JP2019 wrote:My favorite espresso is Italian. Just can't find a fresh bag or roaster here in VA that does it in that fashion.

Any recommendations...

The hunt for best Italian roasted coffee beans

I generally pull medium or lighter roasts, so I can't make a personal recommendation. I've been tempted by another_jim's comments on Post #91 and others' similar comments. If I didn't already have a couple pounds of other beans still in the freezer it would move back into my Amazon cart.

Since you said you like Italian style* I am going to say these:

(They are on a spectrum from naturally acidic to naturally bitter from 1-3)

1) Counter Culture Big Trouble and Nossa Familia Full Cycle are going to have a bit of sourness / acidity as well as a touch of roasty flavors. You probably won't be able to get rid of the acidity in these blends by shifting parameters. I honestly do no think these are what you are going to be looking for.

2) Kaldi Espresso 700, Nossa Teodoro's Blend, Cafe Lusso GMC are all going to be mild mannered with very little acidity, you can make them bitter if you over extract them. I would also put Josuma Malabar Gold in this category. as well as Cartapani Cinquestelle (buy from amazon).

3) Counter Culture Forty-Six and Mr. Espresso Neapolitan Espresso are both darker and will tend toward a natural bitterness. These aren't oily but they are dark.

The ones in #2 and #3 above should be pretty easy to get good results from. (Actually they are all pretty easy to get good results from if you like them...)

*Italian Style is a loaded term and I really don't know what you mean by this. If you could name some blends that you have had that are examples that could be helpful.

Guessing the word Italian now seems a bit misleading. I can't remember brands but a lot of the coffee I had in Italy were fantastic. It was the only ones I tasted where I didn't feel the need to add sugar after adding milk. It still maintained a nice flavor. I guess it could have been anything. What I'm after is really low to no acidity and more chocolate/Carmel flavoring vs bright and fruity. Would love to know what an espresso with sweet notes taste like.

On a side note, in my last bit of beans I finally think I pulled a really tolerable shot! I think the Colombian bean in def not for me lol. Dreading to switch due to how long I've taken to dial in.

Totally OK not to like a certain origin, processing style, or roast level. Same with a roaster. There are a couple that I won't buy from as I don't appreciate their "style". That said, my tastes have changed over the years. There's an origin that we kiddingly called "elephant dung" in college that is now near the top of my list.

Now that you've got one dialed in, you've got a good starting point for grind and dose in the next.

When I changed grinders, I had no clue where to start, or what "one mark" would do. That first bag went fast! Now I've got a better feel for it, so I've got a good starting point and can better guess 1/2, 1, ... change to get closer.

I haven't visited this site in 12 years or so, but my workflow was getting tiresome so I started looking around at upgrading machine, grinder, and/or technique. I saw a demo / sales pitch on WLL of the Jack Leveler and decided to give it a go. My tamping technique is pretty good, but an easy way to be perfectly level sounded good.

$90 later, I started testing the Jack. Suddenly, I had spurting and channeling like I hadn't seen in 15 years of espresso. I also noticed a dimple in the center of my my pucks post shot. Clearly, this device is doing bad things to my distribution, and is a fail. Anyone else feel the same?

I use the Jack and have never had a problem with channeling or spurting. I don't tamp either. Maybe try setting the Jack at its highest depth level?

This has been a super interesting thread to follow. JP2019 - you're a patient man and I applaud all your efforts.
I'm experiencing something that I think is similar, a channeling issue, but I wanted to double-check with you all. I'm using a double-spout portafilter, and instead of having a nice even, smooth flow, the flow is "gurgly" (is that even a word?) and bubbly. It occassionally smoothens out towards the end of a 25-30 sec extraction, but that seems way too late.
I'm using a Rocket Appartamento, Baratza Vario, and the Jack leveler to level AND tamp. I'm not tamping after the level. Could this inconsistent, bubbly stream indicate a channeling issue as well?

As seductive as watching the flow out of a classic pair of spouts is, you'll likely never know the source until you at least check things with a bottomless PF handle. Feel free to pull out the classic handle for guests. If you're trying to understand your prep, a bottomless and some cell-phone video will take the guessing out as to what kind of problem you have and if what you change makes things better or worse. For me, a bottomless is the only "essential" puck-prep tool past a basket, coffee, and an old-school tamper.

amiller72 wrote:This has been a super interesting thread to follow. JP2019 - you're a patient man and I applaud all your efforts.
I'm experiencing something that I think is similar, a channeling issue, but I wanted to double-check with you all. I'm using a double-spout portafilter, and instead of having a nice even, smooth flow, the flow is "gurgly" (is that even a word?) and bubbly. It occassionally smoothens out towards the end of a 25-30 sec extraction, but that seems way too late.
I'm using a Rocket Appartamento, Baratza Vario, and the Jack leveler to level AND tamp. I'm not tamping after the level. Could this inconsistent, bubbly stream indicate a channeling issue as well?

Lol not patient but more so trying to figure what I just invested in and making it work since WLL doesn't handle returns without a restock fee and shipping cost haha. The channeling I was getting was a mix of things. I can certainly say the leveler is not really needed and aiming for a tamp like puck without tamping was the main issues I had.

My technique improved. I rotate the portafilter while grinding , left to right. This fixed most of the issues coming from the uneven distribution of grinds from the E37s. I then smack the portafilter down once to level/set the coffee in the filter and then, at a more higher than advertised setting, I use the level to get a nice level platform. Then I tamp down. This pretty much fixed my entire channeling issues. I still struggle with taste and actually haven't made a shot in 2 months because I have been out of town. I just purchased the Compak Cube because I am just really curious on what this may do or not to my process. I'm excited. If it works I'll prob get rid of the leveler.

Isn't that a $765 tamper?

At some point, a few hours with a professional barista trainer might be a wise investment.