That move towards minimalism keeps showing up everywhere. My friend just redid her whole apartment in neutral tones, saying busy decor made her anxious. Even in music, some of the most powerful songs have really simple, clean production. You might be onto something bigger than just fashion.

Yeah after I nearly seasoned a salad with wood filler at my uncle's shop, I started putting everything in clear deli containers with big labels. Sounds extra but it beats having plywood flavored potato salad again.

Dealt with the exact same thing on my home set up. Was convinced my grinder was off until I found little white flakes in the portafilter. @michaelw75 talks about technique, and yeah that matters, but scale can TOTALLY mess with your water flow and temperature. A full descale fixed my sour shots overnight. Now I check the machine before I even touch the grind settings.