The last 50 ml keeps ruining the cup

[Masala Soil]

Brewer and filter: Orea V4 Wide; Negotiator + Sibarist FAST flat
Grinder, burr and calibration: Timemore Sculptor 078; 078 turbo burrs; setting 8; touch point checked
Bean, roaster, process and roast date: washed Ethiopia Guji; Passenger Coffee; washed; roast date 2026-07-09
Dose and water mass: 18.0 g coffee; 300 g water
Temperature and water profile: 91°C; bottled low-mineral water, about 45 ppm TDS
Pour/agitation schedule: 63 g bloom for 40 s, then three pours; no stirring after bloom
Drawdown time: 4:10
Expected and perceived flavour: expected cocoa and red fruit; perceived cup is thin despite adequate extraction time
Changes already tested: tested one brew with remineralized water while keeping the recipe fixed

I had this working two brews ago and now I am getting the problem in the title. I wrote the numbers down because otherwise I know we will spend ten replies discovering I changed three things at once. What would you change first?

[Masala Soil]

I tested one change from the opening post and it moved the cup, but did not finish the job. Next variable: grind one small step coarser. Why: the last part of the brew may be adding dryness without useful sweetness. Expected result: less sharpness while keeping roughly the same sweetness. I will report the actual result rather than stack another change on top.

[Coffee-Kriti]

I have used washed Ethiopia Guji on the same Orea V4 Wide / Timemore Sculptor 078 combination. Change: lower water temperature by 2°C. Why: this coffee may still be releasing enough gas to disturb the early extraction. Expected result: similar total time but less stalling near the end. Keep everything else exactly where it is for one brew.

[Recipe Attic]

One variable only: change only the filter paper. Why: the present agitation can be creating fines migration and choking the bed. Expected result: similar total time but less stalling near the end. I would not buy anything until that test gives you a direction.

[Record-Courier]

Same Orea V4 Wide and grinder here, different but similarly light coffee. Change: extend the bloom by 15 seconds. Why: it changes concentration while leaving the rest of the recipe readable. Expected result: a 15–30 second faster drawdown and a cleaner finish. That should tell you whether the behaviour belongs to the setup rather than this exact bag.

[Lentil Asana]

Controlled-test suggestion: reduce the final pour by 20 g. Why: paper speed is an easy hidden variable to rule out before blaming the grinder. Expected result: less sharpness while keeping roughly the same sweetness. Do two brews if you have enough coffee, one current recipe and one changed variable, and taste them side by side as they cool.

[Garden In Order]

One variable only: remove the final swirl. Why: the current cup sounds more like excess late extraction than a lack of strength. Expected result: a flatter bed and less drying finish. I would not buy anything until that test gives you a direction.

[Coffee-Kriti]

One variable only: remove the final swirl. Why: pour rate can move drawdown even when the grind setting is identical. Expected result: a flatter bed and less drying finish. I would not buy anything until that test gives you a direction.

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