WHY is there water in my portafilter after brewing?! Soupy espresso pucks - why and how to fix it!

[@burnsbits5829]

This guy looks like he'd be a right lively person day to day but was told to dial it down for the video. Pun intended. Thanks for all the tips 😊

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Sean is the best!

[@dean7442]

That was straight to the point, clear & informative. Just what I was looking for. Thanks Sean

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Thanks for watching!!

[@__m__e__]

Interesting thanks! And your delivery was fine. Not sure what people expect from a free informational coffee video

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Thanks for watching!

[@StefanHanrath]

Solid tip. I have mixed feelings towards the puck screen: it also needs to be cleaned, and i find it a tad annoying to get out. So i just keep a few extra basket sizes around.

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

@@highschoolsportsandeventphotog We recommend a high quality puck screen that is thicker in mm!

[@philindeblanc]

I use the .8mm ikape or whatever the name is. Much better than the thick one used in this video. It is much easier to clean, and comes out with very little mess. The old screen is tossed in a drawer now. $11-12 amazon.

[@philindeblanc]

@@highschoolsportsandeventphotog You are wrong, the metal does not expand significantly at all. 200-250F is not getting stainless steel to expand anywhere you will be able to tell. I have used the same screen in the video, which is not as good as the .8mm screens, which I now use. the clean easy, and they just fir in the basket and DO NOT expand. I think you are a sucker for the FAKE Lowrentz Law that Einstein had to make up to pass his debunked theory of Relativity, which has been debunked numerous times now.

[@MC-hx6nk]

​@highschoolsportsandeventphotog If the metal expands, like you have said a few times here, won't the portafilter expand to? If the metals have the same ballpark expansion rate, it shouldn't be a problem. I think the comment about using a thicker screen, is one relating to displacement (a Eureka moment). Maybe the screen doesn't have to be that snug against the portafilter wall to rectify the soupy puck problem. I am never aiming to get the puck under compression, so a thin moat of hot water around the screen shouldn't be that big of a deal.

[@garyn7067]

@@MC-hx6nk One would think the portafilter and basket would expand also, and as you said, keep the same clearance. But my experience was that the puck screen expands more. On my Saeco, with a 53.5mm basket, I tried 3 different size screens before settling on a 51mm screen, so that I did not have to KNOCK the PF on a cutting board to get the screen out.

[@philindeblanc]

There are now much thinner and easier to clean screens vs the one you have in the video. Worth the upgrade. Even with the screen, my La Spazialle Mini Vivaldi2 STILL leaves a table spoon of water above the screen. If I change the basket to smaller, it wont have room to lock in the group head. So I have amazing coffee pulls in a 22~grams IMS basket with 21g of coffee, BUT with a little water left in my basket each time. So your solutions do not apply Sean...:-) Oh, I have to add that the puck is rather dry and nice, but water is collected at top.

[@SnipetsofTime]

Very informative. Thanks

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Thank you for watching!

[@allenazali]

I agree with the caveat. Not like they're granola oat bran muffins. Single boiler also depends if you are using the service component, grouphead temperature should evaporate water. Grinds in bottom of cup at the end of drink should say more about the grind and extraction.

[@rpatel9901]

it might also be an indication that you ned to backflush/ clean?

[@philindeblanc]

Thats what I was thinking...where is the video on doing backflush cleaning??! My puck is dry, but still have water collect above the screen I use. When i do a blind basket for cleaning, I do hear the backflush working rather well, but I dont have anything to compare it to. I use a little Urinex or TSP/Citric acid in the blind basket and do 3-5 pulls , which do some cleaning, but...I there maybe a proper full way to make sure the 3 way valve is clean and working proper?

[@rpatel9901]

@@philindeblanc do you use something like Cafiza when backflushing? if not you should try it as it breaks down the coffee oils very effectively

[@rpatel9901]

@@philindeblanc Gail on this channel , seattle coffee gear has done a video on how to backflush

[@CallMeDave2]

Pucks from my spring lever Profitec Pro 800 are perfect; no siphons or solenoid needed!

[@jonmartinson6830]

More important question: why does Starbucks have that weird sludge at the bottom of their drinks?

