Technnically, both are hoppers, the bean hopper and the grinds / dosing hopper, but I can see where it might have been handy if I had made the distinction. And, if'n ya ain't gots no dosing hopper, you could just grind it all into some other container, like Randy said, and give it a good shake before re-distributing it between the two (or more) baskets.

I'm going to experiment with grinding enough for both shots, wife's and mine, removing from doser, mixing together, replacing in the doser and distribute to PF as I pull the shots.

Hopefully this will prove decisive as to whether the grind (fineness or coarseness) is the reason for the difference.

I have always worked out the grind on a single shot thinking if it is right for 1 it will be right for 2. Humm

It will be if you load the grinder per shot. Many here do just that.

I do load the grinder per shot. Still, the 1st and 2nd pull sooo different. This is what is confusing.

Popcorning is common with grinding one shot at a time.

Earlier in response to Randy's question "3- dose the amount of beans for two doubles into the hopper then grind per pull", you replied affirmative.

Unless your burrs are flopping around loose, adding a fixed 1 shot amount of coffee to a grinder and grinding that amount every time results in pretty consistent shots. Adding 2x or 3x a fixed 1 shot amount and grinding per shot gives very inconsistent results. How well grinding 2x or 3x all a once and trying to homogenize is unknown territory.

Perhaps you would be so kind as to write step by step exactly how you measure the beans, load the grinder, grind the coffee and any variations thereof.

The mixing of all grinds resulted in much more consistency between 2 shots.

Ian: "adding a fixed 1 shot amount of coffee to a grinder".

Perhaps to my detriment this is not where I begin the measurement process. I use the PF. Fill PF, lightly tamp with the chop stick and evenly level it out at the top. I feel the quantities, shot to shot, are pretty even. Certainly a smaller variable than 40 to 50% difference is pull time would indicate. I also use the Tamper depth as a gauge. I do the same to all shots.

Do most ppl weigh the dose? Can a volume measure be used?

TIA

Without a sufficient mass of beans above the burrs to swamp popcorning, the last shot ground will be much different than the penultimate. Even though you have the same mass or volume, the quality of the grind varies markedly and a 50% drop in shot time would cause no surprise.

The two most common methods of charging a grinder here are 1 shot or ¼ to ½ pound. If the latter and if changing beans, once the coffee gets into the neck of the hopper, the remnants are ground straight into the bin.

With Max Hybrid [ weight is beans in hopper at start of grind ] and 15g dose :
with 42g : ~55ml in 30 sec (standard shot)
with 27g : ~60ml in 20 sec
with 12g : directly in the bin!

[Edit : The hopper was nearly empty. I ground a 15g dose and pulled a shot. I ground another 15g dose and pulled the 2nd shot. I then ground till the hopper was empty. That was the binned 12g. Starting with the 12g dregs, adding 15g gives 27g in the hopper at the start of shot 2. Adding another 15g gives the 42g in the hopper at the start of shot 1.]

HB-Wantabe wrote:..... Fill PF, lightly tamp with the chop stick and evenly level it out at the top. I feel the quantities, shot to shot, are pretty even. Certainly a smaller variable than 40 to 50% difference is pull time would indicate. I also use the Tamper depth as a gauge. I do the same to all shots

It varies from machine to machine, but I suggest that, after using the above method, that you lock the PF in place and then remove it to assure that the puck is not being disturbed by the shower screen. Recently I was having difficulties and did that- I found that the entire top portion of the puck was stuck to the shower screen! Decreasing my dose slightly (maybe .5 grams I guess, but I never weigh) remedied the problem and my shots immediately improved by a wide margin!

I have found, for me, the most consistent way to use the Major, with hopper and doser attached, is as follows...

Weigh out beans for 1 double shot. Add to hopper. Grind while thwacking until all beans are ground and have been thwacked into PF. WDT/Level/Tamp/Lock&Load.

Making another shot/drink? Do it again.

If I weigh out the amount of 2 double shots, add them to the hopper, and EITHER, grind it all, dose PF, pull shot, dose again, pull again.. I get very different pulls. If I grind what I think is enough to one shot, pull that, then grind the rest..forget it.. I couldnt repeat the doses using this method if I wanted to

Conclusion? Grind per shot, only adding what you need to the grinder for that shot. If you want two shots, start the process over. For me.. this is the most consistent and easiest to repeat way of pulling shots of lovely espresso.

Try it out.. of course.. YMMV

Jeff