Ran 19 grams as usual (my scale won't do tenths...ugh gotta get another) and pulled a 20 sec shot. It was all dark crema, the NPF revealed a textbook sequence of coloration, and the espresso was actually sweet tasting. Pretty cool!

cannonfodder wrote:Sounds like the beans have passed their prime. When beans are nearing the end of their life you actually need to open up the grind and increase the dose. Fining up the grind and reducing the dose will only exasperate the issue. You could go to a triple basket to try stretching more life out of them but even money is on getting a fresh bag and your issues will go away.

WOW ... i don't think i understand the logic behind this, but it worked wonders. well, i mean, i helped, anyway ..

i've been experiencing problematic extractions with some rather old beans myself, and i too had been "tightening up" the grind, thinking smaller meant more of the oils would end up down the brew. following your advice, i pushed the grind size way up, and overdosed it as much as my double basket would allow me. now, i wouldn't have won any contests with the shot and ensued, but it was no doubt much better than the one i had pulled moments before, which was thin and everything ...