Put flat burrs into your Niche grinder!

There are so many variables to play with. Burr size, burr geometry, wiper design, materials, coatings and everything else in between and beyond... This is just the beginning. Sending the one set out like a traveling circus would just take too long for development. So instead, a small quantity of each size will be made as a pre-production launch for those who are keen to try it first.

Check out the installation video to see how quick and easy it is to do the swap.

Kit includes aluminum upper and lower burr carriers as well as the burr set and screws. Everything you need is included. Each kit will include the following burrs and cannot be purchased without them. You may also purchase different burrs yourself to swap out.

54mm: Faema MPN, Espresso, Uncoated

58mm: SSP, Multi-Purpose/Unimodal, TiAlCN Coated

60mm*: Generic OEM, Espresso, TiN coated

*60mm version is a LH spinning set. You will need to de-pin the motor connector and swap the positive and negative positions. Easy to swap back.

Please read the disclaimers below before ordering.

Disclaimer:

• This item is not affiliated with Niche
• Use this item at your own risk. By performing this conversion, you must accept that your grinder may wear out or stop working quicker than originally configured
• International orders must use UPS shipping. Your order may get cancelled and refunded otherwise
• This item is non-refundable
• Estimated ship date: Oct/Nov

Now that you've read the disclaimer, here are my personal thoughts

Burr alignment & grind size:

Have not inspected alignment on these sets yet but I am able to grind fine enough on all three before they chirp to choke my Decent espresso machine (15g dose). The 54mm set gives me the most bandwidth and this can be expected as smaller burrs are less sensitive to alignment. 58mm SSP is the hardest to achieve this since they produce less fines but the espresso burrs can reach higher pressures in the basket.

Grind speed:

Coarse setting: All burr sizes grind quickly as you'd expect

Espresso setting: 54mm is close to the same as stock. 60mm takes awhile. 58mm SSP MP takes awhile and then some. SSP writes that new burrs will take longer to grind as you go through the seasoning stage. I do see the two coated options slowly dropping in grind time. The SSP MP geometry also does not have traditional bean breakers. After testing the 58mm size with espresso burrs, it does grind a bit quicker.

Taste:

So far I like my espresso from the 60mm set the most - taste sweeter. I have yet to dive into pourovers with these units but the SSP MP burr is designed for brewing and modern espresso.

RPM:

The rectifier circuit and DC motor in the Niche is simple but leads to varying RPM from one grinder to the next. One Niche I have spins at 410 RPM while another is 440 RPM (under no load). Either way, this speed is enough for the coffee I have been making. I do use a Mr. Puff though - even on the conical setup.

Drivetrain:

I have not put the lightest roasts through the ringer but the motor and gearbox sound happily chugging along with whatever coffee I put in it - including light roasts from SEY! I suspect the natural slow feed rate on these setups are well regulating the strain on the drivetrain.

So which size should you get?

I am still playing with all three equally but if I had to choose one, it would be the 54mm. It fits and functions like it was meant to be in this grinder body. Do I like the espresso I'm making now the most? Maybe not, but a future burr set could resolve that. Maybe I'll like the SSP most when I make filter coffee or change beans... Perhaps the 58mm and 60mm will grind quicker after seasoning and no longer be a pain point. There's still many questions I have and more testing to be done. This is why I'm doing a pre-production run with three very different options for us to explore together.

Additional burr sets:

As I continue to test and develop these kits, additional burr sets will be made available. You may of course purchase your own burrs to swap into place but no guarantees to fit as tolerances vary.

These are my findings but your results may differ