OP:  Just a couple of things to bear in mind

The burs in your new grinder will take a little while to “season”.  I’m conscious of the derision that’s coming my way – but it’s a real thing.  It can take a few kg for things to settle down, and the flavors become a bit more consistent.  I had this down as bullshit when I first heard it – but when I got my new grinder, it was all over the place at first.

You’ve bought a flat burr grinder.  The consensus is that conical grinders may be better at dark and medium/dark roasts – but bottom line…. it’s going to taste different.  Flat burr grinders are also harder to dial in than conical – they are less forgiving/have a much narrower window of “good”.

Can’t win with you miserable buggers on here.

Came in ahead of schedule and under-budget – no major SNAFUs.

Seemed like nice people – the chap was a bit too fond of the corporate jargon, but didn’t find him as triggering as some of the absolute roasters they have on.

I quite liked the house – even the corten looked ok (on the outside) – not a fan of the decoration, but I quite liked the design.  My only critisism is that the brickwork on the front should have been a bit more interesting – a few more buttresses or details around the windows, it just looked too much like a estate new-build.

I thought the garden looked great in the renderings – even the giant pagoda.  Once it’s all planted-out it’ll look good I think.

Proof that a well managed build doesn’t make a great episode.

The Ig Nobel for medicine this year showed that side effects improve the placebo response even more. Maybe cable sticker shock price is the side effect akin to that pain study!

makes perfect sense….. ‘if I’m getting all these side effects, it must be doing something, right?!?!”

Just like:  “this cable must be great, look at it’s girth, and the price!  It wouldn’t be so expensive if it wasn’t better that these cheapo ones”

LOOK AT THE G I R T H !!

@batfink the reason for having placebo is that it does not work. It does however make it possible to measure the variability of the ‘no treatment’ influences [edit- on the endpoint measure(s)] to which all participants are exposed to varying degrees. this is composed of many variables. This may be what you meant with the shorthand ‘placebo effect’. I expect it is what many folks mean. Well, until an RCT shows that their putative drug has limited effect in the study. Then they start believing that filler or vehicle has a mysterious and variable benefit.

My, harsh, conclusion when folks claim that ‘the placebo effect was strong in our study’ is not that, say, steroids as standard care were unusually efficacious or that the placebo was remarkably effective but just that the control arm did OK. If this is in line with past variability measures of standard care then the conclusion that the investigational product is not a drug is just that bit easier.

There are plenty of clinical applications where there is a very real placebo effect – particularly in patient reported outcomes, which is essentially what we are talking about here:  an entirely subjective and unvalidated measure of sound quality….. in which placebo absolutely will work.  Thats the point – it’s not objectively doing anything – but it’s having the desired effect on the subject (ie:  it’s “working”).

There’s a whole “audiophile” industry built on it.  “buy these reassuringly expensive magic beans sir – of course they work, look at all the acronyms and waffle we’ve used, observe the awards that we’ve paid magazines to give us – and they wouldn’t be so expensive if they didn’t work!”.  It’s the equivalent of giving a patient a laser-guided injection using a gold-plated syringe, after promising them that this cutting edge new drug is going to definitely make them feel better, but in really vague, immeasurable ways.

But the good news is that nobody’s getting hurt if it doesn’t work – just a few pseudonerds(tm) getting ripped-off.  Does it sounds better?  If you think it does, then it does – if you think it doesn’t, then it doesn’t.

A blinded trial…. no, I don’t think anyone wants that – leave the pseudonerds their hobby.

I run enormous experiments of new drugs vs placebo.

We spend a lot of time blinding our experiments, because placebo works.

Does it matter if it’s objectively better?  It’s subjectively better – but if you are the subject, then it’s better…. right?

just keep the cable, you know you want to

Swifties are old enough.

“45% are millennials, 23% are baby boomers, 21% are Generation X, and 11% are Generation Z.” Wiki

Yeah – the fact that she’s encouraging people to vote alongside her endorsement is hugely powerful.

The debate wasn’t particularly meaningful (beyond the fact that Harris did a good job compared to Biden) – but Swift’s endorsement is yuuuuge.

