This video reviews the Niche Zero coffee grinder, comparing its functionality and relevance in 2025 to its initial release in 2017. The speaker explores the grinder's features, ease of use, and overall performance, comparing it to other contemporary grinders in the market.
Many coffee enthusiasts moved on from the Niche Zero because they were looking for a brighter, more acidic, and nuanced coffee profile. The grinder's burr design produces a blended cup with less flavor separation than grinders with flat burrs, which are better suited for achieving the desired characteristics.
The reviewer's main criticisms of the Niche Zero are: the cheap-feeling lid, the grind size drifting as coffee builds up inside the grinder, and its subpar performance on filter coffee due to its particle size distribution. The reviewer also notes that the grinder lacks a knocker to remove residual coffee grounds.
The transcript directly compares the Niche Zero's taste profile to other grinders indirectly. It states that the Niche Zero produces a "thick, syrupy, sweet, forgiving shot," a "comfy cozy shot of espresso" with "mild acidity," notes of "apple or plum," and "milk chocolate." This is contrasted with the preference of some users for a "brighter, much more acidity forward cup of coffee" with "light body" and distinct flavor separation, a profile more easily achieved with flat burr grinders like the DF64 or DF54. The Weber Key is mentioned as producing a lighter presentation and more separation, while still offering some of the blended characteristics of a conical burr grinder. The Comandante Cassa is noted as creating a lighter, more acidity-forward shot than the Niche Zero. However, no direct taste test comparisons are included against specific grinders. The video focuses more on the type of taste profile produced, rather than a ranked comparison.
