The Best Pull I've Ever Had

I picked up some Stumptown Hairbender espresso beans from 4 Barrel to try out in my machine today. I've had inconsistent results from other beans in my Rancilio Silvia machine and Acaso Innova grinder. Trieste beans have been the most consistent, but they're somewhat bitter. At least I can get crema out of them most every pull. Blue Bottle is OK, but I find that I have to constantly adjust the grind...and they too turn out bitter. Ritual beans haven't given me any luck.

The minute I pulled my first shots of the Hairbender today I knew I had something special. Without adjusting the grind at all, I had a very long pull of crema...from start until finish. It never even started blonding, even after 17 seconds or so. The first taste wasn't bitter at all, so I decided to make a cappucino. For the first time, I didn't even have to add sweetener to drink one of my own caps. Incredible :)

Next up: I've ordered a bottomless portafilter for my Silvia. I saw them in use at 4 Barrel, and have been wanting to try one. Can't wait for the UPS guy to show up...