The FLAT BURR Niche Zero! - 54mm Flat Burr Conversion

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This is the Niche Zero. A conical burr grinder that has risen in popularity to become the gold standard and benchmark of price to performance with an enjoyable single dosing workflow for the average home barista.
But more and more, people are gearing towards flat burr grinders like the Eureka Mignon line, Lagom P64, and even much more budget options like the DF64 line.
So with so many flat burr options becoming the norm, what if you could take the Niche Zero and everything that people love about it and convert it into a flat burr grinder?
Well, that’s what this is. This is the flat burr conversion kit for the Niche Zero by Sworksdesign.
Note: This product is not associated with Niche (the company) in any way.
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[@itsxris]

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[@adamg.manning6088]

You could say, this is pretty niche.

[@RoyaltyInTraining.]

A flat burr Niche... What a time to be alive.

[@homecafecharlie]

Awesome mod, I had no idea this was possible. Great video as well, your quality is improving every time!

[@therealjoshT]

Lol of course I see this three days after I bought a different grinder because I wanted flat burrs 🥴🥴 This looks like an awesome mod. Thanks for sharing!

[@Tass...]

Neat to see this mod but i think a more impactful mod would be a speed controller for the Niche. If those conical burrs were slowed down to almost a hand grinders speed it would probably produce coffee with the same flavour and clarity of a high end hand grinder. I kind of hope that's what Niche do with a version 2. We know that hand grinders do produce the clarity associated with flat burr grinders and they all have conical burrs. The only difference is speed. I think the speed of a grinder has a big impact.

[@kitcraft9516]

Maybe it is weird but the Zero is still on my list with everything that is out. I only have an ESP atm(and various hand grinders) but ease of use and looks means something to me. Pairing that with the fact that I drink traditional(ish) style Italian espresso I am not sure I want something that pushes clarity. I like chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, burnt vanilla and some berry (dark chocolate covered) with a heavy syrup body. But I've heard the Eureka burrs are good for more traditional shots too, I think it was in one of Lances videos that I heard it but I could be wrong. Anyway, I still think the Zero is sleek and boats an easy-to-use dial. So far, nothing has removed it from my list. The Eureka and DF64 are tempting but one has that tiny little wheel and the other is too weird looking for me, lol. Since you are into swapping burrs, I'd love to see a video on or hear your thoughts on using something like the Eureka Crono or Filtro and swapping out the filter burrs with the espresso burrs ($33) now that they come factory with filter burrs only. Seems like a heck of a cost savings but isn't often talked about (outside of reddit). Though I suppose once you Dr it up with new burrs and a bellows you are at the price of a DF64 anyway, lol. As an aside, thank you for always bringing high quality videos.

[@FrootNinja]

yooo that portafilter stand for the niche is sick!

[@edwinchua]

Mine just arrived! Came here for tips 😁

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Doesn't really make much sense to convert the Niche into something it was never meant to be, but that is pretty neat they made it possible and that it works pretty well. Baratza Vario with Steel burrs is a good high clarity (low retention too) option although might not be super reliable in the longer term, I did have one that worked for over 10 years! with just a few issues along the way. Repairs / replacement parts are pretty easy to install and cheap.

[@GregorBrown]

Hey buddy. What about the Femobook grinder that is being released? . I want that one.

[@anotherguycalledsmith]

Thank you very much, my friend ;-) You just won yourself a new subscriber…

[@TC_Prof]

Thanks bro nice info…for me conical niche is still the winner ❤😋👍

[@gregorio5543]

Was hoping it gave more clarity with lighter roasts. I'm happy with my Niche and not looking to upgrade but would be nice to have the option of a flat to get better extractions on certain coffees. Appreciate the transparency and honesty saying it's probably not worth it. I'd recommend anyone who isn't sure of flats or conicals is to try an espresso at a cafe. Do you like the clarity or want something in between traditional and a cafe? I feel Niche with conicals give what I describe "modern with traditional texture" were flats make espresso that's "a better extracted, short filter coffee"

[@NoZenith]

Can't wait to see where they go with this idea though. Even if it was just occasionally since I don't want to Invest that insane amount of money in geshas and stuff regularly, It would be worth it to me to have a good quality flat burrset I could just change out for my conical's occasionally. Take up less space than another grinder and still have a great workflow and reliability.

