Niche Zero vs Comandante C40 | Espresso time

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[@sohailomar8085]

I feel comandate didn't get to its full potential in this video, dear Jack I have it and I can pull perfect shots even without the red clix upgrade. My trick is that I compensate for the large gap between clix with the dose amount, so for example here if you were at 8 clix on the video, and it gave you a 36 seconds shot and if you go one-step course (9 clix) it will be way too fast if I were you I will still grind on 8 clix and just lower the dose a little 17.5 for example or maybe more or less (17.8 or 17.3 or even 17) this way I get precisely what I want without so much effort in my opinion comandate does outperform many grinders specially in espresso in terms of flavor it is amazingly capable of pull very sweet shots and also have a very good clarity as well.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for the advice. You are right of course. I just can’t see myself using Comandante daily for espresso. It does offer the clarity but so do other grinders like Kinu which is more espresso oriented. Well, I haven’t finished testing them yet so I reserve the right to change my mind 😊

[@zsvrljuga1]

1. You do NOT NEED RedClix, just find a self locking nut and teflon washer in right size for it, now you have stepless comandante. 2. Grind 1.5gr, feel the grind between fingers, look at them, check them visually, you already knows how espresso grind need to looks to be somewhere in espresso ballpark. 3. 36 sec -> 28 sec is probablu 1gr less of coffee, + 8 sec of extraction are those bitter notes which you do not like. P.S. Good workout!!!

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you. Very clever way of modifying it. You are absolutely right, I could lower the dosage but I had enough of hand grinding for one day

[@simonc5788]

Hi. Lesson learnt. Thanks for going through the pain for us I will one day go get a powered grinder and retry espresso. For now filter rules !

[@sergn717]

Thanks Jack! As a long-time Comandante user and a shorter-time Niche user, I agree with some sentiments and don't quite agree with some other ones. I used Comandante daily for espresso for several months with BBE - and yes it's a chore but it was a lot better than the BBE grinder so it was worth it. I was really happy to upgrade to the Niche though exactly because grinding manually got old. Comandante is perfect for pour over or moka pot though, just 30-40 seconds of low-effort grinding, and great repeatability. With Red Clix I had decent results for 18g doses on BBE between 17 and 20 clicks, and on BDB I have to grind finer - 14 to 17 clicks. Zero for me is usually basically the click where the handle can no longer spin on its own (I can rotate it manually but it requires some force). Deciding on a stable zero helps go back to exactly where you were - and helps figure out "yesterday's" setting precisely next morning. Yes the 15 micron step with the Red Clix is still a lot - but for me the difference between steps hasn't been as drastic, could it be a puck prep issue? Fwiw shot time sometimes varies for me between two identical doses on the Niche one after another. You can always adjust your dose within 0.2-0.5 grams to get the desired shot time. I've owned the Niche for a couple months now - initially I had better shots on the Comandante. But as the Niche is getting more seasoned, now I like its shots better (not to mention the significantly easier worflow!). I agree Comandante yields thinner body and more clarity.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for sharing your experience. My Comandante is definitely unseasoned grinder so some of the issues I mentioned would get better with time. Plus I was using very fresh coffee which might be more difficult to dial in. Like with everything the practice will improve my workflow. How would you describe the taste profiles of espresso from C40 vs Niche? For me C40 was more soure but some people mentioned it is sweeter for them. Obviously a lot depends on the coffee and extraction time and temperature but I am wondering how you find it yourself.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for sharing your experience. My Comandante is definitely unseasoned grinder so some of the issues I mentioned would get better with time. Plus I was using very fresh coffee which might be more difficult to dial in. Like with everything the practice will improve my workflow. How would you describe the taste profiles of espresso from C40 vs Niche? For me C40 was more soure but some people mentioned it is sweeter for them. Obviously a lot depends on the coffee and extraction time and temperature but I am wondering how you find it yourself.

[@sergn717]

@@mycoffeeshow111 I'll try to dial in for a very similar shot and do a proper comparison, and will report back with the results :) And yes I totally know the struggle with very fresh - and very light - coffees with a hand grinder. It's SO hard to crank!

