Hi there..
Sorry for jumpin

I just reading a couple pages back and found really nice discussion and recommendation for coffee itself..

I want to ask, is there any coffee bean that origin from malaysia itself?
Since i am foreigner who living here i just know that malaysia famous for ipoh coffee but when try to search the bean i could found..
Is there any.?

Another one..
Is it possible for RM 1K to get proper espresso machine + grinder?? I know the question is asked all the time but really appreciate if someone can answer my question
Thanks

Famous local ROASTED coffee here is similiar to Singapore style which is the Hainanese style - dark roasted Robusta or Liberica varietal coffee which is then stirred into margarine/sugar to form shinny clumps of black gold. This is then ground and sold to our commonly found Kopitiams to be made into our classic Kopi'O drinks. So if you're looking to taste our local culture coffee - many famous brands across Malaysia but of course the "White Coffee" brand stands out, majority believe to originate from Ipoh region.

As for locally GROWN coffee, example is Muar, Johor which grows Liberica varietal beans (which locally are also referred to as Elephant beans). Also there is My Liberica company which does the full journey from growing to roasting to serving Johor Liberica varietals but without sugar/margarine additions during roasting and prepping it more similarly to current modern espresso/drip styles.
There is also an upcoming company - Sabarica located in Sabah that has brought together local coffee farmers scattered across the Mt Kinabalu region. They grow exclusively Arabica varietal and is actively still exploring new processing and bringing new varietals into Sabah.

I currently have the Sabarica grown coffee in our roastery ( both washed and honey process ). So if this is something that you would want to try, let me know!

As for your espresso machine question - sorry to say 1k won't get you anywhere worth for espresso making. More pain than gain. Just go with drip to expand your sensory until you're ready to splurge around 4k-5k for a decent proper setup

Really not much you can do here.
Temperature on a HX machine (which utilizes pressure stat to control) always has limitations. You want to get yourself onto a PID controlled machine
That said, upgrading the basket might have turned out to be a "downgrade" since the other things cannot keep up to it

my general observations...

1) maybe let your grinder settle down...dun take it apart for cleaning for a few months so the burrs can wear and realign...

2) you trying to keep yield constant 40g for the longest time, now 44g... i never do this...prefer instead to stop on "degree of blonding"...this way i "know" how much "COFFEE" has been extracted...not how much "WATER" has passed through... my coffee may end up sometimes ristretto sometimes longgo...but amount of extraction is about the same...so the taste is very consistent just sometimes more intense or diluted... running a shop is different because customer may ask or ristretto or longgo and you have to be able to adjust and deliver on the yield and taste

3) your coffee is sometimes sour sometimes bitter....so probably means is not a temperature problem per se...because cold==sour...hot==bitter...you just need to be more consistent...hard to say also if the bitterness its because of over extraction... you can do a temperature test to see how hot is your water

4) forget about studying the wet puck...puckology is useless...soggy or dry depends on many factors including types of bean and roasts levels...i got beans that always give soggy puck...1 tiny dimple does not mean channeling... clue to channeling is easy....just observe how fast the coffee comes out during the first 4-5 sec... it should just start to drip out...if you get quite a good flow you have channeling, or grind too coarse, or stale beans...

5) forget about getting a new grinder for now...

6) baskets are designed for certain range of doses...so big baskets need more coffee...
so for you to try this new 14 days...

dose as high as your basket design/allow...adjust grinder for 25-35 sec pull...learn the associated blonding color vs tastes...once you get consistent taste...then you can slowly adjust to get back the desired yield...playing with dose and grind

hope these helps and good luck

Hi dwRK, thanks for your sharing.

1. ok, will refrain from adjusting taking grinder apart from now to let it aligns itself.

2. The initial thought was dose yield ratio of 1:2. I don't see why I can't make it to 22g:40g. Yeah, why not if getting more concentrated taste if that improves the taste. Actually am opened to explore taste.

3. I can understand temperature factor to taste profile, but not practical to me yet. Can see that it fluctuates and reheats from time to time, but i haven't been able to see and control it with my Oscar. Any suggestion how i can do it? I guessed I can't use this thermometer (pic) as the sensing is just not fast enough, i reckoned. I used to use it while heating up milk back to the time I brewed with French press. 

4. Agree. Puck is the part that made me feel messy / uncomfortable, but I can still live with it and try to make it better along the way.
The first drip usually happens at about the 5-6th sec. I haven't been paying attention after that because that's the "moment" I would usually take out milk from fridge, pour into pitcher, and taste the milk with a small tea spoon (sometimes I bought spoiled lactose free milk) to get ready for milk frothing.
Will try to adjust this procedure to check on the flow of the brew.

5. Sounds good

6. This basket is meant to house 18-22g, I supposed I am putting it to its limit.

Your analysis plus the the sharing / guidance from the few other friends in the forum are quite inspiring to me. I do get a better idea and direction on what to do and what not overlook. Thank you to the all of you.

Just bought a Niche Zero white from Dankoff with 10% discount. I'm tired of cleaning the Macap M4 stepless as I only single dose. Hopefully it's latest batch with NFC disc.

Hey, I share your excitement about the new Niche Zero.
(of course, am an interested party since I am looking for upgrade)
Please share your review and experience using the new toy.
If possible, share info like what other grinders you tried / tested during the shortlisting and how different is it compared to your old grinder.
Areas that I can think of to not miss: built, sound level, grinding yield, cleanliness, ease of use, how you use it and whether with dosing cup etc.

Please also share the rationale to conclude the deal. Thanks...

wonder how much he can charge per cup? 

It's here. First time set the grind at 16 and it choke during extraction. Second try set at 19 and still a little bit too fine. Will try again tomorrow at 20 and hopefully I could extract 23g in 46g out around 30-35 seconds. The second shot I used it for Australian ice coffee.

From workflow perspective, definitely simpler for single dosing. Also compare to old Macap M4, the grind have no clumping even though I didn't RDT. Just weight, grind and flip the cup over the portafilter and give it a few tap. Then use distribution tool and tamp.

I'll compare the taste after few days later. So far no channeling and no pin hole on the puck.

May I know which Gemilai machine you're using and your thoughts on it?

Hi, does anyone know where you can get the cheapest coffee bean online? I've been buying mine at AEON for like RM20-25 per 200g but I'm wondering if I can find cheaper.
Doesn't have to be good quality as long as its drinkable. I want to do some experimenting with espresso machine settings and mixtures but I don't want to waste good coffee beans on it.

Also, anyone have a list of good coffee vendors that sells good and decently priced coffee beans? I wanna try exploring other flavours but I'm not ready to break the bank. At least not until I can make consistently good espressos.

Oh and another thing, do you guys make lattes with alternative milk? If so, any local brand recommendations?