# Resell Niche or continue to use Oracle touch grinder



## strictlysocial (Dec 11, 2012)

Hi,

I'm due to receive my Niche Zero in September which I ordered when I thought I was going to be going down the non bean to cup route. A while after ordering I came across a Oracle touch deal which was too good to turn down so now I'm in the situation where I potentially have a redundant Niche.

What are people's thoughts on whether to keep the Niche to replace the Oracle's grinder? Obviously the Oracle is very convenient but that aside would the step up in coffee be worth it in people's opinion?

I guess I could open it and test the difference but I was hoping to keep it as new if I decide to sell it on.

Opinions are appreciated.


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## Blue_Cafe (Jun 22, 2020)

Does the Oracle fit your requirements?

If it doesn't, sell it.

If it does, sell the Niche


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## Jasetaylor (Jul 31, 2020)

Nothing to stop you from trying both grinders and decide from there. You will have no problem recovering your costs from the Niche if you decide to part with it.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

The Sage grinder is shite however you look at it, but the fact you bought a BTC suggests it may be more suitable for your needs. @Ronsil had an Oracle and an EK43 but in fairness he knew what he was doing


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

strictlysocial said:


> What are people's thoughts on whether to keep the Niche to replace the Oracle's grinder? Obviously the Oracle is very convenient but that aside would the step up in coffee be worth it in people's opinion?


 Yes. Well it depends. If you're putting £10/kg coffee through it probably not. But if you're getting good coffee then yes.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

I had a niche and an oracle side by side for a while . The niche in terms of cup quality for light roasts is much improved imho.

for a dark roast coffee drinker stick with the oracle


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## facboy (Dec 13, 2019)

Jasetaylor said:


> Politness, manners, courtesy. Not for the supercilious.


 reading this again i can see that it can come across as rude and dismissive, but i don't think it was necessarily intended that harshly. probably just observing (perhaps not very tactfully) that 'taste in cup' is not the ultimate arbiter that we sometimes pretend it is. other factors (workflow, budget, bench space) can be even more important but aren't always discussed.

i mean, BTC machines are very popular in the wider world, as are pods. they're not being chosen because they provide the best tasting coffee.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Blue_Cafe said:


> Quite true.
> 
> At 6.00am in a Monday morning, who wants to praying to the Coffee God's and performing 1hr long rituals just to get a brew?
> 
> Don't answer that! lol


 What on earth do you think people are doing to take an hour to make a brew .

i don't know anyone that requires that long ..


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## Blue_Cafe (Jun 22, 2020)

Mrboots2u said:


> What on earth do you think people are doing to take an hour to make a brew .
> 
> i don't know anyone that requires that long ..


 Search the forum for "warm up time"

1st result mentions 1hr

2nd result mentions 40 mins

And so on and so forth...


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## skylark (Feb 27, 2018)

facboy said:


> reading this again i can see that it can come across as rude and dismissive, but i don't think it was necessarily intended that harshly. probably just observing (perhaps not very tactfully) that 'taste in cup' is not the ultimate arbiter that we sometimes pretend it is. other factors (workflow, budget, bench space) can be even more important but aren't always discussed.
> i mean, BTC machines are very popular in the wider world, as are pods. they're not being chosen because they provide the best tasting coffee.


It did come across that way, didn't it ... and I read it twice just in case I had misread it the first time. As an owner of a so-called 'BTC' machine I dismissed it for what it's worth. Each to their own eh!

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk


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## Jason11 (Oct 25, 2019)

Blue_Cafe said:


> Search the forum for "warm up time"
> 1st result mentions 1hr
> 2nd result mentions 40 mins
> And so on and so forth...


Smart plugs


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Blue_Cafe said:


> Search the forum for "warm up time"
> 
> 1st result mentions 1hr
> 
> ...


 Ah I thought you meant the ritual

sage machines heat up quickly

the bianca is 15 mins

and well , timer or wemo plug


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## Blue_Cafe (Jun 22, 2020)

Mrboots2u said:


> Ah I thought you meant the ritual
> 
> sage machines heat up quickly
> 
> ...


 Yea, a smart plug is a good solution.

I like the Google Voice control stuff. Very handy.


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## Northern_Monkey (Sep 11, 2018)

Someone also posted a mobile app controlled button pusher, which I thought was ingenious!

So even the soft switch modern machines can be switched on or off via a timer.


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## Blue_Cafe (Jun 22, 2020)

Northern_Monkey said:


> Someone also posted a mobile app controlled button pusher, which I thought was ingenious!
> 
> So even the soft switch modern machines can be switched on or off via a timer.


 Begs the question:

Is espresso really a drink to be had 1st thing in the morning?

I use the Gaggia mainly to make Americanos and lattes and even then, if it's really early, I'll just make an Aeropress coffee.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Blue_Cafe said:


> Begs the question:
> 
> Is espresso really a drink to be had 1st thing in the morning?
> 
> I use the Gaggia mainly to make Americanos and lattes and even then, if it's really early, I'll just make an Aeropress coffee.


