Im hoping Ive got this correct:

Ive made great progress w my new set up thanks to the generous help Ive received here:

Its an Alexia PID and a K3 doserless

I roast my own beans, from Sweet Maria in an iRoasto which I modified to take a Cooper long stem thermometer through the top (screen - > metal chaff collector - > mid beans)

I roast to about 445 degrees on this set up.

with my 'new' blend (Moka Kadir) Im now getting 11 Bar and very slow extraction at the more-or-less same volume and tamp as others blends Ive had more success with

I havent had the time (courage?) to dial down the bar bleed off to about 10bar yet

however to make this long story a little shorter:

does high bar and slow extraction mean that my next step would be to make the grind coarser?

this blend in the past has seemed 'softer' to me and I note a few more clumps at this previous successful grind level

Im guessing this blend is a little more oily than others.

many thanks for so much constructive help

I dont have my scale yet but its on my list!

cheers and thanks again

Robert

With the K3 touch I use the WDT distribution technique to minimize clumping. It works very well.

I roast Moka Kadir blend into 2nd crack about 15-30 seconds and cool as fast as possible. I've found that lower doses 14.5-15 gm work best for my tastes and I also greatly prefer shorter (less volume) extractions at lower temperatures then most blends I use.

I would get that scale to check doses and try to make an effort to systematically vary your extractions with dose, temperature and grind settings until you find something that suits your tastes. A naked portafilter might help you as well.

My Anita came set at about 11 bar and I lowered it to 9-9.5 bar.

Good luck

many thanks for your reply. I don't use MKadir much, as ive found it somewhat 'overpowering' both with my old Silvia and now the Alexia

but what you say makes a lot of sense to me: this blend might very well benefit from lower brew temp and pressure. thanks for pointing me in that direction

my 'standard' that I compared to for my self was the old SM Classic Espresso blend, now no longer available ( I have about 1 lb left)

I have some "New Classic" on the way

its very clear to me that my new set up (once I adjust it and my various blends properly) will bring out a lot of nuance Ive missed in the past

thanks for your help!

next up will be for me to lower the brew pressure!

Bit the bullet and lowered the pressure to 9.5 bar. on the PID machine the outlet assembly is rotated 90 degrees from the picture on the review page

I tried the knob that looked like a hand screw (rough edges) first and found out it was the other one.