Thanks Craig, forgot about the paywall

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Hi Vince, and welcome to H-B. Consistency is important in espresso. It's worth some time and effort finding out why your extractions are so variable. "Here" is a simple test that might help you diagnose the problem. Like the previous posters, let me encourage you to get a 0.1g scale. In addition, 18...

What beans and what basket? Same results if you change these?

I'm sure you can find plenty of good reasons not to buy a DE1. But this is not one of them

This is clearly your decision but... is there a reason why you're choosing the Mini over the Micra? The Micra is $2K less expensive, more kitchen friendly (lighter, smaller footprint), fast warmup time, and overall seems a better fit. You can run it from the water reservoir and then plumb later if n...

Could also be astringency

Well, everything is optional. But a bit of bicarbonate buffer is a good idea, to keep pH within reasonable bounds. Tastewise, "Scott Rao" suggests that "Alkalinity is - by far - the single most important factor in how water chemistry will affect coffee flavor." I've been using sodium bicarb (baking ...

To their credit, "TWW" has been forthcoming about packet makeup:{table}Most recipes use potassium or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) for the bicarbonate buffer, and magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) for magnesium. I haven't seen magnesium bicarbonate but it probably could be used

Home baristas have been using various water recipes for years with no ill effects, so I think you can safely ignore the dire warnings in the video. You are much more likely to have problems using tap water, especially in hard water areas. I use the Pavlis recipe because it's convenient, inexpensive,...