Niche Zero: The Best Conical Burr Grinder

In the world of coffee, the search for the perfect cup is never-ending. Coffee and caffeinated products are always evolving, and a new blend with a unique flavor comes out fairly often. But we ignore one of the most critical factors in coffee making— the coffee grinder.

Since the 1950s, there has been no change in the basic design of coffee grinders. The current models are old and still bear some of the faults from their earliest concepts. But, what if there is a new type of coffee grinder? One that scraps the old design and brings out the best from our coffee beans?

That machine is called the Niche Zero. It made its debut in 2017 but it is in constant evolution and the new models are currently being funded on Indiegogo.

The Story Behind the Niche Zero

The Niche Zero is a creation of Martin Nicholson, a design aficionado with a passion for great coffee. Martin recognizes the outdated technology in coffee grinders. So, he set out to solve this problem, dedicating four years to designing and building the most advanced coffee grinder in existence.

This coffee grinder is the creation of a coffee lover for coffee lovers. And nobody but a coffee lover understands what makes a good cup.

The Niche Zero: What are The Differences?

When we say the Niche Zero has an all-new design that helps make the most of coffee beans, it may seem like idle talk. But, hear us out. Two words: No residue. This is the first and (arguably) the most remarkable feature of the Niche Zero. Here is quick list comparing the Niche Zero with other coffee grinders

No Sour Leftovers

By leftovers, we mean the parts of coffee beans that get stuck in the grinder. Most people tend to leave them there for a long while, because who has time to clean out the filter every day? However, this residue can affect any fresh coffee we brew with that same machine.

Once out of their sealed packets, coffee beans stay fresh for only a day. Once we grind them, the resulting powder only stays fresh for a few minutes before the oils and aromatics lose their original flavor. This old residue remains in the burrs, leaving a bitter taste in any subsequent cups. This is a hard truth, because who wants to drink their coffee knowing there’s the ghost of beans long ground in their cup?

The Niche Zero overcomes all that with its unique technology, which leaves the machine virtually residue-free. All of the beans end up in the cup. This also has another effect which we will address in the next difference.

Saves Money

The Niche Zero allows us to grind the amount of coffee we need. That part’s the same as almost every other grinder out there. The difference is every single bean we grind makes its way into the cup.

There’s no need to compensate for the loss of a few beans by adding some extra. We get what you put in. To prove it, the diesel consistency has a variation of less than +/- 0.2g of grind.

With this feature, we can save money and get our full measure of coffee with every grind.

A Controlled Grind

Different coffee beans have different qualities that make them optimal for different types of coffee. As such, there is a need for a grinder that can accommodate these differences.

The Niche Zero has an optimized grand thread that puts the grind size in our hands. The settings are all there, from espresso to French press so we can grind any bean we want.

It’s Quiet

Household coffee grinders tend to be quite loud (around 75-95db). There are quieter machines, but most are around this range. To some people, that level of noise is nothing regardless of the effects of noise pollution.

But, the Niche Zero takes care of this problem with a significant reduction in sound. It produces only 72db at one meter, low enough to use when everyone’s asleep.

More Space Conscious

Some of us love coffee and want a great brew but we have our limited counter space to consider. Some coffee grinders work great but are too large to comfortably sit on counters or in the space between table and cabinet.

The Niche Zero is small enough to travel with. It’s 12 inches tall and only about 4 inches wide. This makes it perfect for storing underneath wall cupboards and on the counter. It also has storage space for the plug and wire.

Easy to Clean

We can get the Niche Zero grinder clean in about the time it takes to get a shower. The burr set is the part that needs the most thorough cleaning. Luckily, we can easily access it by unscrewing the top and removing the top bean funnel.

After, we only need to put the burrs and funnel back and screw the top back on. We’ll still be able to grind beans at the setting before cleaning. Just a couple of minutes and we can get back to grinding the coffee we love. 

Long-lasting

With the purchase of this product, we can get replacement burrs whenever we wish. The Niche Zero uses food-grade 63mm conical burrs, the kind we can find in the fancy, really expensive coffee grinders. For about £20, we can get a complete grind chamber floor with pre-fitted bearing.

The burrs alone can grind about 750kg of coffee in the machine’s lifetime, which is about 20 years worth. If there is a need for other new parts, such as sweep arms or the planetary gearbox, we can get them cheap. All we’ll need for the repair is a set of screwdrivers. Eventually, all of this may be necessary purchases, but not for many years after purchase.

It Just Looks Good

The grinder has a metal body with some touches of oak. It comes in gleaming white and black. We can only imagine how beautiful it’ll look in a kitchen or workspace.

Independent Review

If you are one for all the technical tests of this innovative coffee grinder then check out this detailed independent review.

The following video is an independent review by the well-known World Champion Barista and Author James Hoffmann

Where to Buy

We’re going to round off with some information on where to get the Niche Zero. Indiegogo hosts the product, and we can support the manufacturer by buying it for £499.

However, this product is only available in the UK, Europe, Israel, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand,  USA, and Canada. With time and more funding, the Niche Zero will be able to enhance its design further and start shipping to more countries.

What is Indiegogo?

Here are the words from Indiegogo itself:

“Indiegogo is an online crowdfunding platform that brings Users together and allows Users to seek to raise funds for their own Campaigns and to contribute to the Campaigns of others. Campaign Owners can offer Perks to Contributors in thanks for the Contributors’ donation of funds.”

A ‘campaign’ is a fund-raising effort by a particular person, group, business, or company. If you invest in a campaign then you may receive the product or service advertised and this is called a ‘perk’.

However, you should understand that Indiegogo is not a shopping platform which means that even if you do invest in a product or service you may not receive the product or service.

As detailed in the Indiegogo terms of service

“Indiegogo Does Not Guarantee that Campaigns Will Succeed or that Perks Will Be Delivered or Deemed Satisfactory. By contributing to a Campaign, Contributors are supporting an idea, project, or cause they care about and want to help make happen. Like anyone getting in on an early-stage project, Contributors accept the risk that the Campaign may experience changes, delays, and unforeseen challenges, or that a Campaign, and its Perks, might not come to fruition”

So the main message here is ‘investor beware’ and only invest what you can afford to risk. OK?