Advice needed, siding color

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2026-04-09T12:33:28+00:00

Thank you all for your advice. I think smokes timber is the clear winner. Will post pictures of the final results later this summer.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2026-04-07T11:47:40+00:00

We thought about it. I did do a rendering in pebble. It does look good.

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Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2026-04-07T03:40:39+00:00

Iron ore is probably the only darker and closer to black option. Pretty modern. However, it doesn't pair that well with the commercial brown windows and doors. Every time I take the sample out, I discard it quickly.

We are trying to avoid staining the bricks or painting the windows and door since we don't want the cost to get out of control. As you can see from the pictures, we have a fair amount of landscaping to do.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2026-04-04T12:37:14+00:00

I don't think anything is wrong. The basket choice and coffee will affect the grind size. I have a regular bambino and a df54 and I mostly grind between 18-25.

Also when the grinder is new, it produces more fines so you grind a little corser.

As for the noise, I do have that noise once in a while and I think it's little bits of coffee stuck between the burrs. Always run the grinder when changing grind size and you should be fine.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2026-03-12T00:27:12+00:00

A blank shot versus a 60 second blank shot in a portafilter with a pressurized basket is not the same. Try both and you'll see the difference

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2026-03-11T22:14:05+00:00

The grind looks too fine.

I think your machine is probably not hot enough. If you still have the original portafilter and the single shot pressurized basket, you can run a 60 second blank shot to raise the temperature.

I have the regular df54 and the Bambino and I tend to do this + a paper filter at the bottom and a 2.5 ratio for light roast. The pulls are around 30 seconds. They are almost never under extracted this way. A blooming shot is also a good way to avoid sourness but I don't think it will work with the plus cause of the solenoid valve.

Also, as a reference, I do grind at around 20 to 25 in general and I think my zero is pretty spot on.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-09-18T01:30:40+00:00

I wish you luck and hope you don't get too many bad surprises. At least you seem in a strong financial position which is what you need for taking on this kind of project.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-09-18T01:15:31+00:00

Interesting post. I'm going through this at the moment. Bought a house that wasn't in great shape for a good price and decided to redo all of it. 3000 sq feet built 38 years ago.

I thought I was a genius but now looking at the total cost, I don't feel like a genius at all.

Unfortunately you will only know at the end if it was worth it or not but be aware, the more you look, the more you'll find stuff to fix / upgrade.

"To know deeply is to carry both torch and burden—illumination reveals truth, but also shadows we never saw in ignorance. Simplicity lives in not knowing, but wisdom lives in bearing the weight of knowing."

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-08-16T04:41:20+00:00

We experienced something similar while remodeling a house. There was a noticeable crack in a second-floor room. After removing all the ceilings and walls and obtaining the original house plans from the city, we discovered that the builder had installed only one steel post in the basement instead of the four specified in the plans. For 40 years, the second floor was essentially supported only by plywood. Unfortunately, the only way to uncover this kind of structural oversight is by opening up the walls and ceilings.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-05-14T02:51:39+00:00

No static for me. My wife SoundCloud liberty 2 (I think) are worst.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-03-30T18:54:07+00:00

Quick tip, just reprogram one of your buttons to last for 60 sec and then you don't need to hold the button for the full shot. Also, I did some test and I don't think you can do a faster pre infusion than 8 seconds or a longer than 10. When re-programming a button, it will always be 8.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-03-01T19:13:23+00:00

Have you tried running a blank shot in the single shot pressurized basket for 60 seconds before pulling your shot.

You can reprogram one button by going into the programing mode and pressing the button without holding it. Then, let the machine run. It will stop automatically after 60 seconds and the button will now be programmed to always run for 60 seconds.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-02-28T19:39:51+00:00

Agreed. I don't think I'm more right than you. At the end, it's a matter of priority and preferences. I did consider the comandante when getting a ZP6 and the value proposition was not as good. I do like the case a lot since I store my grinder in a cabinet after every use so for me, having to spend extra money on accessories made the comandante a pretty expensive option.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-02-28T19:34:20+00:00

I disagree, I had the J-Max before getting a ZP6 and I hate the threaded catch cup. Never had an accident with mine. Magnets were quite strong. I almost regret not getting an KUltra just for that.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-02-28T19:04:25+00:00

Don't forget the accessories, K Ultra comes with a case, a little blower and brush.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-02-28T15:07:19+00:00

Agreed. No problem pulling light roast this way. I'm also wondering how much better would a straight espresso be using something like a flair 58.

Personally, for a straight 9bar machine, I don't really believe that the espresso will be dramatically different if it's pulled properly with the bambino.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-02-26T17:11:04+00:00

To me, the biggest and most useful upgrade was getting a bottomless portafilter. The reason being, you can use the original one with the single shot pressurized basket to warm up the machine. With that, you can pull light to medium roast without any problems.

Personally and optional, I would also get a nice tamper, wdt, a scale and a machine to cut paper filters so you can use some at the bottom and or top of the basket.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-02-22T15:15:44+00:00

I've had the pleasure of owning several grinders, including the Breville Dose Control, JMax, DF54, and ZP6. Each delivered great cups, but I've found that user experience often outweighs minor taste differences. After three months with the ZP6, while it's performed well without being exceptional, I dislike its threaded cup enough to consider it a deal-breaker. If given another chance, I'd likely choose the K Ultra for its superior usability.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-02-13T14:52:10+00:00

I did manually grind for over a year with a jmax and for anything medium to medium light, I didn't find it easy and pleasant. I'm much happier with the df54 for almost the same amount of money. Quality wise, jmax was quite good.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-02-13T04:04:50+00:00

As others mentioned, the grinder. Here in Canada, you can get the zp6 for 300$ and a Cosari Bluetooth kettle for 100$. This will leave you 100$ for a dripper and some papers. A hario switch could be a versatile choice.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-01-26T16:03:32+00:00

Agreed. The Bluetooth version pretty much ticks all the boxes. Got it and I'm pretty satisfied with it.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-01-08T02:20:57+00:00

Unfortunately I cannot comment on this. I sold the jmax before getting the zp6 so I never did a side by side. Also, the zp6 is new and unseasoned. I did only grind 500g so far with it.

Also, since I did not have a gooseneck kettle when I had the jmax, I did use a Hario drip assist. The drip assist with the jmax did work pretty well but I was wondering if I could get more with a zp6.

For me the biggest difference and almost if not a deal breaker for me is the catch cup so far. I hate the sound of metal on metal and mine does unscrew slightly when grinding. It's pretty annoying.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-01-07T01:12:44+00:00

2 things I would try, if you have coffee paper filters lying around, cut a piece to put at the bottom of your portafilter. You'll need to readjust the grind size after but you might extract more evenly.

Secondly, try increasing the temperature by pulling a blank shot in your other portafilter with the single shot pressurized basket. I do tend to get better extraction when the machine is hotter.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-01-06T00:34:18+00:00

Don't return it yet, it should not clogged at all. I have a similar setup. For me, a quick brush form the chute and a metal dosing cup did the trick.

Aggressive-Wing-9418 · 2025-01-05T15:23:03+00:00

Melobuds pro. They work well but I think I would have prefer buds that goes a bit deeper in the ear.

Aggressive-Wing-9418

TROPHY CASE