Kid Rock on fox news in 3….2…..1

At this point, it’s just about motivating/demotivating “your” voters to go and vote (or not).

Nobody is switching who they vote for, and I don’t believe there are any “undecideds” – it’s just about convincing people to/not-to bother.

Harris has been hugely successful in that regard – potential Dem voters who were feeling really demotivated at the prospect of voting for Biden, are now really enthusiastic at the prospect of voting for somebody else.

With Trump – I dunno.  I feel like there must be a huge number of people who would never vote democrat, but that also don’t particularly like trump – if those people can be convinced not to bother. I think it’s in the bag.

Also:  I feel like Americans view politics as some kind of wierd team sport – they want their team to win, but more precisely, they want to be on the winning team.  I know “underdog effect” is real, but if Trump looks like he’s going to lose, I think his supporters may not race to be on the losing side.

Well – sounds like you diagnosed your own problem then?

I think if you’re going to be right down that end of specialty coffee, you’re going to need a machine with better temp control.

Doesn’t make it a bad machine though, just the wrong one for you if that’s what you want to drink

My grinder is a Niche Zero and I been through every grind size from it gushing through until it chokes. Just can’t get it to make a nice espresso, there’s seemingly no sweet spot with my Duo Temp

If you can’t make a nice Espresso – then you are doing something else wrong. Grind size is usually your primary variable, but find a grind size that gives you a 2:1 ratio in 30ish seconds and then leave it there, and focus on troubleshooting everything else.

Weighing/timing:  Are you weighing timing your shots on the way out?  You need to – at least when dialling in initially.  As above, if you are using 18g in, you should aim for 36g out in 30 secs.

Beans.  Are you using supermarket beans or something freshly roasted? 2-6 weeks is optimal.  But as long as it’s reasonably fresh it should be fine.

Roast.  Lighter roasts are less forgiving.  I’d start out with a decent medium blend to eliminate that as a factor while to troubleshoot everything else.  Also:  some light roasts are just gross IMO – pick something middle of the road so you can tell when you get it right.

Basket.  Make sure you aren’t using the pressurised basket by mistake.  Otherwise make sure you are using the right dose for the basket size.

Puck prep.  You need to be doing this well/consistently to eliminate variability – otherwise your shot time will be all over the place, and you won’t be able to dial in you grind.  Distribute the grinds in the portafilter with a WDT tool or straightened paperclip, then tamp level and with a consistent pressure.

Having just written all that – found a video using your exact combo of machines:

I don’t know what those machines are like, but you have to be a bit careful descaling as the newly mobile chunks of scale can clog up things – and I’d be a bit wary on a machine that I couldn’t strip-down.

however, I’m sure sage have a descaling procedure which minimises the chances of that – so I’d be following that to the letter

^ agreed.  Although, if you’re not careful, you can go way beyond the point of diminishing returns for faffing-about.  I have learned I have a relatively low tolerance for unnecessary complexity.

Having tried just about all the coffee roasters in Sydney, and most of the ones in Melbourne too – I now use the same beans 90% the time.

Dose and brew ratio stay the same, I adjust the grind by maybe +/- 5 mm on the adjuster ring, depending on the age of the beans.

I single dose (niche zero), but it annoys me that I have to weigh out the bean in advance into those little tube things.  As soon as we see some decent grind-by-weight options for home users – I will be getting on of those (in the spirit of eliminating faff).  I used to have a time-based grinder, but it was so variable, that the coffee went from great to crap, depending on how full the hopper was.

Otherwise, the only bit of faffing that I won’t skip is puck prep (WDT to be precise).

To be honest – if you swapped my machine for a bambino, the coffee would probably still be just as good.  The milk steaming, probably not.  Otherwise, it’s just about longevity/serviceability and resale value.

Yeah – fast start-up seems to be the new thing.  Doesn’t bother me as I wfh anyway.

I’m a big fan of the bambino… I think you’d have to spend quite a lot more to get something objectively better.

Let’s not mention grinders :)

Lighted roasted coffee when used with the Sage is sour and under-extracted.

