Espresso Pucks: What Matters & What Doesn't

[@andycleary]

Hands down the best no BS video about home brewing I have watched. Thank you very much.

[@clivecoffee]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@limer4330]

I love it when someone does the work upfront to demystify things like this so the rest of us don't have to. This video gave me confidence. People should be forced to watch this before they add a machine to their cart.

[@nomadsolos]

learning the art & craft is a part of the journey. Embrace it.

[@longtermtech]

Finally, YT coffee videos that are to the point, helpful and not filled with waffle.

[@RealSavages]

Bro... I subscribed just because you were so direct and clear in your presentation. Being concise is a lost art. Well done. 👍🏻☕️

[@clivecoffee]

Thanks and welcome!

[@FajorMuckup]

"swirling around in your grouphead" earned my subscription 😂

[@coffeeauthority]

He has a gift

[@brianbuday8639]

lnternet RB me too👍

[@TheRedTech98]

came here to write this exact same comment!

[@HuckWeed]

did you 'tamp' subscribe ;)

[@naveedahmedchaudhry]

Me too :D

[@johndarland3633]

Interesting how all these coffee buffs are extremely relaxed.

[@blizzbee]

lol caffeine couldn't do anything to them anymore.

[@JordanCrawfordSF]

After 12 shots in 1 day, you’ve experienced heaven.

[@paviaaPS3]

Jordan Crawford so true, it’s better than heaven

[@johndarland3633]

@@JordanCrawfordSF ha ye cuz you've had a heart attack and died and revived.

[@tommyp4630]

It's because they are all doing what they love 💕 ☕

[@sherifmahmoud6523]

Short, straight to the point , without any useless information , thank you so much !

[@mtnhack]

That boy's got a smooth delivery. Maybe audiobook narration is in his future.

[@user-qw8fe6wp7k]

Yes is very nice, he remind me Freddie Highmore!

[@adamcarpenter8549]

No lie. My heart rate reduced watching this despite the espresso in my hand.

[@JCRule69]

Its the very reason subbed.

[@aashishtmg5985]

Yeah his voice is smooth...

[@etatsopa]

Once you hear the mouth sounds though you can’t unhear them

[@20111111jorg]

Newbie to espresso making here but have learned a lot by watching experts. From that I've learned that my watery pucks always come from my pressurized basket and not from my unpressurized one due to back pressure. A lot of self proclaimed experts say ditch that pressurized basket. Then I watched a video from a manufacturer of those baskets with 30 years of experience behind them explaining why those baskets are best for almost everyone and will make a much better espresso for 98% of users as it guarantees a 9 bar output unless you spent 8 hours a day making espresso with $10k machines and go through 100 lbs of coffee to gain the expertise to use the puck as back pressure to generate 9 bars. Nice video presentation btw.

[@clivecoffee]

Thanks! Yeah, pressurized baskets are great if you have more of a consumer-style machine that doesn't have consistent pressure or if you don't have a good enough espresso-focused grinder to be able to control your grind size. I understand what you're saying, but we focus on the craft of making espresso. Making espresso at home is the most expensive way to make coffee, but you definitely don't need 10k to do it.

[@caretakerfochr3834]

Hands down the best, most straightforward coffee vid that bursts the balloon of vids posing as arcane coffee lore on the net.

[@ArofahAkbar]

Very informative and directly to the point; I like the "What doesn't...". For the beginners, this is remove some overthinking in my mind.

[@NilfNilf1972]

Thank you!!! This is down-to-earth, competent, applicable information; and your not afraid to debunk the myths. really helpful.

[@user-ne8wq8vp8s]

This is the most correct and informative video on commercial coffee I have watched on the net.

[@clivecoffee]

thank you. glad you enjoyed it.

[@abdulrazzaq3841]

This has to be the most accurate video and simplest to save yourself from online misconceptions.

[@sjhsjh2958]

Straight to the point with excellent content., wish all KZbinrs can be like u!

[@kingofthegoats245]

Seriously excellent presentation skills. I heard not a single filler word; good job!

[@fluffycritter]

THANK YOU, I am so annoyed and fed up with espresso “experts” who are all parroting different contradictory religious things about things that really don’t matter, while ignoring the important issues about what makes the coffee come out well. I’ve wasted so much money trying to follow the advice of folks on r/espresso.

[@gabrielsvl]

I've a rancilio silvia, used before the standard basket, 14g, but brew always 15g, the puck was always dry. Then I've bought a IMS competition basket, 16/20 grams. I've changed my grind settings for finer, and more coffee, 18 grams, and now the coffee is better, have a really nice crema, but the puck is wet. The shot is better now, I think it's ok, I don't have channels...

