that was a really fun "guest" shift!
busy, nice people, good espresso... very fun indeed.
i played around more with the Doma Harar. i made a little "specialty drink" that combines a near-ristretto double shot of the Harar with some very stretched milk and a tiny amount of caramel in a demitasse - dusted with a small amount of bittersweet powdered chocolate. super tasty! and that's from me - the guy who doesn't like specialty drinks!
also - playing with the naked portafilter more has made me realize that there is a clear "hierarchy" of portafilter baskets. the "ridgeless" double basket is far and away the most forgiving and consistent to use. it rarely (if ever) channels, shots are easy to pull... nice. the OEM ridged basket and the triple basket are about neck and neck in terms of ease of use. the OEM single basket is just a nightmare. it's possible to pull a decent, non-channeling, shot - but the window is so so so narrow.
on a related note... the "stockfleth move" distribution technique is proving to be a serious success. testing with the naked portafilter has revealed this.

finally... i'm off to Portland (again) tomorrow.
i'm really excited - it should be a ton of fun. good coffee, good food, good beer... good people!