That’s down to the grind not the Sage surely? If it’s sour, grind finer.

Could also be temperature – lighter roasts need higher temps to properly extract.

In the spirit of recommending what you have:  Lelit Mara X.  Excellent little machine.

Take a look at https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/marketplace/ some real bargains to be had, and plenty of the sort of thing you are looking at.

Personally, I find working with higher quality tools more satisfying.  I’m prepared to accept that maybe I’m wierd – but having tried my hand at most things…. Using good quality tools just makes building/fixing/assembling stuff much more enjoyable.

if I’m planning a job and need a new tool – I might buy a cheapo version of it if I’m only going to use it once or twice, but I only need a paper-thin justification to buy a decent (usually German) version.

Justifying buying a decent quality tool, is kind of motivation for doing the job myself.

Yeah – having used a new Classic, I was disappointed by the build quality, and for what’s billed as a “proper” espresso machine, it felt like a toy.

I’m not a fan of the Silvia’s looks at all, but they certainly feel more solid.

For what you are describing, I think the bambino is the best option.  Lance is a bit (super?) annoying, but his review is certainly comprehensive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2TNEhrBU5Q

 just the backdrop to three ageing,  middle class men with doomed aspirations of coolness squabbling endlessly about pretty much everything. Which will be why so many on here love it so much.

Savage…. just savage :)

Just been to the local Cafe – the Australian womens “breaking” (not sure why we aren’t calling this breakdancing anymore? or if it’s different?) was a wonderfully unifying topic of conversation.

Consensus was:

1.  WTAF was THAT?

2.  Poor woman.  She’s being mocked globally – hope she’s ok.

3.  How did that happen?  We MUST have some Breaking talent in Australia, how did we end up selecting somebody with a PHd in it…. but that can’t actually do it?  Feels like a 99th hour “do we have somebody for this?”, “google says there’s somebody from Macquarie Uni with a PHd in it….. let just ask her if she can come and have a crack”

Remarkable scenes

As for Milwaukee, i know nothing about the brand other than it has  good reputation in the US, but Americans seem to prefer to buy American made whether its good or bad, just so long as it is American

I always find this amusing.  You are 100% correct in how Americans view Milwaukee…… but the irony is that Milwaukee isn’t even an American brand any more.  They sold the name a while ago to TTI (based in HK I think).  The even more massive irony is that the US Milwaukee fanatics are exactly the same people slagging off Ryobi….. which is owned by the same company, and shares a lot of the same DNA as it’s more expensive cousin.

I mostly have Makita, some cordless, but mostly corded (for longevity).  I use my biscuit jointer etc so infrequently that it’s never going to wear-out….. and I don’t want to need it in 8-10 years time to find that the battery platform has been “obsoleted”.  Less of an issue these days with battery adapters I suppose, but it’s also possible to pick up second hand corded tools for peanuts – so it’s an economical way to build a great tool collection.

I also have a few bits of cordless – ryobi kit:  A couple of LED lamps, inflator (both LVHP and LPHV), glue gun, leaf blower etc – absolutely fine.  One-up from the supermarket own brands I would say, but only a fraction more expensive.  If you are only doing DIY, I think they are probably the sweet spot for most people (which is of course exactly the market segment they have targeted)

“I see you know your judo well” gets dropped fairly regularly in our house.

If I hear one more idiot bleating on about “uncontrolled immigration” I’m going to lose my shit.  NOBODY IS ADVOCATING FOR UNCONTROLLED IMMIGRATION!  Same with “stop the boats!” anyone think that we shouldn’t be doing that as a priority?  It’s literally in the new government’s manifesto.

What’s happening are not “anti-immigration” protests or demonstrations….. these are racist/xenophobic riots.  There is no more a connection to immigration as there is to the terrible Southport incident – it’s just idiots allowing themselves to be manipulated by people with an agenda (often one purely based on enriching themselves).

Anyone throwing a rock/punch should be getting a knock on the door and a court appearance, and at least community service.  Those doing the coordination/leading should be getting custodial sentences for sure.  Those at the top should be getting prosecuted for inciting racial hatred – including a few MPs/their wives.

