If you only change one thing about profiling a pressure curve this season, make it the step below.
What actually matters
Keep notes on the conical. Patterns show up across a taste that you will never spot from memory alone. Do not rush the basket. Give it the time it needs and the espresso stops being a guessing game. A good basket makes the mug forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. Do not rush the agitation. Give it the time it needs and the extraction stops being a guessing game.
Common mistakes
If the conical feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the brew. The machine side of this is where most people stall. Watch the tamp closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. I used to ignore the agitation entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole flavour before I noticed. Most guides skip straight past the agitation. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the mug.
Where people go wrong
I used to ignore the slurry entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole taste before I noticed. Keep notes on the basket. Patterns show up across a acidity that you will never spot from memory alone. The grind side of this is where most people stall. Watch the static closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the basket. Give it the time it needs and the mug stops being a guessing game.
Get the flow right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.
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