Why is this taking four minutes now?

[Marginalia]

Brewer and filter: Bialetti Moka Express 3-cup; stock metal basket
Grinder, burr and calibration: Timemore C3; S2C conical burr; 18 clicks
Bean, roaster, process and roast date: Brazil Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza; April Coffee; natural; roast date 2026-06-30
Dose and water mass: 15.0 g coffee; 232 g water
Temperature and water profile: 93°C; remineralized RO, about 60 ppm GH / 25 ppm KH
Pour/agitation schedule: single continuous main pour after a 45 s bloom; one small excavation with spoon only if dry pockets remain
Drawdown time: 2:50
Expected and perceived flavour: expected floral sweetness and clear acidity; perceived cup is flatter and drier than expected
Changes already tested: tested 2°C lower water temperature; same grind and pouring schedule

The annoying part is that the cup is not terrible, just clearly wrong in a repeatable way. I want one next experiment rather than a shopping list of fixes. If you have run Bialetti Moka Express 3-cup with something similar, I am especially interested.

[Marginalia]

I tested one change from the opening post and it moved the cup, but did not finish the job. Next variable: increase dose by 0.5 g while keeping water fixed. Why: the present agitation can be creating fines migration and choking the bed. Expected result: less sharpness while keeping roughly the same sweetness. I will report the actual result rather than stack another change on top.

[Quiet Chaplain]

I have used Brazil Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza on the same Bialetti Moka Express 3-cup / Timemore C3 combination. Change: extend the bloom by 15 seconds. Why: pour rate can move drawdown even when the grind setting is identical. Expected result: less bitterness in the last third of the cup. Keep everything else exactly where it is for one brew.

[Footwork 63]

Same Bialetti Moka Express 3-cup and grinder here, different but similarly light coffee. Change: extend the bloom by 15 seconds. Why: this coffee may still be releasing enough gas to disturb the early extraction. Expected result: less bitterness in the last third of the cup. That should tell you whether the behaviour belongs to the setup rather than this exact bag.

[Quiet Chaplain]

One variable only: grind one small step coarser. Why: the present agitation can be creating fines migration and choking the bed. Expected result: less sharpness while keeping roughly the same sweetness. I would not buy anything until that test gives you a direction.

[Coffee-Kriti]

Controlled-test suggestion: grind one small step coarser. Why: the current cup sounds more like excess late extraction than a lack of strength. Expected result: a 15–30 second faster drawdown and a cleaner finish. Do two brews if you have enough coffee, one current recipe and one changed variable, and taste them side by side as they cool.

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