Advice for a New Flair Owner
Hey all,
Recently got a Flair 58!
Sorry to be cliché but hoping you all can help: I'm struggling to dial in at the moment.
I have watched a LOT of YouTube vids on the F58/manual espresso plus have read through this forum quite a lot.
I think the main thing I'm struggling with is grind size? I have (as per a lot of guidance online) ground considerably finer than I usually would for my Bambino+. Finding that it's really quite hard to pull the lever and hit 9 bar. Managed to get there today with my finest grind yet, but the puck at the end of it had a pool of water sat above it and was absolutely saturated - basically mud at this point.
I'm using a light-ish roast from DAK: Milky Cake, so it's a shame to waste those beans dialling in, but it is what it is.
I'm wondering at this point do I need grind finer still? Coarsen up? Have been trying approx. 10 second pre infusion before pulling straight into 9 bar as best I can.
Shots are coming out relatively thin and quite bland (albeit today's was the best of the bunch, using the finest grind size yet). Pulling around 18g in 40-45g out, but am wondering if I need to extend the ratio further still. Using 2nd light on preheater and 95°c water.
Any and all tips are greatly welcome and appreciated!
Cheers all