[@2YouTubermomosan]

great 👍From Japan🇯🇵

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Hey there thanks for watching!

[@min2oly]

Thanks 😊

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Thanks for watching! ☕

[@mitchgordon6463]

My bambino doesn’t have a solenoid

[@onyx3019]

So my problem ,I was dosing with 18 grams and it was touching the shower screen ,so I decreased the dose to 14 and it didn’t touch but it’s was soupy,any tips?

[@sksanowar4963]

My espresso shot is brewing perfectly, but the cup last one bottom in dirty for cup..!! How to solve it?

[@thumbtak123]

I can see a thicker screen pick might also help.

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Absolutely! A thinner puck screen is not as helpful as a higher quality puck screen that is thicker in mm

[@HK-jn1tj]

@@SeattleCoffeeGear I said that because I have a high quality puck screen that came with a thin and a thick. If you switch to the thick one, it could help.

[@iconindexsymbol]

Good soup. 👌

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Very good soup

[@uberdoughboy]

I have the Diletta Bello+ and been having issues with wet pucks and tried all these. Going up to 20g in the basket didnt seem to do much. The puck screen seems to be the best option but still super unsatisfying when the puck is so wet and just falls apart in the bin. Water doesn't seem to release from the solenoid until i take out the porta filter.

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

If you like the taste of your coffee, extra water in the portafilter is not necessarily a bad thing! If you don't like the taste then making adjustments can help. Not sure how you implemented those adjustments but we always recommend one change at a time so you can really tell what helps and what doesn't help. Some of us at SCG have increased the grams up to 22g for the basket because it is a larger basket on the Bello+ but again try one thing at a time and see what happens. You can also wait before unlocking the portafilter and knocking into the knockbox to see if that helps with the extra water in your portafilter!

[@jeffshenk5639]

Soup!

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Good soup ☕

[@yusefsaleh5850]

When I make it more coarse. The shot comes out to fast. Even if it’s one level

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

Grinding finer is going to be a better option for you! It also could depend on the grinder you are using in terms of grind size capability

[@yusefsaleh5850]

@@SeattleCoffeeGear I’m using a commercial grinder. Even when I grind finer the shot gets to soupy lol. And then just one grind level higher. It comes out to fast. How about more coffee ?

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

@@yusefsaleh5850 Trying more coffee can definitely help!! Try adding 2 grams more and pull the shot and see what happens. Then adjust from there if the extraction is too slow

[@b2yes]

What is the problem of a soupy espresso puck? The goal is to make a tasty cup of coffee, not a dry espresso puck, I don't mind it.

[@catherineostrom7575]

Former host, Gail , said it wasn't a big deal. Your priority is correct.

[@iconindexsymbol]

In a busy cafe, a dry puck makes cleanup easier and faster.

[@orrinbelcher6593]

Nice video fun and informative

[@SeattleCoffeeGear]

If your coffee tastes good, a soupy puck is nothing to worry about! We do get this question about water in the portafilter so we wanted to provide an explanation for why and how. ☕

[@philindeblanc]

@@SeattleCoffeeGear I think it was a good idea to address it, but it seams to be unavoidable on some machines....so far like mine. So making a clarification that it can be normal or unavoidable on some machines would be a more well rounded response. I explained my setup in a separate comments. Also, someone brought up a good point, perhaps the 3way valve is not working right, or needs cleaning?

[@henrycatigay]

thanks for the advice more powers to your vlog GODBLESS

[@onyx3019]

So my problem ,I was dosing with 18 grams and it was touching the shower screen ,so I decreased the dose to 14 and it didn’t touch but it’s was soupy,any tips?

[@chriskvikstad4980]

Increase it to a range between ~15 to 16 grams and see if that helps. My Gaggia Classic Pro came with an 18 gram basket but that's too much coffee for a dose and I can't even tighten the portafilter when I dose that high. I get perfectly dry pucks when I dose somewhere between 15 and 16 grams and using a puck screen as long as my grind size is good. Today my grind size was a bit too fine and even though my dose was 15.5 grams my puck ended up with a little water on top of the puck screen. On the next shot I adjusted it to be a tad coarser, brewed it again, and it came out perfect.