The Niche Duo is Niche's second espresso grinder. With the Niche Zero, Niche practically single-handedly developed the home single-dosing espresso grinder market. Now comes the Niche DUO with 83mm burrs. Can the British company top that?
Instead of a conical burr set, flat burrs are now installed. Instead of one pair, there are two: one for filter and one for espresso. This aims to provide flexibility and quality to the home barista and build on Niche's proven performance. We're testing whether it succeeds.
We compared 10 single-dosing grinders in the price range of 500 to 1000 Euros. More about this in our article on the topic.
A First Impression
The Niche Duo is "a penguin with an appetite," says coffee expert Michel Indelicato, who, together with Benjamin Hohlmann, took a close look at the Niche Duo. A charming description for the grinder's robust appearance, which has gained a few centimeters compared to the Zero. It now weighs 5 kg, stands 35cm tall, 23cm deep, and 18cm wide.
That's not significantly more than the smaller Zero, but still noticeable. Otherwise, Niche remains true to its own line. Good workmanship, shiny black or white metal, and an elegant curve that vaguely resembles kitchen appliances. The Niche could have been an orange juicer or a blender in a past life. We search in vain for sharp edges, and the wood finish contributes to the Niche looking peculiar – like a penguin – but quite elegant next to the espresso machine.
The only weak point of the grinder seems to be the plastic lid with its hinge, even on the DUO. It's not very confidence-inspiring, although we have to say that none have broken on us yet.
Otherwise, we stick to what's proven. The grinder has no buttons, no display, and only works with an on/off switch or starts when the lid is closed. And then the grinder operates consistently vertically, which manifests itself in low retention.
Performance and Handling
The Duo hums with a noise level of 77.6 dB, which is quite acceptable for its size and heavy construction. Although its smaller sibling, the Zero, is quieter at just 72.9 decibels, that was the absolute peak value in our previous grinder tests. At 77.6 dB, the Duo performs well.
With a retention of only 1.6g, the grinder positions itself at the top, which is remarkable, especially in relation to the size of the burrs. Here, too, we measure less with the smaller sibling at 1.1 grams, although by nature there are fewer gaps in the smaller burr cone diameter. It is important to note that we measured the absolute retention, which plays a lesser role in single-dosing grinders.
For this, the grinding is interrupted, the remaining beans are removed, and we check how much filling is still in the grinder. More important for single-dosing grinders is the single-dosing retention. The Niche Duo comes in at 0.16 grams. We grind for 30 seconds and then see how much residue is still in the grinder. How many grams of the entered coffee amount do not find their way out again. 0.16 grams is a very good value.
In terms of speed, the Duo requires some patience: at 10.8g per 10 seconds, it is one of the slowest espresso grinders. This is mainly due to the relatively slow rotation speed of the burrs.
A temperature increase of only 1.5°C during the grinding process over 6 consecutive grindings shows that the Duo was designed with careful consideration of heat development. Despite the enclosed design, we consistently remain in the average range of 30.4 degrees, which is also due to the large diameter of the burrs and the low RPM.
Consistency and Grind Size Replicability
The consistency in grinding results, with a standard deviation of 0.16g, is good, although we still see the smaller sibling slightly ahead here (0.11 grams). The grind size replicability was excellent even after adjusting the grinder. It is easily possible to set different recipes, switch between them, and return to the previous grind size.
This makes the Niche Duo a grinder that will delight anyone who likes to switch coffees and try different recipes and methods.
Price Structure and Additional Costs
The Niche Duo is available at a price of 549 British Pounds with one burr set or for 649 British Pounds with both burr sets, plus import, shipping, and VAT. Thus, total costs significantly exceeding the basic price must be expected. We paid almost 900 Swiss francs for the package with both burr sets.
Speaking of purchasing grinders: as always, we bought the Niche DUO ourselves and paid the full price for it. If that were ever different in a test, we would make it clear to you.
Particle Distribution and Flavor Profile
Our espressos with the Niche Duo tasted good. They were relatively nuanced in differentiating the various aspects of the coffee, but had a slightly less pronounced body than we know from the Niche Zero.
However, the higher clarity was not so pronounced that we would upgrade from the Niche Zero to the Niche Duo for that reason.
We also brewed delicious filter coffees with the filter burrs, which showed a lot of clarity and transparency. However, our brews lacked some sweetness. But this can be worked on by varying the brewing process.
We were surprised that the Niche Duo showed a relatively high proportion of fines and also a rather broad main peak. In terms of taste, we would have expected the opposite.
Cleaning and Burr Test
Cleaning the Duo and changing the burrs is very easy. It's intuitive and can be done in less than a minute. Even after changing, we could easily return to the basic recipe thanks to markings and calibration.
Conclusion on the Niche Duo
The Niche Duo is a very good grinder that convinces in almost all aspects. Only in terms of speed is it to be classified as slow; otherwise, it scores "good" to "very good" in all categories.
Nevertheless, the Niche Duo leaves us a bit perplexed, as it is not really clear who the Duo is the right grinder for. Those who own the Zero will not experience a real upgrade with the Duo. The ability to switch from espresso to filter burrs is nice. But in everyday life, despite the easy handling, it doesn't seem really obvious to us. It simply remains an effort, and in that time, the filter coffee is already ground with a good hand grinder, which costs as much as the filter coffee burrs.
Those who are primarily looking for transparent, clear, and complex coffees may find the Duo's taste profile more appealing. Otherwise, the Niche Zero still seems to be a good choice for both espresso and filter, and opting for the Duo is a nice option, but by no means essential. However, you won't do anything wrong with it either.
