Dark Matter Coffee · Unicorn Blood Espresso Blend

Shot 77 — ristretto pull at grind 40, 17.4g adjusted dose, 28.5g yield in 21 seconds. Hit your ristretto target (26.1g target, landed 2.4g over). Balance was slightly sour (3) with a quick-fading acidity and a step down in quality from this morning's 5-star shot. The very long drip lag you noted is the Bambino doing its thing — completely normal, ignore it.

Time at 21s is Fast and technically outside the Normal range, but this is consistent with your ristretto pattern on this bean — the last two ristretto pulls on Unicorn Blood were also 21s and 23s at grind 40, both rating 4–5 stars. The ratio of 1.64 classifies as Short rather than Ristretto, but with the 10g lag accounted for, your in-cup yield landed right where it should. The slight sourness (balance 3) matches what you noted — acidity that didn't linger, which on this washed Honduras/Guatemala blend is bean character, not an extraction fault. What's worth examining is the right spout instability mid-shot: a brief fast-drip period on the right before it destabilized. This is the same pattern you've seen before on this bean when WDT distribution gets uneven. No other red flags in the numbers.

Unicorn Blood is 31 days off roast — still in excellent shape for a medium-dark washed blend. The slight sourness you tasted is consistent with the bean's berry and bright chocolate character; it resolved quickly, which confirms extraction is on point. Nothing here points to staleness or a freshness issue.

Two ristretto pulls in one session — morning shot was the cleaner execution (5 stars, balance 4, even flow throughout). This afternoon's shot showed the familiar right-spout flutter, suggesting WDT consistency is the remaining variable to nail down for back-to-back 5-star results.