My gaggia days are decades behind me, I don't remember

I was instructed to follow the first part of the descale procedure to flush and refill the boilers. I would've ran two full tanks at least, but never actually made a coffee as I didn't want to make them dirty lol. I agree it's very rare to have two machines doa. They were manufactured in the same week and

Your assumption may be correct. But it'll take awhile to dial in starting roasts for particular varietals. Plus it would help to measure bean density, at least by volume, and starting moisture content in order to pre-adjust your roast. You'll always be dialing in toward better results. This is one of the reasons I like to make milk drinks!

Some great advice and conversation here, and I'm reading and digesting it all. Regarding bitter vs sour and personal tastes: I totally agree. But I'm talking about shots that are so far off, I really don't think they're anyone's preference. I rarely get one that just blows me away from the first sip, but many will draw me in

Yes, there doesn't seem to be much information anywhere. However I did get a reply to my query via their contact us form on the website and they do indeed offer samples. You just have to ask. They sell both boxes as well as full bags but their full bag lists are rather vague as far as traceability and information

Thanks for posting this - It's a nice alternative to Tidaka funnels and smaller tampers

Thank you very much for your advice!

It depends on the coffee, could need to use up to 8.5-9g or more to get a dry puck at the end - myself, I don't care about soupy pucks that much, i just clean my knockbox regularly. I'd also recommend a thin puck sceen like the ones from sworks design

No need at all! I am just suggesting that if the OP is looking to buy and roast vs buying roasted without it being a hobby that they may be better served by buying roasted coffee. The best commercial roasting operations (as well as nearly all operations) need to try at least a couple of profiles to find one

Best to ask them to confirm, but I suspect yes