 With my machine in eco mode , it's quicker for me to make a cappa and a decaf americano than a Aeropress


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## Jason11 (Oct 25, 2019)

Blue_Cafe said:


> Begs the question:
> Is espresso really a drink to be had 1st thing in the morning?
> I use the Gaggia mainly to make Americanos and lattes and even then, if it's really early, I'll just make an Aeropress coffee.


I've got to ask why? If you mean because of the time it takes. My machines already preheated and I can make a latte quicker than I can a coffee using an aeropress.


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## Jason11 (Oct 25, 2019)

Probably a bit off topic now anyway.

Maybe a subject for another thread.


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## jaffro (Oct 6, 2015)

If I'm honest, if I'm up at 6am I'm drinking instant... Haha.

Back on topic... Couple of thoughts.

Are you at all likely to make brewed coffee at all or is your intention entirely espresso drinks? If you want to do any filter at all it's probably at least worth having a hand grinder, but the Niche will be a nice addition.

Thing about the oracle is, as far as I can work out, it's a smart grinder Pro attached to a sage DB, with some fancy tamping capabilities etc.

Personally I think the capabilities of the espresso machine massively outperform the capability of the grinder and you'd be better off using the Niche. I have to admit I haven't used both side-by-side, so can't specifically tell you about taste difference. If you search up the Smart Grinder Pro vs Niche it might help make your decision and more people might have made the comparison. There's a Niche Facebook group too where people might have asked for opinions on SGP vs Niche if you can't find enough info on here.

That said, the oracle isn't small, so counter space might be a consideration. In which case you might be keen not to keep the Niche?

Sorry for the long post / brain dump!

Basically, if it were me I'd definitely keep the Niche. It is 100% a superior grinder, it just depends whether your preference is the best coffee possible or the most convenient method possible.

Personally, I love mine, it's actually been a game changer because I switch between espresso and brewed several times a day.


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## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

strictlysocial said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm due to receive my Niche Zero in September which I ordered when I thought I was going to be going down the non bean to cup route. A while after ordering I came across a Oracle touch deal which was too good to turn down so now I'm in the situation where I potentially have a redundant Niche.
> 
> ...


 Sorry for the rude and condescending reply you got above from another board member above. I can assure you 99.9% of active board members are not like that. Please ask any questions you have about the Niche or the Oracle in future, there will be lots of people happy to offer constructive advice.

My advice as you're ordered it would be to try both, see which you prefer. Especially if you change up brew methods. There's a bit of an agenda against Sage machines on this forum, most of it elitist rubbish I've learnt from experts, but the Niche is a better grinder, has a lot of fans here and you will have absolutely no problem moving it on for about £450ish a couple of months after you buy it, if that's what you want to do. They go for £400-450 on this forum when sold and will continue to be in demand as Niche are struggling and will continue to struggle to fulfil orders.


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## KTD (Dec 28, 2017)

Personally I'd take advantage of the prices of secondhand equipment, get the oracle on eBay and trade it in for a new machine you'd then have a new machine in warranty and a new niche to go along side it and you'll make better coffee. People are selling barista expresses they've owned for 2-3 years for £450 when they only paid £365. Sage stuff gets a bad rap but when they are competitively priced theres very little in the way of competition, however in my opinion those plus points diminish the moment they come out of warranty.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Adam.f (Apr 9, 2020)

I have a Niche and B.Pro, I went this route for a couple of reasons, first one was that the niche was perfect for single dosing(I change beans everyday to suit and what I fancy, you cannot do that with the Sage), good with light and dark roasts and that fact that it was a separate grinder, if and when I wanted to upgrade the coffee machine I already had a good quality grinder and only have to buy the machine so you got to ask yourself what is the main reasons for having the Niche over the built in grinder?

Single dose grinding (sage grinder not so great at this)

Do you want to do light roast beans

will you upgrade at a later date and if you sell the niche and then think I want a better coffee machine you will have to buy another grinder anyway.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

> Having read comments regarding my tone to strictlysocial's post, I was genuinely concerned they might have caused him some offence which was never my intention especially given he is a newcomer. I was just pushed for time so meant to say something along the lines of a person buying a BTC will often be happy with the drink it makes without the expense and faff of an additional grinder. Of course I then cited Ronsil who paired his with an EK. This was his wife and friends could use the machine as meant but the EK allowed him to play around to his heart's desire.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Little harsh @Blue_Cafe OP is a new member and might not be au fait with the tone used by some more longer term members who mean no harm but are a little more direct in their comments. Had the response been directed to a member who'd been around a long time, the context might be different. Doesn't do any harm to show some reflection at times.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

I will tidy this thread shortly - please can we stick to the op topic from here on in


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

Personally I thought the OP stood the most to gain from an honest response without the fluff.

The Niche is a superior grinder and is not made redundant by the Oracle, test it for a couple of months and you might lose £50 on resale value. You might consider selling the Sage and switching to a smaller model without a grinder (or the DB if prices are similar?), or even move to a completely different machine from another manufacturer. Each to their own. I think the tech of the Sage machines is quite good, the only issue seems to be with servicing and repairs outside of warranty.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

If you have issues with posts then please report to mods rather than clog threads up willy nilly. Thank you


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