Coffee Appreciation

@DethBeard - Yes! I suspect you likely need to build up more pressure. Have you tried pre-pumping? It really helps. With pre-pumping, I get a lovely thick crema. Without, I get a crema that is pretty watery and almost non existent.

1. 17.5 gram dose for me. Tamp. Have full basket
   
2. Pour boiling water about 2cm from the top
   
3. Let coffee pre-infuse for 12 seconds
   
4. Pre-pump five times. That is to say - try pumping the levers as if you were about to pull a shot but then pull them back up and repeat. The increased pressure is absolutely noticeable.
   
5. Pull 35 gram shot (2:1 ratio) in about 30 seconds total
   
   

Give that a go and lemme know how you get on. This is assuming you're using good, freshly ground coffee.