HB wrote:Oh, I wonder what device that might be, Mr. Scace.

If you don't have the same equipment, a thermofilter readout and "cool / medium / medium hot / hot" have equal communicative value. In terms of dialing in one piece of equipment or several of the same machines, it's a huge time saver. What used to take me weeks of equipment evaluation is now a short evening's work.

I think you prolly said it better. Taste is a great thermometer until you wanna translate it quickly to another espresso machine. For the OP, taste is a very good guide and the one on which he should concentrate. A temperature value may give him some comfort, but it shouldn't be used to stifle his own personal opinion about what tastes good. Often new folks obsess on temperature or shot time, or whatever, as they try to learn. These are just tools. Taste is where it's at. Or maybe it's the only morality. Seems I heard that somewhere.

-Greg

HB wrote:If you don't have the same equipment, a thermofilter readout and "cool / medium / medium hot / hot" have equal communicative value.

Dangnabbit, the analytical side of me wants so badly to disagree with that statement.
But I think I've learned too much in my espresso journey and just can't.
Wait, I know the niggling problem it should be "cool / medium cool / medium / medium hot / hot".

I agree with going by taste. Then again I'm not sharing or translating my results to other machines/users either. But on Anita I can usually tell when my flush was off and I'm pleasantly surprised at how easy I'm able to zone in on the same temps for multiple shots and getting consistent shots. Funny how going HX even for my straight shot 90% of the time has worked out so well, there is great flexibility in HX.