I describe the cactus mix as "fluffy moist dough" rather than "paste".  The fluffiness and ease of manipulation being the quality that makes it not pasty.  And it is not as dense as a paste and definitely not watery.

We've been suspecting that xtalization issues are caused by too much water.  Perhaps we should test whether a drier mix works as well as the typical 100:300 cactus to water ratio.  And that might lead to a lower water recommendation in the tek.