The Niche Zero enters the market with the ambition of being a small, compact machine that plays at a high level. In March 2020, we purchased the machine for 617 CHF/580 € via crowdfunding and compared it in our comprehensive test with 24 espresso grinders.
The technical specifications of the Niche Zero:
- Burrs: Conical burrs, 63 mm diameter made of hardened steel
- Width: 120 mm
- Height: 310 mm
- Depth: 210 mm
- Bean hopper: 30 gram capacity, plastic
The Niche Zero is designed to grind single doses. The advantage here is that you only take as much coffee from the package as you use. The coffee stays fresh and doesn't sit long in the bean hopper. The grinding process begins as soon as the lid is closed. That's a clever safety concept.
The grinding process works as follows: weigh the beans (see our scales) in the included stainless steel cup. Pour in the beans. Close the lid and hold the stainless steel cup under the discharge. The cup fits onto a 58mm portafilter, so the ground coffee can be transferred without any hassle.
The "Zero" of the Niche Zero – dead space measurement
The term "dead space" refers to areas of the grinder where coffee powder remains after the grinding process. While this is discharged during the next grinding process, if the next coffee is not prepared until hours or even the next day, the ground coffee sits exposed to air for a long time. Ground coffee loses aroma and flavor within minutes, it extracts differently, it tastes rancid. In short: the smaller the dead space, the fresher the coffee.
And here comes the big advantage of the Niche Zero: according to our extensive measurement (complete disassembly of the grinder, weighing every coffee bean, etc.), the dead space is only 0.47 grams. This is extremely low and almost does justice to the name "Zero".
Handling the Niche Zero
As described above, the workflow is smooth and fast. The grind setting can be adjusted continuously. You can achieve both very good espresso results and delicious filter coffees. This is also a great advantage of the Niche Zero. Often you need multiple grinders for different coffee beverages. During the grinding process, it works pleasantly quietly, but a little slowly. It takes about 16 seconds to grind 18 grams.
Consistency and precision in adjusting and resetting the Niche Zero
The grinder works extremely consistently and we were able to enjoy many delicious espressos. Over 10 espressos, the coffee grounds showed only variations of about 0.2g at discharge. The particle distribution of the grinder has its coarse peak between grinders with flat burrs (M2D, Eureka Mignon) and the two grinders with conical burrs (Graef, Sette). The curve resembles the particle distribution of the Sage Smart Grinder Pro except that it is more regular across the shots. In terms of taste, this resulted in a balanced and especially sweet taste experience.
Since it is particularly important with single-dose machines to achieve the last setting of your favorite drink again, we also measured the accuracy of adjusting and resetting. In our test, this works very well and reliably, even compared to similarly priced machines.
We were able to drink a perfect espresso, then adjust the grind for a ristretto, reset, and enjoy another perfect espresso. Excellent.
Removing the burrs and cleaning
A coffee grinder also needs to be cleaned regularly to maintain flavor and longevity. With the Niche Zero, the outer burrs can be removed without tools. This makes it easy to remove coffee residue with a fine brush. The inner burr does require a wrench, but overall cleaning is straightforward. We use Clean Grind for regular cleaning of our Niche grinders and all other grinders in our academies.
Conclusion on the Niche Zero
The Niche Zero has the potential to become our absolute favorite. It grinds consistently, is easy to adjust, and you can switch between beans and beverages as you like and always get a great result. So if you want to enjoy an espresso in the morning, filter coffee in the afternoon, and a decaffeinated drink in the evening, all in perfect quality, this is the right choice for you. The only thing is that the design of the grinder might take some getting used to for some. Plus, the grinder is not the fastest.
By the way, we don't sell the Niche Zero ourselves. We therefore have no financial ties with this grinder. Our conclusion is so good because we simply think the grinder is very good!
You can find more background information in a detailed blog post on our Swiss website here.
