Cuprajake @DavecUK will know, years ago didnt the get a bunch of coffee guys together to blind test and they couldnt tell the difference between flat/conical.
Proper testing has been done and yes in general it can be inconclusiveā¦like everything thoughā¦.it depends
I had a coffee where as an Americano made from a conical from an Espresso machine it was greatā¦but then I tried it on a big flat as a pourover using an open cone and number2 filter ā¦it blew me away. Grabbed the big flat and dialed in for espressoā¦.was good, but not as good as the pourover.
The same for espressos and americanosā¦some made with a conical are better than a flat and some made with a flat are better than a conicalā¦.this was down to the particular coffee (not roast level, because I have had this with light and dark coffees). The truth of it is, it depends on the coffee and then the prep method that complements itā¦.isn't just the same cookie cutter setup..
The problem comes with discovering what's right for a particular coffee, flat, conical, brew temp, pressureā¦I've often found a healthy slice of luck is involved, as there's so many variables. The ideal really is to have a flat and a conical. With flats one thing is very important. Over my years of testing I have found espresso specific or filter specific burrs are optimal, depending on the type of coffee you are making. People may disagree but for a big flat, there might be a do it all burr, but it won't be as good as the specific burrs for the job at hand.
