peak water….

        The world of coffee influencers is a tricky one to navigate. In some cases, insulting to those who have the knowledge and really put the work in to review something.

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          DavecUK Watched the same video, main thought was “cute toy”, obviously form is far more important than function. So unimpressed. I mean, seperate power supply just to look pretty!?!?

          Agree with comments on most “influencers” in coffee - which is a very complex and hard place to make blanket endorsements IMHO.

          Perhaps I’m just contrary but I much prefer gathering information and making my own decisions. The great thing about it is the path less travelled is usually a bit more interesting, lol.

            That Sprometheus stuff is horrendous. It’s amazing how many companies seem to act this way.. I remember recently another coffee based business on Instagram being pretty petty publicity.

            Social media is really bad, some of these so called big players,. Who are they? What credentials do they have etc etc,

            You’re telling me, most these guys have the money do drop thousands,

            I watch hoons coffee, hes recently got a bianca, a p64, a ek43, nice, df64. Not sure on the weber, but id argue his technical ability isnt ‘pro’

            I take most videos with a pinch of salt, esp when they have a sponsor ….. i prefer to do my reading

            Its a shame though when these so called top companies have closed forums, and such influence they can silence any negative feedback.

            I remember seeing this vids of hg1 issues

            Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

            Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

              Agreed you have to gather your knowledge and reviews from multiple sources and then draw your own opinion.

              I don’t trust anyone who reviews a product and cannot find any flaws.

              The people I watch just have a passion for coffee, they convey it naturally and usually give facts rather than descriptors. They state when they are giving opinion and are monetized in a clear and objective way.

              They are out there and in the end we also are blessed with some very knowledgeable folks here to compare what they say with real first hand experience.

              I think what Weber did was pathetic for a big company but I also thought their products were extremely expensive and tacky looking 😅😅

              Cuprajake I watched it, wow. With the burrs there is a massive difference between the Mazzer Conicals and the non Mazzer ones from Italmill.

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                Wow! I wonder if a company like them would let the QA slip. Is it a one-off or every piece is like this?

                HG-1…

                It comes with Mazzer burrs (maybe, maybe not). The website says ”We source our burrs exclusively from Mazzer”.

                Perfectly aligned shaft from the renowned Weber workshops (perhaps)

                Hand crafted built in the aforementioned workshop, but the gear shaft might be incorrectly assembled.

                Yet, according to the reviewer…. The best grinder in the world.

                Something is not adding up in my simple mind.

                it will be mass produced elsewhere and then put together, the crowd funding went mental and my be is they sold more than they ever imagined they would

                Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

                  Cuprajake - my point Is… despite the negatives, which were not trivial by any means, how can it be the best grinder in the world? I appreciate the reviewer exposing those, but then saying it’s the best grinder in the world feels like a contradiction to me.

                  I’d understand if it was a small defect which can be easily rectified, but that wasn’t the case. Besides, the consumer pays a premium for the brand and the craftsmanship which doesn’t seem to be present in the final product at all.

                    gotters It’s a good video by someone with reasonable engineering knowledge. Obviously there are some secrets about the Niche he doesn’t know, but he did a good job.

                    The main reason the Niche build quality was debated probably started on CFUK believe it or not, where (for whatever reasons) it was quite unfairly debated by some people. A cursory “review” was done…which kicked off said debate.

                    A huge amount of work went into the Niche, developing, testing for years before it went on the market. When I got involved with the testing and recommending, many years of work had already gone into it. When I said, it’s a great product, but I thought some things needed change, rather than be dismissed I was listened to and changes were made. When I pushed a prototype to its limits and broke it…changes were made…only when it was right..was it launched. This striving for quality even went down to the actual bearings chosen for the job. Plastics used that are substitutes for metals in aerospace etc..

                    I personally consider Martin who developed the Niche to be a James Dyson of the prosumer grinder world..A very clever man with a passion for doing it right.

                    My view has always been, buy a Niche and the savings in coffee (purging, dialing in etc.) for most people result in the grinder paying for itself in 5 - 6 years. If it’s still going….then it was effectively free. I never expect anyone will ever have to change the burrs, I think they are good for 800Kg+.

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                      They are really great insights @DavecUK, you can tell using it that it’s been refined and designed to within an inch of its life, good to know that goes for the insides too. I’d seen another US based teardown months back on YouTube and he seemed a bit of a ‘good old boy’ who was berating it for having plastic gears. US engineering can be a bit rudimentary and unless it’s metal they think its ****.

                      When you say secrets do you mean design choices, materials or actual things in the unit he didn’t spot in the tear down ?

                        gotters When you say secrets do you mean design choices, materials or actual things in the unit he didn’t spot in the tear down ?

                        Yes, all 3, for the last one not necessarily didn’t spot, but didn’t understand the significance of..

                        The comments about metal gears good, plastic gears bad is a stupid one…it’s generally now the other way round for things like a grinder.

                        In the right applications, metal gears are fine…in a Grinder that’s not always the “right” application for metal. Gears in a spur gearbox (especially metal ones) have lubrication challenges…with a planetary the lubrication stays in the gears easier.

                        https://www.precisionmicrodrives.com/spur-versus-planetary-gear-types

                        http://www.zonpoo.com/planetary-gearboxes-advantages/

                        One of the concerns I would have about the Lagom is the spur gear system and keeping the lubrication in the gears (which I believe are metal)….So much, so I would advise anyone owning one these grinders to check the gearbox every 6 months by removing the cover, and ensuring the grease is properly distributed. Especially if they get more noisy! If I had one, I would also be thinking about changing the grease for new grease every 1-3 years depending on use.

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                          The Niche is a home run for the home barista. Not cheap, but much cheaper than other grinders with similar performance. It is a joy to use. I am thrilled to have it, and I hope it will be the last grinder I ever buy. If Niche stays in business over the years, any part that fails looks so easy to replace. So nice.