# Messy Puck But Shot Still Very Good



## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

Using Coffee Compass Mystery Beans 2 for espresso I am dosing 18g for a 30g shot. Shot takes 28-32 secs. Nice crema and good taste. However, the puck is quite wet and a bit messy. Doesn't pop out into the knock box in one hit like I have had with other beans.

This was happening using my Ascaso i-1 and Gaggia Classic. I did two backflushes last night with Puly Caf and everything is nice and clean and the issues with the puck continue as before.

So is this just because these beans hold a bit more moisture than beans I have had in the past and nowt to be concerned about? Or is this a sign that something needs tweaking, adjusting or replacing?


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

If the shot tastes good then who cares









P.s. This just happens sometimes, can be the bean, the basket or the machine, or possibly many other things. Don't worry about it unless you are diagnosing a bad drink.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

I've wondered this too. In general my pucks are neither dry and pop out whole when emptied into knock box nor overly wet and soggy. If I knock the puck out soon after pulling the shot, most of it comes out. Sometimes though I find maybe 1/3 of the bottom part remains in the pf basket and then requires a manual clean out.

What do people use in general to clean their baskets out with in between dosing? A brush, a bar towel? I've seen and thought about getting a stiff bristle brush. Some come with the bristle head part at a 45 degree angle which could make the job easier?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B009JTQCG4/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_54?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=APMM20RLQ3E80


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

DoubleShot said:


> What do people use in general to clean their baskets out with in between dosing? A brush, a bar towel?


http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/barista-towels or just a wee cheap bar towel


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

I've got a couple of those Has Bean bar towels but only use them after cleaning the basket out with a paper towel first to ensure its completely dry before dosing again.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

If there's loads left then bang it out, otherwise I get straight in with the towel


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

What do you use to wash the towel with

...how hard should I bang the puck, how many times.....


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## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

haha



Mrboots2u said:


> What do you use to wash the towel with
> 
> ...how hard should I bang the puck, how many times.....


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

This is why I haven't been using my red bar towels to wipe out messy pucks. Would need to be washed after each session or every other one and think I only have two? Paper towels, used conservatively, remove all the mess then use the bar towel to ensure it's fully dry. A brush though might ultimately save on land fill.


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## stevogums (May 8, 2013)

http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_6,cos_6.11,cos_6.11.4/713160Purchase a big bag of yellow microfibre cloths from Costco .

Cheap and superb for everything coffee cleaning related .


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

stevogums

Have a pack of those very ones but mainly only using them for dusting duties or to remove fingerprints off shiny stuff! 

They just look too nice and bright to then get covered in dark coffee grounds. Guess I could just look the other way whilst cleaning out the pf basket!


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## Obnic (Jan 14, 2014)

ridland said:


> ...is this just because these beans hold a bit more moisture than beans I have had in the past and nowt to be concerned about? Or is this a sign that something needs tweaking, adjusting or replacing?


It's nothing to worry about if the shot extracted evenly and tasted good.

More often than not, a sloppy puck results from the basket being too big for the dose you are using. Too much headroom above the puck (after it has expanded from wetting) leaves space for a puddle of retained water.

You can ignore it or invest in some baskets with a range of specified dose sizes (eg VST 7g, 15g, 18g, 20g etc). Each one comfortably accommodates +/- 1g around specified dose.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Obnic

Thinking about what you have just said is probably the real reason I was getting soggy pucks a couple of months ago whilst at the time pre-infusing. Stewartscoffees had recommended 16g dosing of two types of beans I had ordered from them. Only have one VST basket (18g) which I presently use for everything. and they recommend +/-1 g which would result in too much headroom in which water would obviously sit.

Need to source myself a 15g and 20g (competition) VST basket...


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## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

When I had my Gaggia Classic I always kept the old coffee puck in the PF cause I read somewhere that this helps to keep the PF hot but with the Expobar if I leave the puck until the next shot, which could be hours (my machine is on the entire day), then the puck bakes onto the basket so now I always remove it after making an espresso.

I use paper towels to clean the PF and sometimes get a wet puck too, I'm using a 17g VST type of basket and always dose at 17g, on occasion there's water on the top of the puck after extraction.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Leaving a puck in the machine is bad news, really cooks in the burning puck inside the group head, bad practice often seen in coffee shops.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

twotone

Think you'll find the only time to leave the portafilter locked into the grouphead to help heat it up/keep it warm is using an 'empty and clean' one when first switching your machine on. Then in your case after you've finished making drinks in one session, clean out pf then lock it in again if leaving the machine on during the day until you make some more coffee later on.

Recently I've been removing and emptying the pf immediately after pulling my shot and even before I've poured my steamed milk into the cup. Only takes a few seconds and means the puck comes out easier. I'll return after I've finishing making my coffee to clean it prior to dosing again.


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

When I've finished steaming and switch back to brew, if the puck is still wet I'll give it a quick blast of steam with the brew switch then knock out - the puck is bone dry then. Then I'll purge the steam back to water before switching off.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Here's an example of what I mentioned occasionally happening (once in four doubles pulled yesterday)


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Distribution?


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

After dosing into pf basket, I give it a few horizontal taps on the front forks of my Ceado e37, followed by a few firm taps to side of pf using palm of my hand then tamp.

Thinking about it, above photo may have been due to forgetting to remove pf from group head immediately after pulling the shot. So it may have been locked in for say 5 mins or more. All the other pucks fell out with one tap and didn't leave more than a few tiny grounds behind.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

It looks like the outside of the puck that we can see is wetter than the inside, which indicates channeling, but this would usually be evident in taste, if you are pulling a 1:2 ration shot and it channels it tastes horrid, very bitter with little mouthfeel. It is difficult to tell front he photo however.

My IMS basket does this regularly, the puck breaks up when it is knocked out. Not an issue unless it shows clear signs of channeling. Would be worth using a bottomless PF to watch for signs of channeling.


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Yup my IMS also seems to hold water more than the standard, causing the puck to knock out soggy and in bits.

I don't really think about it if the drink tastes ok.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Here's one of the dry pucks


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

mmmm cookies!


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Chocolate brownies!


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Might just be my eyes, but can anyone see particles quite a lot larger than others?


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Dark patches indicate uneven extraction.


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## Obnic (Jan 14, 2014)

Puckology


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

That photo is the last one I took of a coffee puck, some 6 or so weeks ago. My distribution has deffo improved since. Will try remembering to take a current photo.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

I'm sure I remember reading that you really should't read too much into an extracted puck... wasn't there a lengthly discussion about it a while ago on a different forum?


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Dylan said:


> I'm sure I remember reading that you really should't read too much into an extracted puck... wasn't there a lengthly discussion about it a while ago on a different forum?


Ignore all other forums, there is only one Coffee forum.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Dylan said:


> I'm sure I remember reading that you really should't read too much into an extracted puck...


Waiting for a fortune teller to read the particles and predict the future!


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