[@Presso99]

I read quite a few forums about soggy puck. Most of them recommended to either reduce the dose so that it allows space between the puck and the shower screen. The other suggestion is to CALIBRATE the depth by using the trimmer provided by Breville. I had proven all of these suggestions doesn't help in resolving the problem. Finally, I INCREASE the dose from standard 18g to 18.2g. Do you know what is the end result? The soggy is gone, and the taste is much sweeter. This method is proven and it works for me over months without any soggy puck.

[@ZethAkadi]

So, slightly increasing the dose made the sogginess go away? What espresso machine are you working with? I’m trying to solve this problem on a Bambino Plus.

[@valkyr1690]

@@ZethAkadi Same result here, Bambino Plus. The included razor trims too much off, end up with 16-17g and a soggy puck with bad tasting espresso. Stopped using the razor and even without a distributor my shots are way better on average and I'm measuring for just slightly over 18g.

[@randiprait3116]

I noticed a similar thing and also read that a slight underdose creates a gap between the coffee and water outlet which creates a pooling of water. Adding a tiny bit more coffee helps me to avoid this too.

[@Mickimoss]

Imo wet puck is because the basket needs more ground coffee in it. It mostly happens to me when I use 7 gram in a single basket. While if I use 14g in single or 20 in double basket, the puck will be formed nicely even with grids on it because it's full of ground coffee and when water enters will increase volume thus touch the upper ceiling of the filter in the machine where the water flows

[@PaulLemars01]

Ok, got yourself a new sub. Learning to use my basic Gaggia Classic Pro with a VST 18g basket and the OPV spring mod and my pucks are always a little damp and I needed to know if it was a problem. Thanks for answering that. Very nice presentation, looking forward to more of the same.

[@Oscarr3813]

Hi, I currently have a problem with my crema using the Gaggia Classic Pro. It always turn out dark and lots of bubbles. Do you have any ideas? Thanks in advance

[@oualidtrabelsi5784]

By far the best video on the subject. No BS and straight to the point!

[@Xabeno]

Something that your puck may tell you - over or under dosing. If you place your dry puck into your machine and then remove (without brewing) and your puck has an impression from the shower screen or screw, you may be dosing to high and this can lead to channeling. If your shot starts drippy but then runs very fast towards the end you may be under-dosing our basket. Also vst make a 25g basket but disregard the single, double and triple lingo simply use brew ratio instead, a good way to start is 1:2 dose to yield and keep in mind head space within the basket as a deciding factor when choosing a basket size.

[@FILMERFILMS]

Precision in the presentation makes it so crisp.

[@inflationistransitory]

presentation was filtered with a VST basket

[@daveygal1]

Thank you very much, I’m new this and I’m already up the wall confused, now if my coffee tastes ok I’m not bothered about nothing 👍

[@dancitydancestudios]

Finally a video that treats coffee as a drink and not a science project

[@AuroraClair]

I'm just here to see that coffee flow.. Oh yeah.. xD

[@Gluodin]

The ridge simply helps the basket get a grip from the spring in your portafilter -> zooms in to show there’s no spring in portafilter. Great channel. Instantly subbed.

[@nolanreed7090]

There is: 1:33 -- you can see a little metal bar around the circumference of the inside of the portafilter which extends out slightly at ~1 o'clock, 5 o'clock, and 8 o'clock. That bar is flexible and interacts with the basket ridge to help hold it in place

[@user-ng6tk6qm5h]

R U blind? There is a spring

[@ITR994]

I love the script that you used to describe the nuances and to clarify the best advice. Thanks for the work to explain

[@clivecoffee]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jesusvera8612]

Man, i was just thinking of buying an espresso machine and randomly found this channel, insta suscribed, im gonna do my research first.

[@clivecoffee]

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions!

[@user-ns4em5sk9b]

Great video. I can second almost everthing but the use of distribution tools. Doesn't matter how they are constructed, all of them either pre-compress when they are put upon the coffee bed or cause uneveness when they are turned. Source: My own experience with all different types of them (including the self-lowering ones like Bravo or Pessado). That being said: If you can't resist your strong desire to turn something on your coffee before tamping, to my experience the chisel-types like St. Anthony's shown here, Pullman Chisel or 20 bucks Scarlet Espresso (Amazon) do the least harm.

