The Niche looks absolutely fab but I don't really have anywhere to put one, worktop space being almost non-existent. I would have to get a hand grinder until we eventually move.

I use my Bialetti when I run out of Aeropress coffee. I'm not a great fan of all the clean up, but it's a superb and timeless design. Up until the last usage I had been getting excellent and consistent results. I then bought a coffee that gave watery, pretty much undrinkable results no matter what I tried. The very reputable roaster checked the coffee and couldn't find any fault with the grind size or other, so it's a complete mystery to me. I'm used to Moka being strong, espresso-ish coffee! I will have another go this weekend with a different coffee I have bought several times before and hope I will be back in business ...

The Niche is great Jules, highly recommended. It's true to it's name of Zero as there is virtually zero retention when you grind beans, put 18g in and you'll pretty much always get 18g out +/- about 0.2g. It grinds very consistently from a true Espresso grind size to French Press. Only limitation is it's designed primarily as a single shot grinder, so the hopper only holds a maximum of 50g, so if I'm making a full pot on the Moccamaster, I have to do two grinds, but other than that it's brilliant.

Re your Bialetti issue, you haven't by any chance changed or renewed the gasket?

That's exactly what I do - weigh, grind and go, no other bother at all. It sits on the counter next to the whole beans container.

Regarding cleaning . . . . hmm, probably not as often as I should, but I only make a max of 2 cups a day, sometimes 1, so I'm grinding about 35g a day on average. I guess about every 4/5 months and it's never clogged and it's easy to do.

You are more likely to get bitterness from an Aeropress by pushing the plunger till it stops, you should stop at the hint of that first hiss from the brew chamber (not my idea, that's from the guy who invented them).

Extending the brew time enriches the flavour and changing the water temperature going in can alter that flavour too, depending on the darkness of the roast. An Aeropress is probably the best bang for buck coffee maker you can buy, awesome little gadget, I've got two and one always goes with me when I travel - even to my mates houses! They mostly sneered at me at first, but every one now has an Aeropress. I'd call that a win 

It's fun playing around with water temps and brew times, very roast dependent though. General rule, lighter roast higher water temp. For dark roasts I tend to like below 90 degrees, but like anything it's trial and error and personal preference.

Seems like you guys have tried out filtration methods too, never heard of hemp papers before.

I'm done with mine, don't know whether to bin it or smoke it ...

This is the one I bought Tim, have a read -

theclothfilter.coffee/shop/p/aeropress

I liked the idea of the theoretical "best of both worlds" approach vs metal & paper, and not using paper filters from an environmental angle ... but here are the issues -

1. When it's new it's great but it starts storing stale old oils *very quickly* that just regular washing under gallons of hot water won't get out. These spoil the taste of your coffee, making it taste stale, which means boiling the filter in a pan of nice clean water to get rid. The real pain is how quickly these oils build up which means if you care about how your coffee tastes you will be boiling the thing at least once a week and more if you drink four a day like I do.

2. Far too much hot water is wasted cleaning it IMO which outweighs any other environmental claims for kudos.

3. Storage is best in water in the fridge or in the freezer to avoid smells and other nasties. I left it in water during the day and frozen over night. This is all extra faff.

4. Installing it in the Aeropress cap is a right royal pain as it creases so badly and it's difficult to flatten adequately. You press down on one part and it lifts on another, meaning you need to employ all your digits to flatten it evenly and often that doesn't work first attempt or more ... Get this wrong at your peril - if you end up with a tiny gap around the edges, your coffee full of grinds will flood through when you start to plunge, and so you start again. Frustrating much.

Any thoughts on grinders that are a step above entry level but a bit more wallet friendly than the Niche?

Yes indeed I was looking at this and the Baratza Encore earlier.