JimmyP Exactly what I find ideal for my preference in espresso only… A dialed in Silvia Pro, recently did a pump swap so I can push extractions into the 90+ second range if I choose. Grinder is a Baratza Forte AP as I find the ceramics in this dialed in little beast to give superior grind quality/fines that just beat anything else I’ve used to this point. Over the yrs I’ve had various machines and grinders (flat and conical) and so far nothing else has matched this setup for taste and especially texture that I prefer. My preference is what I term insanely restricted extractions as in averaging using 20 grams of coffee depending on fineness/density, ending up with ⅔ of an oz in the demitasse. Restricted to the point of not seeing the 1st drop until upwards of 30 seconds and then push the extraction another 30-45 seconds. Melted honey butter sums up the viscosity and just outstanding taste/smoothness most of the time. Of course not all coffees will excel at this point. I also strongly prefer dry process (natural) over any other process method, mainly Yemen/Brazil offerings and take pretty much every coffee to a full city range.
Having a very capable setup my focus for some time has been on green selection/roast development as I can get exactly what I want in the demitasse by tweaking those variables. That can’t be done if you’re stuck buying roasted coffee regardless of changes made.
We all have varying experience, expectations, etc. and I will honestly say I’m missing out on nothing as I get exactly what I like with my daily fix. Been at this a fair number of years and estimate I’ve consumed upwards of 30K extractions so yeah I definitely know precisely what I want and how to achieve that. I don’t buy into palate improvement, cupping, what have you. Those that think their palate needs ‘training’ needs to figure out what THEY like in taste/aroma, not what others prefer as taste will always be subjective regardless of the spin some wanna put on it. IMBHO cupping is a waste of coffee to begin with unless you’re a commercial roaster with paying customers depending on it. Trying to cup specifically for espresso is a joke as that will never duplicate the changes in coffee/pressure being applied a week or more post roast.