[@Mahyuddin-cf]

thank you for making the coffee machine product that means you have helped us indirectly as coffee farmers

[@bigglyguy8429]

We love you guys! Thanks for your hard work and the care you put into bringing us great beans :D

[@hemuni]

Agree to disagree, a soggy puck tends to give an over extracted taste, since some of the left behind extraction will always drizzle into the cup, dragging the overall experience down. Volume in basket must be consistent to have consistent extraction.

[@mrwezbo]

Short, sharp and too the point. Really appreciate this video thank you.

[@JohnJackLog]

Good delivery. Relevant. Precise.

[@giulianahejtmanek]

Very concise, informative, and even relaxing - thanks for the wonderful video!

[@johnayres2303]

I find with a precision VST basket to get my extraction time right I had to grind much finer than for the standard basket, too fine in my opinion.

[@Squilliam-Fancyson]

Also got a VST and this is totally normal. As the VST has a higher hole density than most baskets it allows more water to exit the basket. Also an increased gap between shower screen and coffeepuck(because of the deepness of big VST baskets) could cause a too fast extraction. There should be a gap of course but in optimum case, its just big enough for the puck to swell. Imo a 15g VST needs at least 17g of grinded coffee to function like intended. A puckscreen also helps with decreasing gap(if higher coffee dosing is not wanted) to the shower while also providing better water distribution during extraction.

[@ivanr9408]

short sweet and to the point. thank you.

[@cpg8000]

Nobody, and I mean nobody, does videos as polished, professional, and useful as Clive. Thanks for the intelligent and terse presentation.

[@clivecoffee]

Thank you!

[@josephasghar]

At last, a common-sense and to-the-point video. Great tips. Thanks.

[@clivecoffee]

Cheers!

[@Raggo12345]

Great video! Was worried about not tamping hard enough... I'm down to 13 grams of coffe again, and light tamping. On my machine it gives better results. (A hand lever machine.) Am now also trying to do a longer soak time, up to 20-30 seconds, to get more flavour and more liquid, since it isn't enough, otherwise. You're right, it's what's in the cup that matters. - Perfect advice!

[@jeromerussellewis]

Great video clear and concise 😺🙏👍

[@clivecoffee]

ayee thank you!

[@andryszak.webdesign]

"press that puck through your counter..." :D +1

[@dmytrenkovolodymyr]

Thanks for a great and informative video. 4 minutes of valuable info. All the best Clive!

[@philiproszak1678]

Thank you. So refreshing to get clear info quickly.

[@del22marcus]

Oh yes great video demystifying tamping, dosing and baskets thank you

[@robwhitmore3040]

I worked for the largest coffee chain in Australia for a long time where we were always told to look for a "firm, dry biscuit" after a shot. Something I still thought was important until now.

[@clivecoffee]

Glad we could help!

[@Witchaven]

Absolutely agree here, if I see a soggy basket, I know immediately that either my grind, my dose or both are off slightly.

[@angelahagood3639]

Thank you for your advice! I’m new to making espresso at home and my machine is nowhere as nice as the one I used as a barista. Whew! You answered all my questions. 🙌🏻☕️💕

[@teddywilliamson3547]

I bet this dudes sock drawer is really NEAT.

[@Hassan_9]

This video did answer some questions in my grouphead. 😂 Liked and subscribed

[@JonathanWayneAndress]

Thanks for the expresso tips! Well made channel from a video standpoint! Flip that mic upsidedown and route the wire through the clip to make a cleaner look on the shirt. Its a omnidirectional mic, so it wont change your audio quality, just look much better.

[@annaeeee7516]

Thank you for making this video! It answered all of my questions as a new espresso machine user 😄

[@clivecoffee]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ahmadmursyidiadzmi8201]

Man I only have pressurised porta for now, so all these don't really matter to me but your sense of humour does!

[@georgekataoka605]

Just because you said "Tamp Subscribe", i subscribed.

[@318h7]

great video, just what I needed, thanks! ❤️

[@clivecoffee]

So glad!

[@3ZO0]

As always, you guys help us to do better coffee.. thank you and good luck

[@ptr3671]

Loved the closing

[@abittwisted]

Spraying during extraction is due to chunks of coffee getting stuck in the screen allowing only some water through and usually causes the water to spray sideways. Grind consistency is important. Not too much pressure when tamping and using filters top and bottom of your portafilter. Filters keep things clean on top and prevents small granules from sticking and causing spraying. This week I tried using a toothpick to stir my portafilter then tamped. The pull was much better and the water pretty much came through equally and nearly all at one time for a proper time extraction. So I do see a huge difference in the pull after stirring. The filters also remove some bitterness and the coffee tastes much better. Im not one for plain straight expresso but the smell is soooooo wonderful. A touch of sugar and steamed milk is the best. I also use an old vintage grinder on my Kitchen Aid and it's set to the perfect grind. It grinds fast and accurate.