Farage’s Trumpian “some people are saying” schtick needs to be put an end to – his intent is clear.

Pretty sure telegram isnt end to end encrypted, the poor little flowers

Yes….. it seems pretty trivial to identify and round-up the people coordinating the violence – but I wonder if the EDL and it’s various offshoots being declared a proscribed terrorist organization would change the terms of engagement for GCHQ?   I’m sure these days it’s the work of an afternoon – particularly as these people don’t seem to be criminal masterminds.

I did history GCSE, but I honestly thought that some of this was pre-GCSE?  Maybe I’m misremembering?  It was 30+ years ago

I  see hopeful signs that Harris will be able to mobilise and motivate sections of the electorate that were unlikely to vote.  The young, BAME and women

That can only be good and we have to hope its enough

Agree – but she is not winning-over these voters from Trump – they are potential Democrat voters, waiting for somebody to convince them to actually cast their vote.  Hopefully Harris is the person who will get them to do that, where biden clearly wasn’t

Christ on a **** ing bike! – just seen a clip of Trump being interviewed by the National Association of Black Journalists…… his most appalling performance to date (in my opinion) by some margin.  Toe-curlingly cringeworthy.

I literally didn’t.

Interesting – I asked my wife about this, and she didn’t learn any 20th century history either (“something about a seed drill?”).  I assumed it was part of the national curriculum – obviously not.  Would certainly explain why people aren’t making the obvious connections.

I’m fairly sure that going around a city center in summer wearing a balaclava, would give the police sufficient grounds to stop an search you on the basis that you are in possession of “something which could be used to commit a crime”.  Seems reasonable to me that (because of the prevalence of CCTV) a face covering is now essential for criminals engaged in street crime.

I know that abuse of stop-and-search by police has been a big issue, but I would have little sympathy with people complaining that they are being repeatedly stopped and searched, “just because” they are wearing a balaclava (or similar).

People are 100% free to dress up like they are about to mug a granny, but equally should accept that in doing so, you are going to get treated like somebody who’s just about to mug a granny.  Not arrested….. but certainly searched.  See also:  walking around a housing estate at 2am carrying a stepladder and a crowbar.  Of course that’s not illegal, but the public would (and should) demand that the police have sufficient powers to make sure that person isn’t about to embark on a crime spree.

mugsys_m8Free Member
So freedom, but not freedom to do x. Doesn’t sound like freedom to me. It’s a fairly absolute thing freedom.

I would refer you back to pre-GCSE civics, but from your later posts I’m not convinced that you’re not absolutely hammered.

This is the way of right-wing populism.

The playbook was written a long time ago, and the thugs all seem to be from the same mold.

The people smashing mosque windows would have been out in 1930s Germany doing the same to synagogues.

This demographic has always existed, and are just a blunt weapon being wielded/manipulated by populist leaders, who incite the violence that they then use to justify/amplify their position.

Social media is a new tool that they are using….. it’s just making it easier to do the above.

In Europe, we need to be better at educating people about what path these politicians/leaders are trying to lead us down, and where it ends.  We literally all learned about it at school, but it needs spelling out constantly, and more starkly.  I am aware that there has been criticism of Jewish leaders for frequently referencing the Holocaust – but recently I have become more convinced that people do constantly need reminding about it.

There is absolutely no overlap between the “could vote for Trump” and the “could vote for Harris” demographics.

Really, what this is about is motivating the most “could vote for Harris” people to actually bother to vote (ie: not abstain), and similarly demotivating the “could vote for trump” to actually get out and do so.

It’s about motivating your respective potential voter pool, and converting that into votes – not increasing the size of the pool.

It feels like potential democrat voters are feeling good about voting for Harris – in a way they weren’t about the prospect of voting for Biden.  However, I feel like “voting enthusiasm” within Trump’s voter pool might be waning.

My observation is that many Americans just want to be on the “winning team”.  If they feel like Trump/Harris might not win – then I think they’ll stop voting for them, to avoid feeling like they “personally” lost.  Like avoiding buying a ticket to see a game you think your team is going to lose….. you don’t want to be walking home from the stadium feeling like a loser.