[@sergn717]

@@mycoffeeshow111 OK interesting! I did it. Haha only had 55g of coffee left from a bag but thankfully I was able to dial in from the first try based on prior attempts. Two shots, 19g in to 33g out, pulled in 28s on the Comandante (click 16 with Red Clix) and 30s on the Niche (grind setting 11). The Niche shot definitely felt thicker and creamier - so I guess that's what we call "more body". The Niche produced a lighter color crema, and the Comandante looked more appetizing. Taste wise - I'd say very similar profiles with subtle differences. When hot, the Comandante shot had more pronounced fruit notes and more bitterness in the aftertaste, the Niche had more chocolate and felt more balanced in the aftertaste. But nonetheless I could clearly tell this is the same coffee. Kind of like the general feel was very similar, and there was some difference in the detail "on the outskirts". However! As they cooled down the taste became pretty much exactly the same! The Comandante shot lost its bitterness, and the fruity notes got more pronounced in the Niche shot. The Niche shot kept its texture though. I'm by no means a pro, don't have a very developed palate and cannot usually tell you what notes I'm getting, aside from the generic fruity/floral/acidic/bitter/sweet/chocolate. In this experiment I think I give a slight edge to the Niche - but the Comandante shot was delicious nonetheless. Thank you for inspiring me to compare! :)

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@sergn717 thank you for sharing with us. You managed to hit the spot in the first try? Wow. Almost like hole in one playing golf. You are a pro. I am wondering how long it takes to season the burrs. You mentioned that your Niche is relatively new so I assume it will only gets better. I like Niche but I definitely do not love it as lots of cups just taste like chocolate. I really wanted to like Comandante so maybe I will try it again sometime soon. Coffee is a great hobby, something we can experiment with.

[@deadshrub]

Thanks Jack... really enjoy your videos. Tip for the Niche - stop using the little boob thing... if you let the coffee sort of build up it truly becomes a zero retention grinder. Try and see if that helps... I got my Ode w/ SSP and the difference in the cup is amazing compared to a conical burr... really enjoying it.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you! Wouldn’t that increase the exchange and I would end up with a gram or so of old coffee in each shot?

[@deadshrub]

@@mycoffeeshow111 good question, I assumed once those open spaces were filled, they sort of blocked the coffee you were grinding from getting in there, allowing it all to come out...

[@BensCoffeeRants]

I agree. I remember getting like 0.3-0.5g out with one of those things on the Niche, but I hear some people do get a bit more 'retention' I don't think it's enough to really affect anything.

[@samaquadrat]

RedClix for Comandante is mandatory I think. I bought it for mine after only a few days because otherwise you will not have fun pulling espresso shots.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

You are absolutely right.

[@samaquadrat]

@@mycoffeeshow111 ...and by the way: I like your coffee show! Always while watching it I can really "feel" your true passion for good tasting coffee and the fun making it. Kind regards from Germany!

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@samaquadrat thank you so much!

[@EpochEmerge]

How many clicks you use with redclix for espresso?

[@samaquadrat]

@@EpochEmerge It depends on the coffee. I usually start with 16 clicks to dial in a new coffee. I hope that helps. ;)

[@raul7644]

Great review and same experience here, I also have a DE1 most of the times I grind with the eureka zero, I do have a commandante I find at 7 clicks (without the red clix) and then instead of messing with the cliks I just increase the dose from 18g to 19g (still dependant on coffee) but kind of fix the fast flow and produce a great shot, I kind of mod the default profile to just top to 7bars and then end at 6. Waiting on the red clix to see if I can make finer adjustments without increasing the dose.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you. 7 is kind of unusual number. People usually go 6 or 9. What changes with 7? My favourite is Londinium profile.

[@BenSietze]

using my comandante with cafelat robot, several times daily and about 6 months a year (away for work). I make better espressos with this combo than with my Major V w/ssp burrs and spring lever machine at home.. But the red clix is a must have for espresso though

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for sharing. I am happy you enjoy your C40. Your arms must be huge by now. I only use it occasionally, and like what I get out of it, but would never be able to do it daily.

[@ferdinandludo8851]

Thanks for your great review. I did request did comparison a few weeks ago. I have the c40 as well and really like it.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for watching. I do listen to requests, sometimes 😛. Do you use your c40 for espresso?

[@ferdinandludo8851]

@@mycoffeeshow111 for pour over and Moka pot but usually pour over

[@baan3197]

love your personality and review.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you!

