I am giving the Aiden 4 stars in the hopes that my relationship with this coffee machine is progressing in a positive direction. It is a nice looking brewer, quiet, and mechanically easy to use. I really like how it calculates the grams of beans per ml of water based on the brew ratio you input. I like how easy it is to pick a range of batch sizes. As a person who has not been doing pour overs at home, but really likes a good cup of coffee, I am finding that having the ability to adjust ratios, temperatures, bloom times, and pulses is really important to get the best from different coffee beans. Of course, that means each bean really needs Aiden optimization and takes some commitment to get the best from it. I had high expectations but admittedly am a novice at tweaking so many possible variables. My first week using both a new Aiden and new Opus grinder together was a disaster. The Aiden's stock guided brew recipes did not help the dark roast Chiapas beans that I had on hand. The learning curve for the Opus grinder and Aiden combination was steep. Just adjusting the grind size inside the suggested ranges for a dark roast (or a medium roast) guided brew profile was time consuming. I typically brew 750ml, neither a single serve nor full batch, so my making adjustments was a slow process. I also occasionally blend regular and decaf beans, complicating the process. Understanding the purpose of each of the custom settings on the Aiden helps, but there is a lot to unpack when working with a coffee bean with no suggested starting grind setting/brew profile that I could appreciate. After lots of research, I came across ChatGPT-Aiden Profile Creator that gave me more solid starting points, including grinder settings for the Opus. I can report that with some modifications, I had my first really enjoyable cup of coffee this morning. The flavor profile listed by my roastery for my beans was actually in my cup. I have tried a few single serves (decaf beans) but there has always been center channeling so I am still tweaking that one. The batch filter always has a nice distribution. My suggestions to folks are always remember to preheat the carafe with hot water. Consider lowering the temperatures and use 2-3 pulses with smaller batches. Grind size matters and the wide ranges listed for the different roast levels can be frustrating, so be patient. I have not yet tried a "drop", but I am assuming that would have been a lot easier of an introduction. Pre-ground coffees using the stock guided settings are going to be "flat" in my experience, so find some beans you like. Be patient and do some research. Keep in mind that your taste in coffee is unique to you, so you may not enjoy someone else's grind and brew profiles. Consider using ChatGPT-Aiden Profile Generator as a starting point, especially if you can enter the URL for your particular bean - but be careful because the roast darkness or flavor profile ChatGPT brings up may not match your beans, especially if you are using a small local roaster or roast your own. AI is definitely not perfect. I would not call the Aiden a "plug and play" machine. But if you want to actually taste your coffee the way it is supposed to taste, once you find a good bean, grinder setting, and brew profile combination, you will understand.