As above! Currently using a Smart Grinder Pro. Looking at getting a Niche or a Baratza Sette 270. Will mainly be used for medium-dark espresso with a Bambino Plus, but I would also like to use it for medium-light roast with a French press and aeropress.
Potential buyer here. How do you find the Niche with French press and aeropress?
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I've had my Niche for a couple years now (early 2021). It can definitely grind coarse enough to brew french press or cold brew, but like others said, you'll need to loop over the labeled grind settings.
You will have issues with darker(oily) roasts however. The oily beans tend to stick to the funnel.
With espresso, you'll find it greatly varies on your basket. I used the included basket in my Breville Infuser and found most of my espresso grinds to be in the 18-25 range on the labeled grind settings. After I switched to an IMS competition basket, my grind size had to go down to 12-15.
Regardless, this grinder is capable as a do-all grinder.
That's no biggie. It will be daily espresso and filter on some weekends, so being decent is good enough!
Wow. What a difference! Did using a different basket make any difference to your shots?
Finally, any complaints or issues? And how is the build quality?
> Wow. What a difference! Did using a different basket make any difference to your shots?
I noticed that I had more control over the shots with the grind setting, and that I had to grind a bit finer, which I'm assuming is because of the larger, more refined holes in the competition basket.
> Finally, any complaints or issues? And how is the build quality?
Final fit and finish is fine, no complaints really over the years. I've taken it apart at least every other month to brush it clean and wipe away any of the oils if I put darker roasts through it.
The motor is strong and keeps a constant 330 RPM while grinding. Its not the best grinder for the aficionados but it has allowed me to make nice milky espresso drinks, daily for the last 6 months, and I've bounced between pour over, french press, and cold brew with this grinder. Its not the best at any of them, but its capable with ~50g dose limit. You can kind of push that but its pretty much the limit. Its got a small footprint so I've actually taken it to travel on short road trips with my espresso machine.