It sounds like I have about 17 kg to go on the HG-1 before it's settled in -- clearly I need to drink more espresso! I will let you all know of the progress. Thanks again

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I've had the CT1 and the HG-1 for maybe a month or two. All the parts are in the right place AFAIK. I only ran 3 pounds of rice through the HG-1 before doing coffee, so maybe the 8oz/week I'm going through hasn't been enough for the burrs to really seat

Let me know if this is 'new thread' material... I'm having channeling problems with my CT-1. It is worse with some beans, but there for all. When I examine the puck, I find 4 neat pinholes, corresponding to 4 little jets of water I see coming out of the center of the screen if I lift the

I sometimes wonder if one could use a high-temp sous-vide wand sitting in the reservoir, if there is such a thing. If that makes any sense. It might make the cottage industry of espresso machines easier

FWIW, I just emailed ThermoWorks, the maker of my ThermaPen temp probe. Their tech people are excited by the idea of offering a PID kit for machines like this, and will pass it on to the Product Development team. I don't know what the best technical approach is -- it's been 25 years since I remember...

Maybe stability isn't the right word as much as repeatability is, though I am happy with it as-is -- once it comes up to say 192F, I know it will be 195F by the time I have a shot ready to go, and it will be at 195 for another minute or two if I dawdle -- no measurements have

Supersonic Guji and Kathakwa were a revelation; surprisingly to me, the Kathakwa has been my favorite -- an explosion of flavors as a pourover. It really holds up to milk, as well. Dark Matter's Morning Glory was a fabulous fruit bomb, and now their bourbon barrel aged beans are so aromatic it's lik...

I finally am getting pretty pours from the CT-1 -- and am so so happy with it. There was no trick other than running out of my stale beans and getting fresh. I'm not a straight shot drinker (too many bitter receptors in my tongue, otherwise known as a sweet tooth). Given that caveat in my palate

Thanks for the hint. I'll try it if the SOP doesn't work. Lucky you on the customs. DHL made me cough up an extra $86 in customs (?) fees to get it delivered. VISA charged $55+ for the currency conversion. Luckily it is a lovely machine and showed up in perfect shape AFAIK

Good news on the CT-1 delivery: barring "ad hoc inspections by other regulatory agencies", it has been released for delivery. Only delayed a day, but if I hadn't been proactive (I hate that word), it could have been N+1 days late