Yeah, the mirror clean thing is key... but honestly, what finally clicked for me was getting the heat way more even. I used to just shove it in the fire and hope, but now I really watch the colors and rotate it slow so the whole scarf soaks up the same orange. If one spot is cooler, that's where the slag hides. A good soak in even heat, then a solid hit right away, fixed most of my pockets.

Honestly, focusing so much on "28 seconds" is where people go wrong. I used to chase that perfect time and it made every shot stressful. The best change I made was ignoring the clock and just watching the flow, pulling the shot based on how it looks. Sometimes a great shot runs fast, sometimes slow, depending on the beans. Getting stuck on one number like that can make you mess up a good thing.

Maybe he was trying to make a soot angel.

Yeah, I always check the easiest stuff first now. Saved me hours last week when my monitor just wasn't plugged in all the way.

Lol tell me about it. I swear every new self-care trend is just the same old advice with a fancy name. Like "digital minimalism" is just turning off your phone, and "mindful movement" is what we used to call a walk. Feels like they're just selling us back our own common sense.