I tried "force surfing" my boiler this afternoon. Ended up spraying espresso and coffee grounds all over the counter. Guess that answered my question about "Gosh Greg, why don't you want steam into the grounds?"
I'll keep at it. My room-mate is getting a little sick of "Hey, sample this, let me know if it's any good." He's reached the point where "Yeah, Dan, it's all good, just enjoy your coffee, ok?" 
I'll open up the machine tomorrow, as much as I can, and see what I can tweak on the inside. Thanks for the ideas.
Dan