H10B

One con of the 9B might be that you can’t control much especially temperature-wise beyond puck prep to figure out if you’re getting the best shot. You can spend less on a well-reviewed budget espresso machine like the Hibrew H10B with adjustable features like temp & how long pre-infusion should be e

Yes, that’s understandable when people are new to espresso. But the grinder makes or breaks the taste of the coffee. Uniformity and consistency of the grounds dictates repeatabilty and predictability of the shots. Most people set bigger budget on a grinder, than on the espresso machine. But if you i

Your machine is a hibrew h10b. Are you using it with the pressurized basket? I'm guessing not, but that would make all the difference between fast and slow shots. That machine is also 51mm, so you'll have thicker pucks - more resistance, can grind coarser. So if you grind at 1 and that's 15 clicks,