Is the Niche Zero a Good Grinder for Espresso?

The Niche Zero is the first grinder Niche coffee company released and so far, it has been a huge sensation among espresso lovers.

Read on to learn how the Niche Zero coffee grinder is perfect for espresso.

What makes perfectly ground espresso?

Espresso Roast

Perfectly ground espresso is not an easy feat, but anyone can get better results with the right coffee grinder.

Contrary to popular belief, espresso roast beans are not a species of coffee bean.

Espresso can be brewed from any type of coffee beans, but coffee with the espresso roast label is specifically roasted with espresso in mind.

Espresso roast is specially labeled because of its flavor profile.

Certain flavors result in better tasting espresso than others.

Espresso roast coffee beans will often have a smoky taste because of their extremely dark roast.

Grind Size

Dark-roasted espresso beans are ground to a very fine consistency before being brewed into the classic Italian coffee we love.

While nothing can beat Turkish coffee in terms of finely ground coffee, espresso uses coffee grounds that are about the consistency of table salt.

This fine consistency is used to ensure the perfect extraction of flavor when brewing espresso.

Espresso has a unique brewing process.

It shoots pressurized water at tightly packed coffee, brewing espresso in a matter of seconds.

Because espresso brews so quickly, using the correct grind size is very important.

Coarser grounds will brew too quickly because the pressurized water can easily slip in between the grounds without fully extracting their flavor.

This leads to an under-extracted espresso shot.

Finer coffee grounds will brew too slowly because they tend to retain the pressurized water.

This espresso shot will take a lot longer to brew and will result in an over-extracted coffee.

The perfect espresso shot will find the balance between the grind size of the coffee and the time it takes to brew the espresso.

For most espresso machines, this sweet spot is about 25 seconds.

Burr Grinders

Burr grinders are the most common coffee grinder used for espresso because of their ease of use and consistency.

They are often referred to as burr mills because of how they crush the coffee beans.

A burr grinder consists of two sets of sharp burrs that rotate at a consistent distance from each other.

Whole coffee beans are crushed by the spinning burrs and deposited at the bottom of the grinder in a uniform size.

The distance between the two burrs of a burr grinder allows a barista to predetermine the size of the coffee grounds, Burr grinders specialize in size consistency.

Unlike blade grinders, the resulting ground espresso from a burr grinder will have a uniform shape.

Uniformity in espresso roast coffee beans is very important because of the brewing method espresso employs.

In such a short brew time, a lot can go wrong.

Burr grinders promise consistency in their coffee grounds, which can be tasted in their espresso.

What kind of coffee grinder is the Niche Zero?

Canonical Burrs

The Niche Zero is a conical burr grinder with 63mm burrs.

This is the industry standard and is preferred by most baristas for brewing espresso.

Conical burr grinders have an inner and outer burr in the shape of a cone and are more commonly used than flat burr grinders.

Conical burr grinders are more energy-efficient than flat burr grinders, which makes them heat resistant.

Heat resistance is an important factor when purchasing a coffee grinder.

If the dry coffee beans are exposed to heat before they are brewed, they will taste burnt and rubbery.

The Niche Zero is a heat-resistant coffee grinder, so you don’t have to worry about burnt coffee beans when brewing espresso.

Ease of Use

This coffee grinder is also very compact making it easy to carry and store.

This conical burr grinder is electric.

Unlike hand-cranked coffee grinders, the Niche Zero is simple and intuitive.

With a press of a button, it can grind espresso roast coffee to the perfect size.

This makes the Niche Zero an invaluable addition to your morning coffee routine, especially on days where you might not be fully awake before brewing a cup.

This easy-to-use electrical coffee grinder comes with two voltage settings: 110v and 220v.

Minimum Waste

 Another benefit of the Niche Zero coffee grinder is its low waste efficiency.

After grinding a batch of coffee, many coffee grinders need the grounds that got stuck inside the machine to be cleaned out.

The Niche Zero grinder boasts zero coffee ground retention.

While this isn’t entirely true, this coffee grinder is much more efficient than most of its competitors.

There is less wasted coffee in between batches and it hardly requires any cleanup after batches.

Why is the Niche Zero a good espresso grinder?

The Niche Zero is one of the best espresso coffee grinders on the market because it was made with espresso in mind.

It is very simple and easy to use.

From measuring the coffee beans to pouring the freshly ground espresso into the portafilter, the entire process is made intuitive with the Niche Zero.

The funnel of the Niche Zero doubles as the grind adjuster and its simplistic design makes it easy to experiment with.

The step-less calibration function will ensure you get the correct grind size every time you use it.

The Niche Zero has a 20 second grind time for 55 grams of whole coffee beans.

This is slow for other conical grinders on the market but also ensures its heat resistance.

The 55 grams max of the Niche Zero is not a lot of coffee, so this grinder is best used for small batches of coffee.

The conical burrs are well made and last a very long time but the best part of the Niche Zero comes after the coffee has been ground.

The portafilter of your espresso machine can be placed directly under the grinder for a hassle-free coffee.

There is hardly any cleanup required.

Conclusion

There are tons of coffee grinders on the market, and it can get overwhelming trying to find the best grinder for you.

Not every grinder on the market is built specifically for grinding espresso, with little to no waste.

If you are a fan of espresso and need a better grinder, consider the Niche Zero.

Prefer a manual coffee grinder? Check out our article on the Kinu M47 grinder.