Why am I getting a wet or dry puck depending on which type of espresso beans I use? Grinding fresh, all other settings are the same.
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “what is a coffee puck“
Why am I getting a wet or dry puck depending on which type of espresso beans I use? Grinding fresh, all other settings are the same.
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “what is a coffee puck“
CHECK YOUR GRINDER SETTINGS. DIFFERENT COFFEE TYPES DIFFERENT SETTINGS.
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO PLAY AROUND WITH THE SETTINGS TO GET A GOOD ESPRESSO WITH CREMA.
STANDARD SETTINGS ARE 4 SEC TO START COFFEE FLOWING, 20–30 SEC FOR EXTRACTIONS. HOPE IT HELPS
Different types of coffee respond to grind settings differently. Both by level of roast and origin. If the grind settings aren’t changed to suit the coffee, you will get varying results. This includes the drop weight, that may have to be adjusted as well.
Yes, grind settings will impact how dry or wet the puck ends up being. If the grind is too fine, it will take a lot longer for the water to pass through the portafilter and thereby cause the water to accumulate in it assuming the time you run the hot water remains constant. The opposite is true if the grind is too coarse.
Wet or dry puck also depends on the amount of time you leave the puck in the portafilter after shutting the hot water supply. If the water continues to drain through the portafilter, you are going to end up with a drier puck.
The other answers on this thread are inaccurate or incorrect and will not fix your problem. The explanation below will allow you get the puck consistency that you want.
The condition of your puck is almost 100% dependent on the distance from the top of the ground coffee bed (after tamping in the basket) to the shower screen on your machine grouphead.
When you dose and tamp your coffee into the basket, and insert the group handle into the grouphead, there is a space between the top of the ground coffee and the shower screen. This is usually called headroom.
As soon as you run the pump, water flows down into the space and fills it up. Pressure builds up in the basket and water is forced through the coffee bed – you get an espresso from the bottom.
When you turn off the pump (or the machine does it automatically) the very high pump pressure stops and an exhaust valve opens, allowing the pressurised water to go to the drip tray/waste, dropping the pressure in the grouphead.
The puck will expand quite a lot as the pressure is released. You have 2 scenarios – the puck expands and pushes hard against the shower screen. The puck is squeezed dry and you have a firm puck as a result. It’s exactly like squeezing a wet sponge.
If the headroom was too great, the puck expands but does not push hard, or at all, against the shower screen. It remains wet and you see that when you take out the portafilter for your next shot.
If you want firm pucks after each shot, you have 2 ways to reduce the headroom. Increase your dose (more ground coffee) or buy a smaller basket. Bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to doses or baskets – instead, your dose and basket should match. I prefer a 15g VST which will easily handle doses between 14g and 17g.