When you have a premium grinder like a Niche Zero, being able to trust that the grind you’re getting is consistent is essential - after all, the quality of your grind is the very start of your coffee making process and affects everything that comes afterwards.
The Niche Zero is a high-quality piece of precision equipment, but that does mean it occasionally needs some essential maintenance. Calibration is at the core of that, making sure your grinder is working with the accuracy you trust.
Unsure how to properly calibrate your Niche Zero? We’re here to help. It’s quick and simple and ensures you are getting the perfect grinds for your coffee every time.
What calibration does (and why it matters)
Your Niche Zero grinder is a mechanical device - there’s no background software or integrated AI going on here, just the pure beauty of perfection craftsmanship. In order to fine tune your grind to accurate levels, it’s essential that the machine is set to a reliable zero point, from which every measurement is taken.
The ‘zero point’ is the position at which the burrs touch, where your coffee grinds would be infinitesimally small. Aligning this point with the zero mark on the dial ensures all your adjustments from that point on are truly meaningful. A mis-aligned zero point results in coarser grinds than the setting would indicate, throwing off your carefully structured coffee grind.
When you calibrate, you gently move the burrs until they are touching, and set the grinder to zero where that happens - providing that essential core alignment.
When to calibrate
You don’t need to calibrate often, as your Niche Zero is engineered for long-term optimal performance - however, there are times when a manual calibration ensures you’re working with top levels of precision:
- After disassembling the grinder - If you’ve taken it apart in any way, calibration is essential.
- After a deep clean - With virtually zero retention, the Niche Zero keeps itself clean for the most part, but regular cleaning as part of your maintenance routine is important and helps keep the grinder in top condition.
- As a part of regular maintenance - Recalibrating after every 3-6 months will make sure your settings don’t slip. If you grind a lot, you can make this more frequent.
- If you feel the settings have slipped - A manual recalibration if you just feel the grinder needs it is no bad thing, and will typically fix any slight discrepancy you have with your grinds.
Step-by-step - calibrating the Niche Zero
All you need to calibrate your Niche Zero is the grinder itself and a clean pair of hands! Check out this video for a clear explanation.
- Clean your grinder - It’s essential that you start with a freshly brushed-out grinder so you’re calibrating without anything potentially getting in the way. A clean grinder is a happy grinder!
- Reattach the bean funnel - Screw on the bean funnel with a light grip. Keep turning until it’s hand tight.
- Line up the calibrate mark - The grind size indicator is the small silver ball on the black bottom ring of the bean funnel, and you’ll find the calibrate mark just beyond the coarse end of the grinder markings. Moving only the bottom bezel ring of the funnel mechanism, rotate until the indicator lines up precisely with the calibrate mark. You should hear a gentle clicking as you rotate.
- Set your grind level - With the calibration complete, rotate the bean funnel anti-clockwise to line the grind size indicator with your desired grind size.
That’s it - deliciously simple.
WARNING: It’s vital that you don’t leave your Niche Zero with the grind size indicator lined up with the calibrate mark, but return it to an accurate grind level. Trying to grind while it’s set to calibrate mode may damage your burrs and is not good for the grinder.
Getting the right grind size
The reason to calibrate your Niche Zero is to make sure you’re getting the expected level of precision when grinding for your brewing method, so it’s equally important that you set your grind level correctly. But what should that be?
Our article ‘How does grind size affect coffee?’ explores how coarse or fine your grind should be based on your brewing method - for a complete understanding of grind level and how to avoid over- and under-extraction, it’s well worth a look.
It’s also extremely valuable to note down your settings, ensuring consistency across each brew. At Niche, we’re huge fans of experimentation and iteration, fine-tuning your grind until you hit that perfect match between your home set up and your tastebuds!
Caring for your Niche Zero
Calibration is only one part of your Niche Zero maintenance routine. To continue to get the best results from your grinder, it’s important that you give it a little attention every six months or so.
- Always unplug the grinder before performing a deep clean or disassembling.
- Avoid using any third-party cleaning products when cleaning your Niche Zero - they’re not needed and may harm your grinder.
- For a deep clean, remove the lower burr and sweeper arms.
- You don’t need to use a vacuum cleaner when deep cleaning, but if you do, remember to remove the springs from the burr housing (and replace them afterwards).
- Use a small brush and dry, soft microfibre cloth for cleaning. You may also want to use a toothbrush for cleaning the chute.
- Make sure the lower burr nut is fully tightened when putting back together so it doesn't come loose.
- Remember to calibrate once you’ve cleaned and reassembled your Niche Zero.
- Run 18g or so of coffee through the grinder after a clean to get everything ready for use - and throw those grinds away, as they’ll result in an inferior coffee. Avoid using Panama Geisha beans for this step!
Enjoying premium coffee with Niche
At Niche we want you to enjoy your coffee without too much effort. Coffee making should be a relaxing stress-free experience, so we’ve designed the Niche Zero and Niche Duo grinders to be as easy to use as possible - hopefully a few moments calibrating your precision equipment every few months won’t feel like too high a price to pay!
For more reading to enhance your home coffee experience, why not explore our growing library of specialist articles - all brought to you with a love of perfect coffee.