Leopard spots!

I just made this shot, a single pull:

The spots, the gradations in colour and mottling? Those are all good things. Things I generally haven’t seen (or maybe not been able to accomplish) with my Elektra. I made this with the Big Mountain Yirgacheffe that I discussed earlier. I ground as per usual (6 clicks above “zero” on my Rocky- “zero,” or the point at which the burrs touch, is actually 2 on this one), but I followed some advice on home-barista and didn’t pack as much coffee in the portafilter, so I had more “headspace” above the grounds than I normally do. I’m going to try to emulate this practice from now on.

Incidentally, further to the “Ethiopian” post: The Abeba was not as good as my first impressions suggested. What I was drinking, then, was actually the Abeba mixed with a few beans still in the hopper from the previous pound of Hines espresso blend. Once I got to drinking the Abeba straight, I found it harsh- bright and almost sour, and even though those beans were incredibly fresh, it had a stale edge to it, like I associate with old, old “Italian” espresso. I can’t help but wonder if it’s the roast. It was the lightest one I’ve used in this machine. The Sidamos I’ve loved and this Yirg were all full city or even “Viennese” roasts, and that might be part of the answer. More to come.