Coffee Appreciation

Awesome! So glad to hear it!

We really liked that

But awkward niche consumers…

Yeah I read a little bit up on this. Am I right in saying that basically larger burrs reduces fines which help give espresso more body but also muddy the flavours a bit?

No it's the other way round.

Fines give body and texture but muddy the flavours. Conical burrs are classically of this profile.

Yeah that's what I meant, just phrased badly, lol. Large burrs reduces fines. Fines help give body to espresso but reduce clarity.

Ah yes I see what happened there.

But to be honest, that's why coffee in a good cafe tastes different from coffee at home.

So many big-ass grinders in cafes and they can make coffee taste amazing when dialled in

Bottomless portafilter doesn’t want to fit.
Do I just file the bastard down til it works? Any reason that’s a bad idea?

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I would send it back if possible because it will probably end up locking in at an odd angle. If you’re happy to do some metalwork you would be better off buying the correct regular pf and cutting the bottom out with a hole saw. That’s pretty satisfying.

Yeah, I think that's a fair generalization. I'd maybe tweak it to 'larger burrs increase the consistency of a grind distribution'.

That distribution might include an intentional range of particle sizes to help improve the flavour/tasting experience with a wider range of beans or a more unimodal style (super low fines, trying to get maximum uniformity in grind size, going for clarity of flavors over everything, generally preferred for super light roasts). But increasing the burr sizes seems to make it easier to get the exact result you're after with less random variation.

Bought it off here so will probably just end up hacking away at it.
And looks like they don’t make the proper one any more anyway.
https://www.mrbean2cup.co.uk/gaggia-cubika-filterholder-assembly

I have really enjoyed my conical burr Niche, I’m tempted to just get the flat burr one because it’s (relative to other stuff) very affordable, and I know I like the workflow.

Are the Mazzer burrs in there total shit?

Hedrick comparing cone and flat burrs, also talks about the ‘bigger is better’ thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me-Q1M3NZNU&t=603s

What’s your plan for the old one?

I love all the insane grinder chat in the coffee world, it's the coffee equivalent of the 20 stone investment banker getting carbon everything for those weight gains.

You're all mental but I do like watching vids about it.

Thé Marzocco importer wants to sell me a Mazzer Mini A with the Linea Micra- does anyone have any experience of this grinder?

The cynic in me wants to scoff at the notion but once I upgraded from a Porlex to a Comandante, every cup changed for the better and my workflow improved.

That one experience has instilled in me that MOR£ GRIND£R = better coffee. I imagine there's a cut-off point where even a blank cheque wouldn't change my ability to taste the difference though!

64mm flat burrs, same as the larger Super Jolly, which I have. Looking at it, I don't think you'd like the dosing system as it looks like it weighs grounds out rather than beans in - I'd assume you workflow would be to weigh beans in rather than grounds out. I've modded my Super Jolly for single dosing with a home made chute, hopper removal (using a small tamper on top of the opening to keep beans from popcorning and a rubber lens hood to create a small funnel). There are other mods, some from Mazzer and others on Etsy etc.

It'd do the job, but I reckon it'd disappoint after the Niche. The Super Jolly is good at grinding coffee though.

Going from a Hario to a Timemore c2 was an absolute game changer in brew quality.
Also going from a v60 to using a clever dripper not only improved my brews, but it just makes the whole thing so much easier, especially when dialling in (maybe my v60 technique was just awful, but the CD is just better IMO).

I appreciate there can be a jump going from a cheap grinder to something more expensive but when you've got a 500 quid grinder and you think dropping a grand on another is going to get magic results is nonsense.

If you're doing it for a living, efficiency, profile, retention etc are massive things as little things scale up massively. If you're just on your own making a shot or two a day its madness.

But hey, spend your money on whatever you want there's plenty of things I waste money on which people would find bonkers.

Wahey, 5 minute job with some vernier callipers and a grinder, and the portafilter fits no problem.
Now to see if I can pour a shot that doesn’t go everywhere!

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Oh I'm 100% in agreement.
Marginal (coffee) gains.

For what it's worth though, I like to see people buy luxury/expensive things if it makes them feel good.
My bikes cost more than some cars and I still only use them to commute or run errands.
I wear Jordans and I've never touched a basketball.
I use hand-forged chef knives to cut Tesco pitta and dip it into Tesco hummus.

If I had the money, I'm a prime candidate for 'expensive-coffee-stuff-beyond-my-comprehension'.

Looks good!

I imagine there's a pleasant feeling of pride i your house right now!
Good work.

There was, until my catastrophic first couple of shots, lol. Need newer beans, hopefully that'll mellow out the spraying.

I bought the Niche Duo, at some point my Niche Zero will turn up (they'll probably arrive at the same time) and I'll be able to compare conical to flat with everything else being as close as possible.