I bought a Kafatek leveling tamper (4 or 5 years ago) and never looked back. It still looks as good as new

You did well to continue to the top of the cup, so definitely an improvement. Hopefully you're happy with your progress. It still seems like you're slowing down when you get about half way across the surface, though. This is especially true at the top of the design, where you hold the pitcher stationary and add a

Thanks for your insights on the 98 mizen. It definitely seems tried and true, whereas the 102 is still working out the kinks so to speak at least with the production

Includes: Custom Powder Coat GS3 style steam wand Pantechinon knobs and slider kit - $453 purchased new Pantechinon portafilter handle Pantechinon Stainless Steel Feet - $45 purchased new ACE services shot timer - $160 purchased new Grafikus Pre Infusion Kit - $790 purchased new Weidermann leather cup tray cover - $35 purchased new LaMarzocco GB5

I prefer the 189 for any dark roast or medium roast which have no acidity. As I said in the review, the 200 burr creates a lot sweetness whenever there is acidity in the coffee; but falls flat when there is none. The 189 is a little cleaner and sweeter on roasty flavors, but doesn't give a nice rendition of

Heat makes the citric acid more aggressive. The hotter the water, the quicker it works. When I descale I try to drain my boilers as much as possible then let the machine refill from a container of citric acid solution. Then let it heat to temperature and turn it off to soak for a while. How long depends

The headspace afforded by a larger basket with a lower dose versus a smaller basket with a higher dose can make quite a difference in the extraction and timing. I switch between the IMS competition basket and the Strada basket on my GS3. You just have to work with them and find what works best with a given coffee and

No 102 experience but lots of info on the forum about 98 mizen. It's outstanding. It has body, very nice tempering of acidity for light roasts and still really good flavor separation. I can get floral bomb espressos. It's not blended in style but more so than A 98 HU ssp would be- which

How is the 200d burr for medium - dark roast espresso ?

Did some more tinkering and bought the Clippard SCPV-1-3 valve and the driver. I modified the existing Arduino code and got it to work. I'll post some pictures and roasts once I dial it in