I think that attitude applies to both parties…. but is probably much more prevalent in potential Trump voters who (I’m just going to say it) are by-and large less intelligent than their counterparts.

“The general public” are **** ing dense, regardless of race or nationality.

Unfortunately, populists like trump and Farrage have learned how to weaponise our collective stupidity for their own ends.

I think it’s just about giving the people in the center-third a democrat who they feel they can vote for, against Trump.  It looked like Biden until he started dropping the ball a few weeks ago.

Biden was perfect for this the first time around because he was just an old white man, with loads of experience, about whom nobody really had any strong opinions – and that allowed people to vote against trump.  If they had stood-up Bernie Sanders or AOC, you would have seen the “Corbyn effect”, with people in the center third scared-away.

Gavin Newsom is too easy a target because of the nations perception of what’s going on in California, Buttigieg would be excellent (I think) but for obvious reasons I think is a non-starter.  Harris is interesting, because (as far as I can tell) she hasn’t really said or done anything of any great significance….. but yet people seem to have strong feelings about her (I wonder why that is).

Personally, I think they should stand-up that Astronaut chap NickC mentioned in the pervious page – it’s only really his firearms activism thats going to cause a problem in some states – but viewed as massively positive in others.  Mostly though – he’s a moderate republican’s wet-dream.

extraordinary scenes in Birmingham

Pretty sure it’s the only place i’ve ever seen teaspoons chained to the table of cafes.

Lol!

I think they are now going to become a a byword for racism and bigotry – maybe that will result in more tourists?

Coffey in the HoL is a motherflipping outrage

People have had enough of clowns and entertainers.

Agree. Hopefully this is the final hurrah for interesting politics…. lets have a return to boring please.

Flat white for me (22g in 44g out, for the coffee nerds)

Might pop out for a bacon and egg roll…..

Is there anywhere tracking actual results vs exit poll? Ie: so we can see in real time whether each result is in-line with the exit poll?

Southern Hemisphere checking in…. what’d I miss?

I’m not in favour of mandatory voting – if you can’t be bothered to vote, chances are that you are not really engaged with what’s going on, and you are susceptible to very simplistic arguments/slogans. That’s how Brexit happened: Large numbers of uniformed voters were hijacked by the leave campaign. It’s what’s happening with remain too: Much easier to just blame it on immigrants than to actually engage with the real problems/solutions.

The Olympia, how much? So out.

agree!  Wasn’t really a serious suggestion.

I have been “manual curious” – but the extra step of needing to boil the water puts me off (I recognise that isn’t logical).

that La Pavoni is gopping, and they are supposed to be terrible vs modern alternatives.  The STW manual espresso machine of choice is definitely the Olympia Cremina (sorry, can’t seem to post an image), vintage if possible.  Otherwise, londinium also have a new mini model out which is supposed to be good.

if you really want one that doesn’t heat the water, I quite like the look of the newton BRUA, or the cafelat robot (a uk company I think).  The former of which looks good, but is supposed to be a bit shit, the later looks good, is good apparently.  Neither as good as the flair though – which is supposed to be excellent, but I can’t forgive the looks.

now a Lelit Elizabeth which is probably not the ultimate endgame for me but it’ll certainly do for a long long time

I have a lelit Mara and a niche zero – which is pretty intermediate (in my mind).  I really WANT a La Marzocco (currently 15% off) or the new Decent Bengle (releasing next year) but I just can’t justify it – my current setup is so good.

Can any of them grind finely enough for good espresso?  I do follow James Hoffman and he seems to suggest that they don’t even get close.  I’ve never had espresso (good or otherwise) so I don’t really know, I just make milky coffee in mine (Magnifica) with beans from Aldi or Morrisons

i don’t want to upset anyone – I know there are lots of fans of bean-to-cup machines on here.  But no, my experience is that the quality of coffee they produce is nowhere near that of even a relatively basic/budget espresso machine.  That’s also the opinion of my wife – who is categorically not any kind of coffee snob.  We stayed with my mum for two weeks who had one: it was ok.  And that’s with decent beans etc.