drgary wrote:I don't think of tiger striping as stripes in the cup either. When there are tiger stripes in the stream the surface of the espresso looks speckled.

+1.
The speckled/mottled appearance in the small cup DOES make me feel a bit like patting myself on the back
Arthritis, and the strong possibility that the next pull won't be nearly as artistic prevents me (wisely) from the back pat.