[@christophernguyen9009]

If this came out maybe a year or two ago I would’ve been one of those very interested in trying it out, but I’ve since added a flat bur grinder to my table alongside the niche. I decided to keep it because the workflow is by far the best, and the conicals produce great espresso for when I make more traditional styled milk drinks for my guests with little fuss compared to other grinders I’ve used. I’m more interested in the possibilities for the niche so I’m excited to see how this all will turn out for other users out there.

[@prenne5050]

off topic, did you stain the wood trim from niche and how does the sworksdesign portafilter feel with the stock trim?

[@leonardonicastro7302]

I got the niche specifically for it’s conical burrs

[@Trevtardius]

Personally i dont understand this mod. As you say, if u want flat burrs, just buy a df63/83... But i am intrested to hear about the third party conical burrs from gorilla gear. If they produce a better result that could actually be something i would upgrade to.

[@jdrobison1967]

I became the owner of a 2nd Niche so converted one of them using the SSP burrs to compare with my V2 Ode (both aligned). After two head-to-head's I found an appreciable difference in the cup, with the Niche pulling out sweeter fruit notes. I was really only interested in whether it would produce good filter brews (it does) so haven't compared it against the unmodified Niche (and after watching this review, probably won't bother). Edit: After a few more rounds of comparison with a different coffee (Ethiopia instead of Kenya), both machines aligned, and each dialed in exactly, the Fellow Ode V2 came out ahead. Not by a huge margin but it definitely produced a higher clarity of flavors, drawing out more nuanced florals and sweetness than the Niche Zero.

[@NoZenith]

Where did you find the SSP kit for the Niche?

[@isaiahberry4891]

@john Robinson! I am struggling with getting filter brews to not taste sour or have too many fines in it. I have a unmodified niche zero. And I'm past both hinges at this point trying to get a good flavor. Any suggestions?

[@NoZenith]

@isaiahberry4891 Check out the wired gourmet. He Is "microdosing" for Consistency. Another channel uses a Coffee Sieve to get rid of the fines. Fellow just came out with one called the Fellow Shimmy If you are curious for really accessible info. It's basically a ground's cup with a secondary cup inside that is perforated like a strainer so when you grind into it you then put a lid on it and shake it and all the fines get out into the outer shell and then you just use what's left over so it's an easy way to get less fines in your brew

[@jdrobison1967]

@@isaiahberry4891 Too many fines would usually lead to an astringent bitterness, rather than sour. Are you sure you're not confusing those two tastes? The NZ is great for espresso because the conical burrs produce a good variation in particle distribution size. Unfortunately that's not always so great for filter brews. I made a few filter brews with my NZ when I first bought it just to see and I was never able to produce a cup to my liking. I stick with my Ode for filter and use the Zero exclusively for espresso. If you want to produce a higher clarity cup and draw out more of the nuance of flavors, your best bet is probably to sieve out the fines. I suppose you could reduce your water temp and agitation (depending where each of those are now).

[@Raditram]

I was excited when I saw this conversion kit. I guess the reason this conversion exists, it's for those people that really like the Niche experience. The workflow, the pleasant noise, but just not super happy with the conical burr. I was hoping that it would fit a 64mm burr, but it didn't. If I'm not mistaken there's an option for 60mm burr from SSP right? But I don't imagine it being more extensive than the plethora of options that you would get from the 64mm burrs.

[@itsxris]

Exactly my thoughts in the conclusion section! The 60mm kit would have required a little more modding to the grinder according to Sheldon so I opted for the smaller burr set.

[@Raditram]

@@itsxris Aaah, would love to know if with the ssp burr the niche can truly become an "all purpose" grinder. I really wish Niche would actually come up with a flat burr version.

[@itsxris]

We all gotta slide into their DM's and let em know! ;)

[@marcuswong1797]

@@Raditram i m pretty sure they will take notice of these aftermarket mods. If companies are charging $250 for a set, Niche will take notice for sure =)

[@oyvindgu]

iam having a wilfa uniform(Tim Wendelboe) grinder at home for making v60 and aeropress but iam thinking of getting a espresso machine as well, what is the best grinder that handle both pour over and espresso? niche is not available in norway,

[@blechnik]

thanks for the comparison! i spoted the portafilter with the red anodized parts and black handle. could you please give me some infos obout it?

