Getting up this morning I was a bit excited upon trying a bag of Magnum Sumatra that I picked up the night before at a local costco. I have to admit my hopes weren't all that high on it being a good choice for espresso and was planning on drinking it mainly as drip, but I had to try it out on the machine a few times. For about 15 minutes I pulled one gusher after another. I never had a coffee pull like this and after making about 4 or 5 grind adjustment I finally pulled a decent shot. Has anyone ever seen a coffee that pulled like this? I easily went nearly to where my burrs were touching to get it to pull right. I don't know much about the coffee's exact origin or processing method or even how fresh it was (seemed reasonably fresh based on the taste and the crema), but I find it very strange that it pulled that way when I've probably tried at least a dozen other coffees from various regions over the last month and never came close to having to grind so fine for any of them.

Costco? Sounds like old beans.

Whenever a thought process with respect to espresso contains the words "night before at a local costco", it essentially means that whatever you're going to be describing is a product of a bad purchase for espresso creation.

There's nothing to analyze, old beans are a waste of time and money. I'm surprised you had any hope at all... really.

Yea, i should have known better, but I was in dire straits and needed something to drink in the morning. The coffee was part of a weekend road show from the roasters themselves, so I thought they may have brought fresh product with them but who knows. The girls working the booth were clueless, although the bag was dated "expire 6/2012". Just seemed really strange that the coffee ground so coarse. It was a darker roast which normally calls for a coarser grind setting, not finer.

It was probably considered "fresh" to the everyday consumer. Expiration or best by dates are often clues to low freshness standards, especially if it is over a year from now! Yikes. Clueless workers is another 'clue'. Starbucks is the same way. If you ask a barista they will most likely be clueless about the roast date and be confused to why you care because our "flavor-lock" bags seal in freshness! (yeah right). Starbucks only prints a best by date which is 8 months post roast. You are better off steering clear of roasters like this. A waste of time, money, and coffee.

Javacat wrote: ... and never came close to having to grind so fine for any of them.

Normal for Sumatras, and not an indication of staleleness. Your best grind setting will be as if you had 2 to 2.5 grams less in the basket (for a double). My belief is that Sumatra beans have a more flexible texture than others and create less fines when ground. However, I have no proof of this.

When I dial in a new coffee, I make this "Sumatra adjustment" at the outset. For instance, if a blend is 25% Sumatra, I grind as if there were a 1/2 gram less in the basket.