Thats a bunch of people I know of now who had the same experience as I did with the Rocky. Stock out of the box something is frequently not set right. If people are having issues not grinding fine enough it may be enough to take it apart and reassemble to make sure the burrs are really well aligned. Teflon tape mod is also very easy to do at the same time. I wonder if there are some QC issues going on.

Re: "I wonder if there are some QC issues going on."

No doubt.

Update... got my bottomless portafilter the other day. The extractions look just like the "should" videos I've seen.

It's all about the tamp. My Rocky is set on 5 for medium roast, and 6 or 7 for darker roasts; I use a 1/4 cup of beans. My Silvia has an Auber PID with infuser and timer, so the primary variable in having consistent shots is the tamping. Once you are start pulling good shots, you'll get the feel of what a good tamp is. If something doesn't feel right, I dump the coffee back in the doser, and re-dose. I love the PID to help with consistent brew temps and time. Good luck!

Espresso_C wrote:...the primary variable in having consistent shots is the tamping. Once you are start pulling good shots, you'll get the feel of what a good tamp is.

Really? In contrast, I rank the tamp very low on the list of important contributors to exceptional espresso and one of the easiest skills to master. Correct dosing and distribution, for example, have a more dramatic impact and are much easier to mess up. Tamping Twaddle, Part I and Part II elaborate on this point.

HB wrote:Really? In contrast, I rank the tamp very low on the list of important contributors to exceptional espresso and one of the easiest skills to master. Correct dosing and distribution, for example, have a more dramatic impact and are much easier to mess up.

Well, I guess I was assuming he had the dosing and distribution down, and I think those two things are easier. I, also, was thinking not enough tamping which is why too much flow. Tamping a tad too hard, or too soft will result in under or over extraction. Having the Rocky at 1 should result in way too fine of a grind, at least in my experience. Meh, to each their own...

Espresso_C wrote:Tamping a tad too hard, or too soft will result in under or over extraction.

A poorly executed tamp may result in channeling, but simply changing tamp pressure should not noticeably impact the extraction if dose/distribution is correct. Or, as Chris Tacy loves to say, the purpose of the tamp is to preserve the coffee bed. For those who want to read more, Espresso pour speed of heavy vs. light tamps debates this point at length. Regrettably, I think Silvia's well-documented finickiness is leading you to make false assumptions.