I do not weigh the beans or grounds. I try to be consistent with the process.

Why is it always the 2nd shot not the 1st? Old grounds in the grinder slowing down the 1st? If that is the case, why does it happen even when I have cleaned the grinder (as described below)?

Tonight I will try grinding a few beans and throwing out the 1st stuff out of the grinder. I guess I should set the grinder to 'Finer'.

I use a chop stick and a basting brush to clean the schnoz and the doser between coffees. I clean the schnoz with the chop stick then turn on the grinder to blow out the remains, re-chop stick it and use the brush for final clean. Are there still grounds trapped in the grinder?

I read through this thread, so excuse me if i missed the answer to this question:

Do you... (pick one):
1- fill the hopper with your roasted coffee beans and grind per dose as you need it.
2- dose the amount of beans for each individual double shot into the hopper.
3- dose the amount of beans for two doubles into the hopper then grind per pull.

2 and 3 both apply depending on how many shots I'm going to pull at the time.

Beans are not stored in the hopper.

Popcorning. When the volume of beans in the hopper gets very low, you will experience what is commonly called "popcorning" (both Ken Fox and I have commented on this issue in the past). If you put coffee in for two shots - as a result the grind quality will change from first to second shot. One of the reasons I argue for keeping beans in the hopper.

"Cleaning" the grinder doesn't get rid of trapped coffee. I'll never forget the first time I pulled the burrset out of a grinder and saw what was trapped in there!!

HB-Wantabe wrote:2 and 3 both apply depending on how many shots I'm going to pull at the time.

2 can work if you grind a bit, say 2 to 5 grams [½ scoop] at the start of the session to clear out the left overs. More if changing coffee.

3 will never work unless you change the grind for the last 1 or 2 shots.
Assuming grinder is dialed in on 1 shot load in hopper, -1 full [360°] turn coarser of the micro adjuster for each extra shot loaded up to about 4. Of course, YMMV

cafeIKE wrote:3 will never work unless you change the grind for the last 1 or 2 shots.

Pulling the entirety of the coffee and putting it back into the hopper will mix the grounds from the last bit with the rest of the grounds. Shouldn't be that much difference from your regular doppios at that point.

HB-Wantabe wrote:2 and 3 both apply depending on how many shots I'm going to pull at the time.

As mentioned, popcorn-ing can be a factor. Try this: grind enough for two doubles all at once. Transfer the coffee to another container and mix thoroughly without compacting. Now dose as you normally would and see if the two shots pull the same.

Psyd wrote:Pulling the entirety of the coffee and putting it back into the hopper will mix the grounds from the last bit with the rest of the grounds. Shouldn't be that much difference from your regular doppios at that point.

¿Que?

Que?

What Randy just said. Instead of thwacking as the grinder grinds, just pull it all into another container and and then dump it back into the doser. While there is going to be some differences between the early grind and the later part of the grind, those two small differences will be evenly (ish) distributed between the separate doses when re-thwacked. While I would never advocate the use of two different grinds to make a doppio, the two variations are so small as to be almost imperceivable.

Ah, doser. That makes sense.

Psyd wrote:...putting it back into the hopper...

had me confused