[@itsxris]

from plenum lab

[@craigmann84]

How was the painty job achieved on the nich. Doesn't look standard?

[@SuperSomphon]

Niche Duo coming soon

[@itsxris]

already ordered

[@djibey]

Your PF looks cool! Can you give the references?

[@lilteyang]

I wonder if the flat burrs change what is arguably the biggest selling point of the Niche: the workflow itself. Does it still maintain its low-retention without the need of a bellow? It seems to me if it doesn't, might as well just spend that money on something like a df64 and have both a flat and a conical.

[@itsxris]

Workflow feels more or less the same with the flats, and retention is overall comparable to stock Niche imo

[@classi-cal]

Do you taste any difference in the cup with smaller vs larger burrs? I’m inclined to think workflow is more of a factor. I have a Eureka with 50mm burrs and I’m unsure if it’s worth the following the trend towards bigger and supposedly better burrs.

[@itsxris]

Small vs large flat burrs - yes, most noticeable is comparing 64mm flats to the 83mm flats in the DF83 imo ( I like the super high clarity from the DF83 )

[@marcup1584]

Are the wood trim pieces on your Niche here stained or did you buy replacement wood trim? They look pretty nice!

[@itsxris]

custom from Trunk & Stem!

[@asbyoutube]

so, you changed the expensive Mazzer koni burr to a cheaper 54mm flat burr? But why?

[@charishill3296]

Have you compared the two burrs brewing drip or pour over? If so what was the difference?

[@itsxris]

I haven't compared it for drip mainly because A) its espresso focused burrs so wouldn't be the best representation of a flat burr Niche and B) I only used the Niche for espresso so I never had a great baseline to compare for filter

[@charishill3296]

@@itsxris makes sense! Thanks for getting back!

[@shotowong8866]

Have you done a comparison between the Turin DF64 and the Eureka Mignon Zero?

[@itsxris]

DF64 better all around, Zero for espresso only imo

[@shotowong8866]

@@itsxris Thanks

[@kerebear80]

Xris, guess what the Niche came out with? The Niche Duo 83 mm flat burr!!

[@itsxris]

already ordered one!

[@brendansmith]

Mazer Major E FTW

[@AlejandroPDX]

Your honesty helped me not pull the plug and buy that kit right now haha. I’ve had my niche for over a year and I think at this point $200-$300 great set of flat burrs would be better than $345+ for a whole new flat burr grinder. Sadly you said $250 for the standard burrs so I can only imagine at least $350 for “premium” burrs 😢

[@MattM-24]

I don't think you should consider price nor size as what makes a burr good. The 54mm set is $250. And the Baratza Vario steel burrs are 54mm, so they might fit. That could make the Niche quite the heavy hitter, providing the Vario steel burr clarity with the Niche workflow.

[@edipisreks5535]

This is interesting, but honestly I must just be a weirdo, because I prefer the conicals in the Niche to SSPs in my Ode, for espresso (I use the Ode for filter).

[@itsxris]

at the end of the day, everything is personal preference! I also enjoy the Niche with conicals compared to many (but not all) flat burr grinders I've tried

[@edipisreks5535]

@@itsxris I’m interested enough to try it out. I don’t see the kit actually for sale on the site; I assume it hasn’t quite gone public yet?

[@itsxris]

not public yet

[@Maybaby1959]

707 to USA

[@StephenProsserHCC]

I have the kit, but I can't get the bottom burr in. It's too tight.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Probably tight tolerances, as it should be, you need to make sure everything is clean and you're putting it in straight not at any angle! Lagom P64 and other grinders are similar.

[@StephenProsserHCC]

@@BensCoffeeRants I'm going to try again tomorrow am. Sheldon is ready to ship it back and fix check it out

[@MichaelZuskin]

Why to delete the reason why we bought NZ? In fact, when we buy NZ, first of all we buy the 63 mm conical Mazzer burrs. Whatever around them is just an appendix (but an excellent, single-dosing appendix😁). Previously, these burrs were not affordable with the high end grinder they were installed in. There are a few excellent flat burr grinders lower than $1K - why just not buy one of them? If the person is not happy with conical burrs, they can simply sell NZ rather than buy flat burrs for it (which are not cheap at all).

