This may sound simple to some but I've been having a hard time figuring out how do the folks with the smaller machines like the La Pavoni or Sama Export/Ponte Vecchio Export, Olympia Cremina etc. time their shots with a smaller basket.

I have been able to dial in my shots on the Export to start dripping at about 10 - 15 seconds and when I release the lever it's a bit a wash at first until I nail it down to about a 15 - 20 second pull for a 1:1'ish ratio.

CoffeeMac wrote:Wow - that seems pretty extreme! I'll have to give it a try

You don't find this results in sour/acidic shots?

Not sour. But my goal is to bring out fruit, and so the shots certainly lean more towards acidic then bitter. But when done right there is plenty of sweetness and the quality of the acidity is different then the sharp biting acidity that I think is often thought of with underdeveloped light roasts. It's bright, but it's clean and often I would describe as soft. The goal is to bring out enough sweetness to balance out that acidity and when you're working with good coffee it can be a stunning way to extract espresso.

Also, going back to the original point at hand, what burrs are you using in your monolith? I have the shuriken LM.

RyanP wrote: Also, going back to the original point at hand, what burrs are you using in your monolith? I have the shuriken LM.

My Monolith Conical is first-gen circa 2016, so it has whatever he was using then. Most of my experience is with that.

I got my new MAX a couple of days ago; it has Shiluriken Sweet burrs.

I'm generally doing a fast fill to 2 bar then holding or shutting off the flow until the basket fills in and I get 1-2g in the cup then up to full flow 8.5bar with a decline to ~6ish bar.

The last two coffees have been very light (31-32 Roast Vision) and with my Monolith Flat SSW at a very fine grind and with the E&B Superfine basket I'm getting sweet, creamy shots in the 40-45 second range. Generally 1:1.7 ratio.