The Niche Duo Review

As always, thank you to my Patreon supporters for making reviews like this possible.

Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:26 Conical vs Flat Burrs
00:02:42 The Whole Two Burrsets Thing
00:03:25 Overview Of The Grinder
00:05:43 Espresso Workflow
00:07:31 Espresso Tasting
00:09:15 Particle Size Analysis
00:11:33 Changing The Burr Sets
00:13:56 Filter Coffee Workflow And Tasting
00:14:45 The Nitpicks and Final Thoughts
00:19:27 That Lovely Poster And Those Fancy Cups
00:20:10 Outro

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[jordanmckay]

Oh boy my opinion on the Niche Duo has finally dropped

[raw]

These grinder and coffee related reviews have reached the level of Hi-Fi reviews, with charts and all. Both are convoluted, potentially expensive and I have no complaints.

[rogainepahdilla]

“I have no complaints, that doesn’t mean I have NO complaints.” A very coffee person thing that should be on a shirt.

[markberger]

Genuine LOL at “I don’t like the blue”, never change James, never change….. (happy Niche Zero owner with no buyers remorse after seeing this!)

[avokkrii]

that single missed bean at 4:04 saddened me

[TheMrCazano]

As a data nerd, I would've loved to see the difference between the espresso burrs and the filter coffee burrs in the particle analyzer! Also a comparison with the EG-1 particle profile would've been great to learn why that grinder is able to make both great espresso and filter coffee, while the Niche filter coffee burrset wasn't.

It's a good video, but I would love to learn a bit more and dive a bit deeper into the analysis to understand what variables are responsible for making great coffee.

[aggeman]

”We’ll pull some shots, we’ll taste them. We’ll make some filtercoffe, we’ll drink that too”.
This cadence, almost poetry like, really stood out to me, just now, as a marker of the thought and quality that separates you from the rest of the field. Keep on rocking!

[haromard]

I cannot believe how excited I get when I see a new Hoffmann video drop especially because of how basic of a coffee drinker I am. French press is about all I do and drink it black but damn do I love a good Hoffmann vid.

[SaitekFreak]

Finally, I've been waiting for this!

Small comment on the catch cup: They actually did change the cup a little. The external shape is identical, but it is now rounder at the inside on the bottom and the little ridge is no longer on the inside. Both had a habit of retaining grounds, so that is no issue anymore.

[EvilBambo]

Niche Zero owner here, thanks James for the review so I can resist the itch to upgrade. My next upgrade will be variable speed, larger burr and flat. I also think particle analysis for grinders is a must in the future, so people can quantitatively evaluate and compare each. After watching this video, I feel like watching other coffee reviews about the duo and see what they say lol

[andreasdjamas]

I love that your sweaters keep getting bigger

[captbill]

Thank you, James. You've convinced me that the Niche Zero is a better choice for my needs, and saved me a bit of money in the process! 👍

[johnchardine]

Wonderful, deep review. But re. graph at 9:50 comparing particle size distribution between Niche Zero (conical) and EG1 (flat), the different peaks of the larger particles almost certainly has to do with the grind setting on the two machines and not conical vs. flat burrs. Without a way of standardizing grind settings between machines (not easy), all you can really do with these graphs is compare the shape of the distribution, not where the peaks sit along the x-axis. Looking at the shapes, I agree that the peaks of the flat burr profile are closer together.

[ricbeme]

I noticed that the espresso burr seemed misplaced in that the SET on the burr should be up at the white dot according to Niche as that is the best position for a burr set planarity if I understand their manual.

Second I cut a simple rubber disc to cover beans as it grinds, keeps th epopping contained.

Yep, I own one and do notice the similarity in the burr sets but also taste a difference, could be me, the beans and who knows. That said I am watching those who are giong to or have installed different burrs sets....interesting.

Great review and good points made

[skyman]

Your picture in the background (coffee landscape) would make a great jigsaw puzzle, and hence a great gift. Recommend you possibly follow-up on this idea. Ask your subscribers if they would buy this.

[purepepsii]

You have no idea how much my wallet is thanking you for confirming that my Niche Zero is still a great choice 😂

[tordox]

I have the Zero version as my first every grinder. Having to switch out the burrs makes it an immediate no-go. The zero was nice because you can change coffee types and brewing styles almost per cup. Making it the easiest way to try out new stuff as a beginner

[davidarrowsmith]

This is hilarious. I've seen so many Reddit comments about the clarity enhancement 😂 and it's virtually no different.

[karlnaicker]

Gosh. Been watching this dude for 5 years

[flowregulator]

Have to agree with your gripes here.

1 - we want a grinder that can be good (not perfect) in both filter and espresso without changing around burrs

2- I wouldn’t change burrs no matter how simple, on a daily basis, eg. between having a wake up espresso then filter at lunch


3- living in Norway it’s super common to make a 1L can of coffee to enjoy over time, the dosing cup is then kind of useless

4 - the blue burr would wreck my head.

Conclusion - this is not the grinder for me