Niche Zero

The Niche Product – There are many ways to get a good cup of coffee in the morning— the local cafe, for instance. I'd look for the one recommended by the "crack of dawn" cycling brigade. Of course, that means lining up with a bunch of people in sweaty lycra, which may not be everyone's choice. Then there's brewing at home with various means, from Maccona Instant to a moka pot, pod machines like those by Nespresso, or even expensive bean-to-cup as in a Jira J8.

Finally, there are those of us who wish to be home baristas and dose a coffee basket in a portafilter, put it on an expresso machine, such as the Breville Bambino or Gaggia Classic Pro, and hit the dispense button or switch. If you're one of these coffee tragics, this review's for you.

An excellent cup of coffee, be it espresso (as is my want) or a latte, is the sum of its components. That is, they all must align along an axis of quality. The beans, grinder, espresso machine, filter basket, and the very technique of dosing and dispensing must all be of good quality to get the desired result. A year-old packet of beans from Coles... nope. A poor-quality espresso machine... nope. Sloppy dosing... well, you get the picture.

Most people concentrate on beans or an expensive espresso machine, neglecting the grinder and then wonder why the result might taste weak, bitter, or awful. Coffee grinders, along with the coffee basket, are often overlooked and then bought as an afterthought. Typically, these are blade grinders suitable for spices but less for high-quality espresso. But money invested in a good coffee grinder, be it manual or electric, will pay dividends on the quality of coffee in the cup. And this is where the Niche Zero comes in.

Single Dosing vs. Grind on Demand ----------------------------------- When people think about coffee grinders, they envisage those with a hopper on top full of beans where you place a portafilter beneath a chute and grind to time or weight. These 'on-demand' grinders are the most popular among home baristas because they work well with the typical workflow. A person buys, say, a kilo or 500gms of coffee, fills the hopper, adjusts the grind setting, and grinds as required until the beans are gone. It's not a bad way of dosing your coffee, and one I did for over a decade with my Rancilio Rocky - a workhorse of a grinder.

But in recent years, a new style of single dosing has become popular among some home baristas. This is where a set weight of coffee is put into the grinder to achieve the best results that can be repeated. Often, it is part of a recipe - for example, one of mine is typically 18 grams of coffee extracted in 36 grams of hot water between 25-28 seconds.

Why might you do this? The reasons can be having a variety of beans you wish to try, perhaps a different one on a different day, or grinding to different styles of coffee - say an espresso to a pour-over. Or any combination of the above. My reason for going from my Rocky, which is a grind on demand, to a single-dosing grinder was precision in weight with a good workflow. You can get weight precision from a Rocky, but the workflow isn't ideal.

Enter the Niche Zero.

What is the Niche Zero? ------------------------ The Niche Zero is a single-dosing coffee grinder. There is no glass or plastic hopper holding a kilo of coffee; instead, there is just a funnel, holding at most about 50 grams, in which you pour the beans and close the lid. The coffee is ground into a dosing cup underneath. It gets its name from being a 'low retention' grinder. That is, the weight of the coffee coming out is equal or close to the weight going in. Hence, the 'Zero' means zero retention or close by 0.2 grams.

It was developed in 2020 by a UK father-son team as an Indiegogo project. Since then, it has become popular as a single-dosing grinder.

What Makes it So Good? ------------------------- At its heart, the Niche Zero uses 63mm Mazzer Kony conical burrs. These are hardened steel burrs used in commercial grinders and are known for producing espressos with great texture and body. The motor turns the burrs at a low 330rpm, which means the Niche Zero is relatively quiet, although not the quickest. Its tilt and internal design mean very low (+/- 0.2gms) retention, which is excellent if you want to chop and change beans.

It has a step-less grind adjustment set by an easy-to-read dial and rotated by hand. This allows for relatively quick 'dialling in' of an espresso. The workflow from the Niche dosing cup to a 58mm portafilter is quick and easy.

The espressos I produce from dark roasts are precisely what I like. Textured: lots of body, with chocolatey notes and molasses finish. The Niche Zero has a large sweet spot, so I still get a good shot even if my dialling in of a new bean isn't quite exact.

Finally, it is easily cleaned. The Niche Zero has a socket driver to remove one screw and brush. Both of these allow one to open it up and clean it quickly. It's recommended to clean monthly, and it's about 10-20 minutes at most.

What's Less Good About It? ---------------------------- First: the price. It's not cheap, and there are other good quality grinders for the money. Some have hoppers. Some are single-dosing. When the Niche Zero came out, it had little to no competition for a single dosing grinder at its price point. But as it gained popularity, the market moved, and today, the home barista is spoilt for choice in this segment.

Second: styling. I like it, and it reminds me of the EVE robot in Wall-E. Yet some people are put off by its appliance-like appearance.

Third: the conical burrs are for those that like the old-style, textured espressos. However, many aficionados seek clarity of flavours and feel the Niche Zero doesn't distinguish complex flavours well. It's a hotly debated topic and one best left for coffee forums rather than an appliance review.

Last but not least, only some people want to weigh the beans in the morning, put them into the machine, grind them, and move from a dosing cup to a portafilter. As I mentioned before, the 'on demand' grinders are still the most popular in the market and for good reason. You plop your portafilter underneath a chute, press a button, and get coffee grounds.

Why Did I Buy It? ----------------- 1. Low retention. I was already weighing my beans, but the Rancilio Rocky required shaking and smacking to get close to what I put in. Not good for my hand nor the poor Rocky. 2. Great espresso burrs. The Mazzer Kony 63mm burrs are commercial standard for up to 700kgs of coffee. They are known for producing textured coffee with many of the chocolate notes I love from dark roast beans. 3. Great workflow. The Niche Zero is known for having one of the best and easiest workflows for grinders at its price point. 4. Build quality. The Niche Zero has an aluminium body, a strong motor, and wood accents at its base. The only visible plastic components are the dosing chute and lid. It feels like it will last a long time.

Conclusion ----------- There are many options if you want a good single-dosing coffee grinder, but the Niche Zero still excels in this crowded marketplace. I recommend it to those who enjoy espressos from dark roasted beans and want an easy workflow. However, the recommendation would have been stronger a year ago since there is good competition in this space for less money today.