opother wrote: I have found regular towels and cloths do not do as good a job as microfiber. For wiping the portafilter to increase dryness and coffee coheasion to the sides after tamping I find I get better results with microfiber.

opother wrote:I can't see any solution to the the temp drop which may be due to cold water rushing into the small boiler during during the brew cycle.

This is just an off the wall idea that may not work at all but I would be interested to know if the the temperature drop would be less drastic if you preheated the water before putting it in the water tank. You don't want to make it too hot (maybe on the hot side of warm.) I don't know, it's something I never tried but always wondered about.