[@clivecoffee]

yes...channeling can happen for many reasons. Not really due to chunks of coffee getting stuck in the screen, but more so cracks in the espresso puck, poor puck prep, bad distribution, etc.

[@abittwisted]

@@clivecoffee My experience is that channeling and spraying are two totally different problems. Spraying is the easiest to deal with. Channeling is not but the filters really help in channeling. Filters are the best and Ive been using them for a couple years now. Figured I'd give it a spin before I ever heard anyone using them. Now everyone is using them. Makes better tasting coffee and stops the spray and helps give a much better pull.

[@clivecoffee]

Glad it's working out for you!@@abittwisted

[@AimconCoUk]

"In my group head" 😃 love it.

[@Goozoo965]

I have a 18g basket. I always got very rich and bitter coffee. I played around with Grind size till I decided to reduce the amount of coffee. Now I am at 12 g and finally the bitterness is natural and coffee full of flavour.

[@clivecoffee]

That's great!

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

Is it bad if the puck touches the ceiling of the grate during infusion/extraction? Like, will that cause the grounds to burn?

[@clivecoffee]

Hey there! I'd recommend reducing the amount of coffee in your portafilter. It's not going to burn the coffee, but it will cause an uneven extraction which will effect your flavor overall.

[@tomswift7848]

0:55 triggers my Alexa and then she tells me the current temperature haha anyone else?

[@user-qw8fe6wp7k]

Yes she did twice !

[@eltonnoway7864]

Yep... right at 0:55... when he says "Next UP"

[@rayleeaustralia]

Is the used puck good for garden beds?

[@nitinverma6853]

I just bought a $50 espresso machine and youtube suggested me this.

[@domhuckle]

And as always, thanks for watching - vsauce Michael's imprint on the Internet runs deep

[@cheezus3525]

*tamp :)

[@Mickimoss]

2:18 I want that, distribution tool, and I like that tamper using palm, not fingers.

[@mubarakalazmi2292]

It's new levy from Saint Anthony Industries.

[@kennylim136]

Very straight to the point....thanks!

[@clivecoffee]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@gtt5691]

I love the lack of Dbaggery in this, which is almost impossible in any other coffee video.

[@emilymakai]

As a newbie home person I'm so self conscious about my soggy pucks. Even if I tamp hard. Idk what grind setting is best though. Idk how to figure it out.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Time it, it should be roughly 25 to 30 seconds for the shot to pull. If it's more, go courser. If it's less go finer. Similarly tamping harder will increase the time and tamping less will take less time.

[@nomadsolos]

So far Clive Coffee I give you 5 *s ! I have learned more in a few of your videos than dozens of others I have seen on the subject. Thank you.

[@clivecoffee]

Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@nollix]

When I had a Flair, the tamping pressure definitely made a difference (because you're the one pulling the shot, you can definitely feel it). When I tamped the puck too hard, the shot was significantly harder to pull and it ended up horribly overextracted.

[@clivecoffee]

We always recommend to try and keep your tamping pressure a constant variable and then adjust grind size to manipulate extraction because yes, tamp pressure can impact things greatly!

[@LUZ-zv6pq]

The line is usually just for the retaining spring to sit against in the portafilter but does work nicely as a marker. VST shower plates have a membrane to help stop oils getting pulled back through to the other side, collecting and affecting taste.. pretty good (if they work..). The baskets are a bit of a gimmick. Nice groups on an ECM mechanical pre-infusion too 😉

[@LesliesDemos]

I use a VST 20g basket with a BZ10 machine & Ceado grinder. When I use the full 20g, the puck will swell into the screen and this seems to encourage channeling. A finer grind compacts more, but chokes. So I end up using 17 -18g instead in the 20g VST. But your vid says to use the proper spec dose for those baskets. Is it okay for a swollen puck to touch the shower screen?

[@dhletro]

Thanks Clive. The downers with their "expert" comments didn't understand what you said about the "end of the day" on how the espresso tastes, they were to busy banging on their keyboard on how to correct you. At the end of my day: I enjoy how my espresso tastes 😋. Thank you for the video. I always enjoy the coffee culture. ☕

[@ericzohar1345]

Amazing and knowledgable..no b.s..