[@FlavorTrends]

as always, crystal Xris.

[@itsxris]

🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@Cenot4ph]

if only the build quality of these DF grinders was improved they'd take over the market entirely.

[@itsxris]

Agreed

[@ggcadc]

A conversion from Mazzer Kony burrs to 54mm flats seems like a HUGE downgrade. This is super strange.

[@entsfps]

Roughly the same price to add a Vario to the workbench and have two grinders...

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Vario with Steel burrs would be a good alternative to this.

[@rotsuw]

Why did you pick the 54mm burrs? why not go for the SSP or the bugger burr option? i think this one is the least interesting option out of the ones available in the kit, especially for filter coffee.,\\

[@itsxris]

I went for 60 but Sheldon told me I was the only one who went for 60 so for logistical reasons I downgraded to 54 to help with his production

[@Jahloveipraise]

Great video as always man 👊🏾 i was very interested in these until i saw the price lol I saw Brent in Hoon’s discord installed these but he was getting a 18g grind in 2:30 so im wondering what went wrong there lol Really the biggest mod I would like to see for the niche is a way to slow down the RPM, i think that it would regain it’s top spot if we could get the RPM cut in half if not more

[@itsxris]

I think RPM is already extremely low, if anything it needs to be higher!

[@Jahloveipraise]

I meant with the conical back in not the flat my bad for not specifying lol

[@BensCoffeeRants]

@@itsxris Lower RPM is usually better for higher clarity and less fines, some flat burrs benefit from lower rpm more than others, but conicals are usually better at lower RPM, and the RPM is actually relatively high on the Niche (for a conical burr), well maybe mid-range. There are definitely higher RPM conical burr grinders like SD40 etc.

[@Maybaby1959]

Plus it revs much higher for the flat burrs your putting flat burrs in a machine that revs at 350

[@illiniwood]

With this mod, I see your Niche having motor issues in the near future, which was already the Niche's weakest link in the first place.

[@itsxris]

sheldon sells a motor upgrade for the niche too lol

[@NoZenith]

@@itsxris I've been curious about that myself. Investing over $600 in a grinder and risking not being able to Upgrade the motor if I upgrade the rest of my stuff... Going to check out his website now!

[@louisazou412]

Wow! But why? Normally you would do modifications to something have design failure or insufficiency.

[@itsxris]

Point of difference I guess!

[@louisazou412]

@@itsxris I dont' really see the point to convert an satisfying conical burr grinder into a small flat one. There are plenty of good flat burr grinder options on the market to choose from.

[@mikni4069]

Not shocking as long as there ain’t 64mm SSP it’s not going to do better then a conical. then it’s just a flat espresso burr vs conical espresso burr set, neither of which is a modern style burrs and neither are the best fit for lighter nor filter coffee.

[@toulcaz31]

Isn't such conversion confirming the exaggerated hype around the Niche Zero? A used Super Jolly with Red SSP 64mm would give you more value for much less money...

[@gb-qm5er]

54 mm ...

[@Thetache]

Seems kinda pointless to spend even more money to Frankenstein a good machine into a slightly different machine, if you want a flat there are sooooo many options, just sell the Niche and buy the flat machine you want.....Orrrr keep the conical Niche and buy another flat grinder to compare and contrast. Waiting on the DF54 at sub £200 to have my cake and eat it scenario.

[@SuperMatrix59]

Gotta say beautiful looking grinder way way way over priced

[@itsxris]

starting to look that way!

[@espressomatic]

It makes an overpriced grinder into an extremely overpriced grinder. Eeesh. It just doesn't make much sense, workflow included, when you have options like DF64E/P, DF83, Mignon Specialita, etc. The Niche is the new Artisan mixer. Looks good on the counter but not the best performer.

[@szarvadyjazon]

In my oppinion this makes from a very expensive but super convenient grinder wirh very avarage grind quality an even more expensive grinder with a very avarage grind quality.