Metric · Decaf Huila Pink Bourbon

Grind 28.5 repeated the same left-spout dropout seen at grind 28 — uneven flow from the start, left dripping while right flowed, evening out only at 23 seconds. The shot landed in Normal time and ratio territory, but the early channeling undermines extraction quality. The quick-fading sourness is again a promising sign that extraction potential is there, but the puck prep or grind is preventing even saturation.

33 seconds and 2.07 ratio both sit squarely in Normal range by every standard — on paper this looks fine. But the notes tell a different story: left spout dripping while right flowed freely is a textbook early channel, not a balanced extraction. Balance 2 (Sour) and the quick-fade pattern match what you saw at 28.5 before — the numbers are passable, the flow is not. This confirms the 28.5 finding: this grind is too fine for this bean at this stage, and it's producing a repeatable channeling signature on the left side specifically.

At 10 days post-roast, this EA Washed decaf is right at the edge of the peak window — flavor is developing but may still be slightly bright. The ganache and orange peel notes on this bean lean naturally toward a citrus-forward profile, so quick-fading acidity at balance 2 is not alarming — it's likely bean character, not a flaw you need to grind out. Do not chase extraction finer to fix the sourness; fix the flow first at 29, then reassess taste from a clean pull.

Your flow reading is genuinely improving — you caught the left-spout dropout, tracked when it evened out, and correlated it to the grind. That's the right diagnostic instinct. Now trust what the data is telling you: 28 and 28.5 are off the table on this bean.