Sometimes when you buy something like this with all the hype you get it and you are a bit disappointed. Well, let me tell you the hype is real! This is not one of those times! Even after reading anything I could find, I was still BLOWN away by the beauty of it in person.

I am by no means an expert but this thing has me trying things I thought I never would. I pulled a god shot after getting dialed in on a single origin Ethiopian blend. (I have only used this for pour over in the past since it's way too bitter generally for espresso) and it was terrific! I'd argue it was better than anything I have ever tasted. I do not have a lot of experience so take that with a grain of salt. I think most of this is because with the flat you can experiment with shot times like no other machine. I was able to go for longer shot times for better extractions without any unpleasant taste.

Overall I am very pleased with my decision and purchase For anyone else that just received their flat, I went 1 step up from Denis's setting (on arrival 6.2) and also added a bit shorter pre-infusion at 30% full pressure. This seems to be the best formula for my machine:

Grind #7.2 -18 grams in and out of grinder (zero retention). 11 seconds pre-brew (30% full pressure), 30 seconds full pressure at 200F. My cheap ass machine is now pulling god shots. I am glad I listened to you all and went with a high-end grinder and a machine that cost 1/5 the grinder

I genuinely think, for my needs, I hit the point on the graph where X meets Y, and with any more upgrades, I'll start getting diminishing returns.

I would argue my setup is that sweet spot. If you do not agree please weigh in. I would love an excuse to upgrade my BDB.

You now have the grinder that will make it possible for you to perceive the differences between your BDB and "better" machines. Whether it is worth it or not, only you can say...

For now, I would invest time in honing your skills, standardizing your dosing and distribution techniques, mastering preinfusion and temperature effects, and dialing in by taste. Spend your money on great coffee.

Glad to hear you're loving the new grinder since I ordered the same one! Flat w/ black top plate & SSP burrs. Would love to see more photos and also hear about your brew/ pourover experiences.

Was about to write a very long response until I noticed you are in San Diego as well. I would be happy to let you try it out while you're waiting for yours to arrive. I can go over all that I have learned in person.

Are you the guy selling the HG-1 on craigslist in San Diego?

Looks beautiful Ryan - great set up! I particularly like the colour. What grinder did you have before?

Thanks! I had the Sette 270Wi. I am blown away by this grinder.

Ah amazing! It's sounds like the Monolith is far better from your review - can you put into words how it is different? It it a better workflow, taste... or maybe both!
Thanks for your insight,
Henry

eltakeiteasy wrote:Was about to write a very long response until I noticed you are in San Diego as well. I would be happy to let you try it out while you're waiting for yours to arrive. I can go over all that I have learned in person.

Are you the guy selling the HG-1 on craigslist in San Diego?

Thanks for the offer, Ryan, I'd love to take you up on it one of these weekends. I could bring the HG-1 over for a playdate while I still have it. I'll be posting it up for sale in the HB marketplace once I take delivery of the m.flat in Feb.

Sounds good. Feel free to PM me your number and we can find a weekend that works.

There are a bunch of Monolith threads going right now, but this one seems titled to align with user experience.

I've had my SSP Flat for about a week and a half now. I run about 72 grams through each day for my regular shots, and I ran a pound of stale beans through on a coarse setting in an effort to accelerate burr seasoning.

I've also played with no RDT (and concluded its still necessary for now) and no WDT. I've done the no WDT with and without using the grooming tool. The grooming tool doesn't seem to have much impact on pours as far as I can tell, but it makes it much easier to get a level tamp.

Pours are ridiculously dead center cones with any of the above prep methods. With no WDT I do see a brief halo/donut effect at the beginning of the pour, but it nearly instantly becomes an even, bottom of the basket cover and then into a center pour. The lone spritzer I've had so far was a no WDT shot, so I'm fine with this additional 4-5 seconds in my workflow. It eliminates the momentary donut, and spritzers as far as I can tell.

I also turned my pressurestat down to .7, and really like the results. I'm working with a commercial lever and even at that low setting, there's plenty of steam for the occasional milk drink.

I've mentioned this in other Monolith threads, but one of the most striking things is how much finer I can grind, and then updose and not only still get a good flow rate, but coax sweetness out of coffees. I was dosing 16g into a 14g EPHQ basket, because previously any higher dose in those baskets and I ran into headspace issues. I didn't like the results of 18g in a 21g basket - the pucks were a mess and I was getting channeling which wasn't happening with the 16g doses in a 14g basket. With the Flat, I am going with 18g in the 14g EPHQ baskets and getting gorgeous pours, no channeling and no headspace problems. I first tried updosing to match Denis' suggestion of 18g with the Lusso GMC, and then with some light roast SOs. Results have been excellent across the board.

My only 'problem' now is that I want to keep pulling shots just to play with the grinder, and there are only so many I can drink each morning!