u/VeganCurtains

So I wanted a small scale that would fit into the oval of the 49 pro. I saw a social media post of Flair's, with a Seer scale that was what the doctor ordered. Went to their site and placed an order. A week later, no update on my order. I emailed. No response. Another week. Nothing - so I sent an email to cancel the order. Immediate reply - "It's off to the shipper already, no need to cancel".

Let's see how this goes, I thought. So I didn't cancel, and instead went to the Flair site and ordered their little scale. It appears to be the same darn unit, with Flair branding.

Lo and behold, the Flair shows up like 2 days later, and I've been using it ever since (nice little scale, does its job). I think it's been over a week or so.

Guess what. The Seer still hasn't arrived. I realize that company may be a small company in China, and everyone has a bad day and gets distracted. But there are a LOT of little companies in this space competing for attention. I hope they pick up their game. When the scale finally shows up (maybe this week?), will be interesting to see if indeed it's the identical unit.

So inspired by the video linked at the bottom, I just pulled a decaf shot and a regular shot with these changes to my workflow:

• 16g rather than 18g
• ground directly into basket, not dosing cup
• tamp edges, than full tamp
• preheat portafilter (as well as cylinder and cup), submerging directly into boiling water
• pull 20-22g rather than 32-26g

Oh boy. More syrupy, more body, more fruit, less sour notes, less bitterness. I guess essentially this was ristretto / salami (I drank the 2nd half that was left in the pull afterwards). I'm going to use this as my daily morning routine for a bit.

Flair 49 Pro: I let an espresso expert fix my shot

https://preview.redd.it/0zxtr3lfvb4h1.jpg?width=2789&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1567ca1372b4b7ae5007ae36aceb481cd34ab08e

Okay so the new bench: eWizard, Zero 65 AP and the 49 pro. Put me in coach.

Been trying to get to the grind range that won't flood like a crime scene or a squatty potty 10 minute pull LOL. Work in progress.

Also, been trying to get some kind of semblance of microfoam - so far I'm great at producing hot milk, and then occasionally also some bubbles, and also a friggin' mess on the counter. Also a work in progress.

Unlike a wine tasting, I'm not spitting. Or, actually I suppose that's just like me at a wine tasting. End result I'm buzzing like a beehive.

PSA: Don't let anyone tell you decaf has no caffeine. Sigh.

Am waiting for Cliff & Pebble to ship my Eureka Mignon Zero 65 AP - which will be my first true espresso grinder.

I'm very much a lighter roast guy (home roaster, prefer City to City +, primarily Africans like Ethiopian and Kenyan), so here are some questions:

When you finally have fine, consistent grind, and switch to bottomless basket, what are you guys ideally using for:

• dose weight,
• water temp,
• pre infusion time,
• pull time ranges,
• output ratio targets

For reference, because I'm using the finest setting with light roasts on a non-espresso grinder, I've been using the cheater (pressurized) basket. Been using 17gm doses, very hot water, 10 sec pre infusion, 30-45 second pulls, yielding 1:3.5, and been really pleased with the shot on the palate. This is after about 1.5 weeks since roast day - first couple days there is so much CO2 and expansion that a fresh roast can provide enough resistance for the bottomless, despite the larger grind.

I realize everything changes with a finer, more consistent grind. So just looking for some starting points.

And yeah, I originally ordered a DF54, but that reddit with all the complaints made me think twice and I switched over to the Zero 65 AP.

Been pulling from the 49 pro for a couple weeks since it arrived. I only have an old non-espresso Kitchenaid burr grinder (the original), so the pressurized cheater basket has been a lifesaver. And an eWizard steamer arrived yesterday (how did that happen?), and so I broke down and preordered a DF54 from Cliff & Pebble, which won't ship until July (I guess there is quite a supply chain hole).

I keep telling myself my beloved coffee addiction isn't going to become a gaping maw of a black hole that will devour my soul like an H.P. Lovecraft monster...

Curious how many arrived at manual espresso via the long path of roasting one's own coffee beans.

I've been home roasting for about 20 years now, still using a 'frankenstein' setup as it hasn't broken, and provides the control required to deliver consistent results. I gravitate toward African varietals (lots of Ethiopian and Kenyan), and tend to prefer light (City, City+) in my french press, which until I got the Flair was my preferred brew method, to render the distinctives that light roast preserves of the bean (as darker tends to focus on the roast itself).

As a result, my first true excursion into espresso with the Flair just explodes on the tongue and palate (compared to the same bean french pressed). And next roast day (this weekend) I'll probably experiment with going a little darker (maybe Full City) with some of the greens I have in inventory to see what the Flair does with them.

After trying many different sources for greens (unroasted beans), including collectives, forums, and the like, I've happily gone 100% exclusive with Sweet Maria's, as many home roasters do.

Anyway, just curious who else is down this rabbit hole, alongside pulling their own shots.