It's amazing how sensitive the PeDe is to a change in beans....my 4 day old home-roasted Yemen Sharisi, no matter how tightly I have the PeDe (to the finest grind I can get, the burrs rubbing egregiously), and using the WDT still literally POURS through the basket. It's a 10 second pour, no squirts. Yet 9 day old Black Cat, which is only 2 blended Brazilians gives me over 20 seconds, with a slightly looser grind setting.
I'm still getting those 2 layered pucks, though, after both the first and second shot.
The taste is fine, not earth shaking, and not quite as sweet as I would have hoped.
A work in progress, still.

If you dose the Yemen right to the top of the basket it should slow down the pour, especially if you tamp hard. Is the Yemen roasted very dark? In my experience dark roasts require finer grinds.

The PeDe I'm currently using will choke the Caravel with commercial Italian beans I buy at here at the supermarket. Roast date unknown, but I keep them in the freezer once I buy them. A 1/4 turn or less will change the pour speed considerably. But the small Caravel basket is also very sensitive to dose. A mm or two difference in the height of the puck will alter the flow rate from a slow drip to a steady pour, putting a lot of pressure on the lever.

Manual levers are quite tricky because its nigh impossible for the barista to keep the pull pressure constant in the face of changes in resistance due grind, dose, and tamp. My experience with the Caravel over the past month tells me that it is less forgiving than my spring-lever Ponte Vecchio (still awaiting parts from Italy!).

I assume the Black Cat tastes great in the Cremina. I don't understand why you're not able to choke the machine with the PeDe. Most, if not all of mine will do so with my lever machines. Perhaps you should ask OrphanE if it did so with their machines?

PC

Jack...Doug @ Orphan has been following this thread, and PM'd me. They are such great folks. They even offered to swap with me. Our coffee community is lucky to have vendors like these.
The Black cat, purchased locally was on the tail end of freshness...9 days...I packed to 1/4 inch from the top of the Elektra basket....dumping every grind out, it was a touch over 15 grams! I'm wondering if the WDT I'm doing is actually creating "fines?" The Yemen, no matter how tight I tightened the grind adjuster, and with a 40lb tamp, all i get was a large, uniform blondish cone of liquid which filled the 1.5 oz glass in 10 seconds. Strange.
At the tightest setting on the PeDe (which, by the way is an awesome grinder for my Aerobie Press) does fine if I tamp about 40 lbs and twist. The pours are not "honey dripping", by any means, but no squirts either.
I purchased an old Rio with the Mazzer doser mod from a well respected CG'er/HB'er...as I had an SJ previously, It should be here by the weekend, or Monday.I'll see what my technique will produce. I don't want to blame the PeDe. I may just not have my lever technique in order yet.
As an old American curve tamper guy, I also wish I had a convex base for my Reg. Just can't swing the $40 right now, though I probably should just get it.
I have a beautiful 51mm brass base from Reg, lightly used with my former Europiccola Millenium.
Anyone want to trade?

My cherished friends here...
I decided to ignore some (well intentioned) advice and try something different.
Instead of loosely locking in the PF until I was 2/3rds the way on the up stroke of the lever, then locking in, I tried locking in the PF all the way before starting the up stroke, then slowly raising the lever.
At the top, I did a small 4" down stoke, then raised the lever up, counted to 5, then lowered, with firm even pressure...about 35lbs, as usual. the pour was monkey tailed, striped, and dark brown, not black...temp was good. I reached the end with no blonding whatsoever. 1.25oz all crema.
I customarily swirl the shot glass once...just a 1/4" of black.
Tasted wonderful. All the components sang...10 day old Black Cat (which is all Brazilian), 20% home roasted Colombian Pitalito (cherry-ish), and 20% home roasted Yemen Sharisi (spice.)
Another thing...I really overfilled the PeDe...18 grams ground for the OEM Cremina basket...rapped down on the grinder to dislodge stuck grind to get it all.
Dosed using the WDT, and gently rapped the PF down on the tamping surface once. I did a NESW finger distribution. I believe I had about 14 grams in the basket. A 30 lb tamp left about 3 millimeters from the top. The most I ever packed in there. The puck was also perfect. Smooth, no crevices, etc. And it ejected with no layers.
I've always been afraid of overdosing...not anymore.
My new espresso arrives with a client from Chicago Friday. Kid-O, and fresh Black Cat, plus my own blend. No time to get him to stop by Metropolis..
I bet I can loosen the PeDe now...it was about as tight as I could get it, but it didn't seem to make the burrs lock too much.
my Doserless Rio from my great friend Jon R arrives tomorrow. However, I am impressed by how evenly the grind emerges from the PeDe. Hand grinders rock, and mine will be my night-time grinder. This is gonna be fun.
Thanks to all who have stuck with me here. Y'all rock.

I think the overdosing issues are related to the relatively flat, shallow pucks found on 58-mm baskets, and probably pump machines. We lucky lever folks just don't have the same issues. We preinfuse at our own pace at low pressure, and pull as we feel. We're all familiar with the results....

The Ponte Vecchio has a pressure-release port that allows air to escape when the lever is pulled down (spring-lever = reverse) for pre-infusion. I think with manual levers when the lever is pulled up air is pulled through the puck. This is why people do the lock-after-lift method. If you've got enough coffee in there there's no where for it to go is there? No need to lock-after-lift!

Glad to hear things are tasting good. Fill er up!

PC

Pullled some nice shots today with the PeDe and some 8day old Kid-O....
Personally, I like this coffee a bit more than Black Cat..YMMV.
The Black Cat my client brought is just 2 days from roast date...I'm going to wait another day or 2.
The 2nd shot was even better. I guessed at fine-ness on the peDe and got lucky, I guess.