[@thamtham4924]

I just got C40 to compare with Niche. For me both taste pretty much the same. Maybe slightly difference but none is worse, just a micron different. However static and fine stick all over C40 is super annoying, it is messy. The difference in taste between these 2 for both espresso and pour over is small at least for me.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for sharing. I think I agree with you. The only thing is that it takes soo long to grind for espresso on C40 and the adjustment could be easier . I strongly believe that C40 needs some update soon as it slowly falls behind more modern grinders.

[@mikegurv1818]

Thank you. Comandante is overrated. It's very good for filter coffee at this price point, being a hand grinder. Great marketing though. Everyone says it's a gold standard for hand grinders. I don't see why. I use it once in a while with my filter machine. I never use it for expresso. Maybe I used the wrong grind, but I actually did not see much difference between Comandante and K-Max (another decent hand grinder).

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you for watching. I thank Comandante is very decent but you can get better ( or at least very similar) hand grinders for less. I did K-Max vs Comandante video and as you said the results were inconclusive. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKqln5qaZauersU

[@sergn717]

IMO the Comandante is legendary because they were the first (or one of the first), and they set the standard of what a great hand grinder should be. There are grinders now that produce similarly good results for less money, but I like to think they exist exactly because Comandante paved the way. I don't think they changed its function in the slightest in recent years - just minor quality of life improvements. It was never meant to be perfect for espresso - at 15 micron its step size is pretty big even with the Red Clix upgrade (which should be included in the box IMO), nor it's the fastest with just 39mm burrs - and hand grinders are generally huge PITA to dial in espresso with - but it's particle distribution is incredible for filter (so much better than the Niche), and I bet you'll agree it has amazing build quality.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@sergn717 I don’t know the history of hand grinders well. I remember that first few versions of Comandante were not that great until they managed to develop the current one. To me , in 2022 it looks a bit outdated, there is so much competitors that are at least as good and often cheaper and easier to use. I have not gave up on it though, still few more tests to do. Build quality is good but , for the price, I would expect no plastic inside

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@sergn717 I don’t know the history of hand grinders well. I remember that first few versions of Comandante were not that great until they managed to develop the current one. To me , in 2022 it looks a bit outdated, there is so much competitors that are at least as good and often cheaper and easier to use. I have not gave up on it though, still few more tests to do. Build quality is good but , for the price, I would expect no plastic inside

[@mikegurv1818]

@@sergn717 Sergey, Comandante might set the standard when it comes to built quality in hand grinders but definitely not the ease of use. It's on par with other high-end grinders when it comes to taste. I'm not knocking it. I own one... это просто мое личное мнение.

[@shuroq44]

Interesting video ! Would you consider doing a niche vs k-max espresso comparison ? I have the Df-64 and thinking about buying a conical grinder to taste the difference

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you very much. Yes , that is a great idea for the video. My advice btw is to have both flat and conical grinders to see what works for you.

[@ferdinandludo8851]

Thanks for this review and comparison. I do have a c40 and might be eyein on niche sometime. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on c40 vs Niche on pour over. Thanks again.

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Thank you. Yes it is definitely coming.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

The niche will get Destroyed in that test :D

[@mycoffeeshow111]

@@BensCoffeeRants dialling in espresso with C40 was one of the most frustrating moments I had in front of the camera.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

@@mycoffeeshow111 lol Yeah I saw that video too :) I had pretty good luck with the K plus for espresso, even though there is relatively large jumps between clicks.

[@yalayolo9974]

Jack, do a giveaway of your Decent!

[@grehdeep]

‘I have no idea what are my watts’ hahahahah ded

[@lenso010]

Do you recommend eureka specialita for best espresso ?

[@mycoffeeshow111]

Hmmm, for the price, around £350 last time I checked, it is definitely worth considering, especially if you like good body and not obsessed with clarity. I also had Eureka Oro SD and enjoyed the shots a bit more but the price is higher as well. DF64 could be a good compromise with it’s price to value ratio. If you are looking for something cheaper SPTK for around £250 is an option as well.

[@JD.007]

kplus or comandante?

[@mycoffeeshow111]

I have compared K-Max with Comandante for espresso : kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmTcmaicnr6FmLM Both very good in terms of taste but K-Max much easier to use daily. I also compared all 4 of my hand grinders for pour over: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6indIV4mZqqpLM