[@danielirvine7468]

This is very well produced guys great job

[@OdedKalfa]

Thank you Maybe,finally ,i will manage a decent coffee cup.

[@michaelc2644]

I have experienced wide differences where the inly difference us tamp pressure.

[@bonnevilleponds]

Makes a big difference imo.

[@chantellebrizzee]

This was super helpful - thank you! Where is that gorgeous shot glass from?! NVM - found it on your website. I love it!!

[@chrisruss8332]

What’s the best way to know your dose is correct? I have an 18g basket but the thumb press test post extraction feels very soft. I find to get a firmer thumb feel I have to up the dose closer to 21ish grams. Have I been doing this correctly?

[@gabmax1013]

I usually just set the Kcup on my coffee matching and it's done in like a few seconds.

[@ameliabuns4058]

I want one of those cut off portafilters so bad

[@AtlanPerry]

Hello, great as you do this video clearly short and clear. Question, I just bought a Brezerra Magica and am under a lot of stress to make a delicious esspreso now. I have a 16 gram tray, can I add 18 grams or not? and my coffee is now weak and sour and with the current setting at 10 bar it takes about 25 seconds for 60 ml of coffee. Grinder is a Eureka Mignon Speialita and I now need 11.6 sec for 18 grams. the coffee is brand Medellin Secret Finca La Luisa Colombia. I would like to hear every tip I can get and I assure that I try to follow all KZbin espresso films but in the end it turns out that it is easy to get lost. Greetings John.

[@x3Tearless]

25s for 60ml of coffee seems to be a little too fast and hence your espresso sounds like it's being underextracted (ie. weak, sour). You might wanna try grinding finer and brewing to a 1:2 ratio which would be 18g in 36g out if going by weight in about 25-30s.

[@mosquito9085]

First you say that strength of tamping does not matter, then that "calibrated tampers" go a long way. Can you explain please?

[@Thetache]

The calibration means you will get a consistent repeatable tamp, so it takes a variable out of the equation. The level of the calibration pressure is not as important as the consitency of the tamp on each puck.

[@punitdave7034]

this topic was very much needed

[@PRIMEVAL543]

Ok now I wonder; what would the coffee taste like, if you squeeze the rest out of the coffee powder? Would it be more bitter, more tasteful, just more coffee or just bitter?

[@rossmatheson4303]

Nice to see Taylor from Billions found work during Lockdown

[@superchillh3o]

Death by puns. Well done, well done.

[@typicalem2968]

what is that espresso machine?! it's gorgeous can you tell the brand name and model?

[@stevestewart-sturges2159]

Thank you! I learnt something today...that ridge in the basket isn't for dosing... now I feel like a thicko...

[@jontopham2742]

wow some good technical information, I like this channel

[@TheYoyoma3]

Great video thanks! QQ…I have a 18g IMS basket….does that mean I should never put more than 18g in?

[@NamAir]

great video, thank you!

[@hassanbazzi3545]

Well done. Thank you for sharing

[@nasohasman344]

Hey like your video. I hv a questions, my espresso pucks look watery. Why is that? The coffee bean is to fine? Did I need to adjust to be a little bit course?

[@DrAlvinEng]

Great informative video! Thank you!

[@ChrisPowellMerleApAmber]

Sorry to come late to the show, very nicely done production. One thing which I didn't hear said, but was present in the visuals is the use of a scale to measure the extraction weight. Recently I've heard said one should expect a 2:1 to 2.2:1 extraction to the weight of the ground coffee. Is this what others have come to believe? Reasons include reproducibility and, help resolve the volume issues when using coffees with different crema behaviors.

[@clivecoffee]

Typically around here we're shooting for a 1:1.5 brew ratio (ground coffee:liquid yield), but different coffees taste best at various outputs. I find lighter roasts tend to thrive with a longer ratio such as the 1:2 ratio. But, It's important to trust your tongue and allow the flavor to guide your recipe. -Amanda

[@ChrisPowellMerleApAmber]

@@clivecoffee Thank You Amanda/CCC. (Oh, and thank you for correcting me on the placement of the ratio components. I knew that, but my hands appear to have not! /Cheers!)

[@TB1M1]

If you have a pressurized portafilter tamp pressure does make a difference.

[@timotoropainen7733]

Wow! This was a really good and helpful video.

[@clivecoffee]

Thanks so much!

[@lenso010]

I tampered my puck by mistake. Does it cause problems in the cell ? Second question : I use IMS 18/22 basket and I grind 18g then using puck. It gets water on the surface after pulling the shot. Any recommendation ?