Breville Barista Express - too cold?

Hey all,
I purchased a new Breville Barista Express a few weeks ago from a reputable local shop here in Seattle. After successfully dialing the grind and shot times in, it was still super bitter, regardless of the beans used (all fresh though). The shots seemed relatively cold, so I suspected that it wasn't getting up to the proper brewing temperature. To test it, I powered the machine on, waited for 1/2 hour, then ran an empty shot through the portafilter. I ran another empty shot and measured the stream right out of the portafilter using a good, reliable instant read thermometer, and it was reading 157 degrees F (corroborated with another thermometer placed in a preheated cup). I then pulled a shot, with the same results.

I took it back to the shop, and the guy said that's normal, which didn't quite seem right to me. I did a bit of searching, and found the troubleshooting section on the Breville site. They say ""the temperature of the liquid coming out of the machine, before it hits the coffee, is around 200°F (generally between 195°F and 205°F)" with "some heat loss expected." Maybe I'm way off, but 40 degrees seems a bit more than "some"

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Espresso is all about grind and temperature, but you can fine-tune both manually. Adjusting the temperature is not so easy, you can see how it works on Youtube.