Yeah, I usually use something like 10-12g in, 15-25g out, depending on coffee, on classic model. On pro, both numbers would be something like 20% higher for me, as I tend to stick to similar puck thickness like on ordinary machines and similar grind. Maximum suggested quantities result in considerably thicker puck, which didn't work well for me with lighter roasts. Espresso roasts were usually ok even if overdosed, with coarser grind

Thank you for the replies. So reading your comments makes me think that I should get one... would be great using 18 grams and getting 36 grams of espresso out of it in one pull...

Now... what to do with the one I already have, humm...

Anyone having difficultly with the shower cap consistently being on an angle?

Perhaps it's meant to sit flush with the dry coffee....? or am I tamping too hard or not dosing enough? I've tried 14-17g with a hard 20 pound tamp. The tamper always seems to get stuck in the basket.

Also which side up is the shower cap meant to be? The instructions didn't really explain clearly. Is it meant to be the bigger holes on the top? (Birds eye view)

Tamp extremely light, just to level. Big holes face up. Added: Someone posts later they were advised by Flair that it doesn't matter which way the holes face in the shower screen. That makes sense.

Added 6/12/19: I like to point the smaller holes downward, as is typical with levers with an attached shower screen. My reasoning is that the small holes in contact with the coffee slurry make it slightly easier to clean the screen. This is a nit, though.

drgary wrote:Tamp extremely light, just to level. Big holes face up.

Thanks drgary. Do you know why people recommend a lighter tamp for levers?

For anyone who's struggled to get that dam shower screen to sit flat every time, I developed a little technique I'm humbly calling the DC shower screen drop technique or DCSSDT for short This is my contribution back to the coffee world to date.

Also, I've love to be able to stop the shot at a desired weight without mess/popping. Specifically getting 30-45 gram out, rather than 45-55 gram outputs, so I've tried putting less water in/weighing the water and or starting the piston half way down. IIRC it's not a good idea to leave any air gap between the water and plug with the gauge? How do other people deal with this? and what are your recommendations. At the moment taking the shot glass away is pretty messy.

dc_espresso wrote:Thanks drgary. Do you know why people recommend a lighter tamp for levers?

For anyone who's struggled to get that dam shower screen to sit flat every time, I developed a little technique I'm humbly calling the DC shower screen drop technique or DCSSDT for short http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxl46WlAnx4 This is my contribution back to the coffee world to date.

Also, I've love to be able to stop the shot at a desired weight without mess/popping. Specifically getting 30-45 gram out, rather than 45-55 gram outputs, so I've tried putting less water in/weighing the water and or starting the piston half way down. IIRC it's not a good idea to leave any air gap between the water and plug with the gauge? How do other people deal with this? and what are your recommendations. At the moment taking the shot glass away is pretty messy.

My understanding is this (others feel free to chip in): With tamping, even distribution is most important. With manual levers you have very good control of pressure, so you can ramp up. With some pump machines, especially those that don't ramp up, you may have high pressure quickly hitting the coffee cake and may do better with a firmer tamp.

Thank you for the YouTube link. BTW you can insert that in your post so it directly plays from here.

Posting videos on HB

I generally stop a shot with a lever by pulling slightly up on the lever to stop the flow. Then I remove the cup and may insert a catch cup.

Can I ask about suggested settings: grams of ground coffee, grinding and tap? I have bought a flair pro, but still trying to figure out the required settings

dc_espresso wrote:
Also, I've love to be able to stop the shot at a desired weight without mess/popping. Specifically getting 30-45 gram out, rather than 45-55 gram outputs, so I've tried putting less water in/weighing the water and or starting the piston half way down. IIRC it's not a good idea to leave any air gap between the water and plug with the gauge? How do other people deal with this? and what are your recommendations. At the moment taking the shot glass away is pretty messy.

I've found that if you manually push down on the brew chamber at the end of the shot (closing the gap between the portafilter and brew chamber) you can release the lever without a portafilter sneeze (just keep pressure on it while releasing the lever). At this point, switch your cup with any empty vessel to catch the remainder of the drips.

Finally someone tried that ...

Jasper_8137 wrote:I've found that if you manually push down on the brew chamber at the end of the shot (closing the gap between the portafilter and brew chamber) you can release the lever without a portafilter sneeze (just keep pressure on it while releasing the lever). At this point, switch your cup with any empty vessel to catch the remainder of the drips.

Ah, that sounds like a great solution! Thank you for sharing!

We should have a wiki list of problem/solutions like this pinned to the first post of the thread