# Dosing and distribution technique



## RolandG (Jul 25, 2010)

I'm still getting used to my Gaggia Classic, but I wanted to hear some people's thoughts on dosing and distributing.

The barista technique books I have read have advocated overdosing the basket, then using either a finger-sweep (NSEW) to distribute and remove excess or stockfleth move (using a twist from the elbows to rotate the finger around the basket).

The trouble with both of these is that you end up with a very full basket - so full it will swell and press against the screen :/ I'm aiming for a 16.5 g dose target into a double basket. I'm using a paperclip to break up clumps (WDT - from Scott Rao's Prof. Barista Handbook), then a gentle tap to level it and check clumping. After that, I place the tamper on lightly to level it, then apply pressure to tamp.

This works for me, but my main concerns are: 1) this wouldn't work in a shop 2) the broken up grinds are too low in the basket for distribution using a finger sweep (or similar).

So what is your technique for dosing and distribution?


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

I've also wondered about this as if you don't fill the basket you can't easily level and distribute like you can with an over-filled basket.

What I have been doing is levelling with a fork if it's not above the edge but I know this isn't ideal. I've pretty much stopped weighing grounds for the moment and I don't mind that the puck touches the dispersion screen. Over-filling is the most convenient way for me.

Distribution isn't so much of a problem when you are working in a shop and have a grinder like a robur or similar as the grounds don't tend to clump as much as with a small home grinder. Have a look at videos of recent wbc contestants, they don't seem to need to touch the coffee at all, just grind into the basket and tamp.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

I found that with using your finger there is tendency to compress the grounds slightly which for me with my new grinder was leading to problems, so what I use is a small pallette knife which I sweep across the PF at a 90 degree angle to level the grounds then tamp. Oddly the finger technique was fine with my MC2 but the grinds are now less compressable and non clumpy with the Royal which was leading to slight choking.


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

My own technique has just evolved over time. I use a double basket and dose with 16 grams. This dose leaves a mound way higher than the basket in the centre, but lower around the circumference. I then use a modified Stockfleth-type move that spreads the grinds evenly across the basket, paying attention to getting them into the circumference edges. Wastage is minimal, and the resulting basket is still slightly domed. I then level it gently with the tamper before applying 30 pounds tamps twice. I clean off the rim of the basket, and blow off any loose grounds before doing a final light polish. Works for me, gives good clearance between the top of the tamp and the head, very little wastage and isn't particularly time consuming.

Incidentally, since looking at your first post last night I've done some re-reading of both Rao and Schomer. It's funny how your views can change - when I first got these books I regarded them as a bit nit-picky (if not even OCD). They now seem to ooze common sense!


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## MonkeyHarris (Dec 3, 2010)

I've been having issues with this. See my other thread. I found these earlier. A bit expensive for a piece of plastic but a good idea. I found other people using espresso saucers or jam jar lids to do the same thing.


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

I love the trick in Scott Rao's book. He takes the lid off the doser and uses that! (I can't - one of the disadvantages of beng doserless.)


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