you’d think so … but that only heightened the problem for me. this is most likely because the “astringency” was more a problem of sours, at least in my own experience.

>I have never tasted an espresso that was pleasant at 204F measured at the group head, especially a coffee roasted for drip which would pull at a much lower temp than even 198F.

nor have i. although this coffee was NOT roasted for drip. rich’s (intelly-roasted) batch may have been. i did my own roasting.

> Most of the pundits decrying the SO is lacking are pulling either too high, incorrect dose, or just want something else but won’t admit it.

i agree. although in this case the need for a very high brew temp was rather startling.

I have never tasted an espresso that was pleasant at 204F measured at the group head, especially a coffee roasted for drip which would pull at a much lower temp than even 198F.

Most of the pundits decrying the SO is lacking are pulling either too high, incorrect dose, or just want something else but won’t admit it.

rich: the lozenge scrub was basically across a large spectrum of coooler temperatures (not that i tested that posit all THAT rigorously, since i had no inclination to waste shots. in fact, i think i drank every drop of ez we brewed — inlcuding the cupping liquid.).

actually, i’m not sure if i’ve ever found a coffee that brewed ideally at 204, which may somehow say to some people that the ez is not espresso-ideal. but i don’t think so.

Never let it be said that you’re a man who does not keep his word.

So, it was the 204. Interesting you got the lozenge at 198. We were at ~201. But that may play into Jaime’s point that the roast was designed for press.

Nevertheless, happy it worked for you. Meantime, we’ll limit our CoE experiments to those beans cost us less than $20/lb!

Cheers.

i haven’t been informed of this, though i’ve heard talk of it elsewhere. i’ve linked to coffeed on the right for months.

Thought you weren’t supposed to link coffeed though?
Guess it doesn’t really matter now it’s invite only, pity Alistair changed that before I could join