# Tamping and weighting issue



## Lotei (Sep 17, 2021)

Hi there !

I have a Sage Barista Pro and this journey has been a real pain. I sometimes manage excellent coffee and the next day, it's going to be awful.

One of the issue I have is the amount of coffee I have to tamp. I weighted it, ~18g, but it makes sort of a dune and when I try to tamp it, I just scatter it on my countertop.

Am I just an idiot or is there a secret technique to avoid putting it everywhere except inside the basket ?

Thank you


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## General-S-1 (Jul 27, 2015)

Hi and welcome.

Are you familiar with the wdt method? Basically mixing up the grounds to get rid of clumps and to reduce air pockets. Also you can use your finger to flatten out the dune before you tamp. 
Hope that helps, good luck


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

What is the named capacity of the basket ? you may be over filling it.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

54mm Sage baskets take 18-19g easily. 17g works fine.

Don't grind direct into the basket, grind into a cup/pot & give it a shake. transferto PF with a funnel & tap PF down & then a couple to the side with heel of hand to level before tamping.


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## Coffeenewboy (Sep 10, 2019)

MWJB said:


> 54mm Sage baskets take 18-19g easily. 17g works fine.
> 
> Don't grind direct into the basket, grind into a cup/pot & give it a shake. transferto PF with a funnel & tap PF down & then a couple to the side with heel of hand to level before tamping.


 How do you control the grinder on/off if grinding into a doser please ?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Coffeenewboy said:


> How do you control the grinder on/off if grinding into a doser please ?


 If the PF lugs control the on/off, try grinding through a bottomless with no basket installed, or grind into the PF, tip out into a cup/pot on scales to confirm weight, then retransfer to PF.


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## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

MWJB said:


> 54mm Sage baskets take 18-19g easily. 17g works fine.


 Not always the case, depends on the coffee. I got 4 coffees from Teeside Coffee Company recently, each one I struggled to get much more than 16g/16.5g in the pf, they just took up too much room. They were all darker roasts, I don't know enough about it to say that's the reason, but the medium roast I'm using now is the standard 18g. @Coffeenewboy try using less coffee?



Coffeenewboy said:


> How do you control the grinder on/off if grinding into a doser please ?


 I used to just press the button with my finger, let the beans grind into a small glass. Then I'd swirl about a bit or WDT, then transfer into the pf. If doing this you will need a portafilter dosing ring. They're cheap to get on Amazon. If you do get one, make sure you get one that sits on top of the pf, not the kind that 'inserts' into it. Mine is the same or very similar to this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Iycorish-Ring，Espresso-Anti-Flying-Accessories-Portafilter/dp/B08CB7K6QS/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=dosing+ring&qid=1632058761&sr=8-5


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## Davebo (Jan 9, 2021)

My Smart Grinder Pro grinds into the PF leaving a big mound. (Even if I pause halfway and level). I just cup my palm over the top and press down to flatten and then tamp. Works for me anyway.


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## 8144 (Oct 9, 2014)

get yourself on to ebay to buy a dosing funnel, wdt tool and a distributor. Problem solved.


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## Davebo (Jan 9, 2021)

condy01 said:


> get yourself on to ebay to buy a dosing funnel, wdt tool and a distributor. Problem solved.


 Talking of which ... is there a dosing funnel that will fit whilst grinding into the PF on a Smart Grinder Pro ?


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## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

Here's one....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/XUNADA-Espresso-Precision-Stainless-Portafilters/dp/B08FZR4QZ1/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=54mm+funnel&qid=1632322481&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFKSVVJTFM1Tk03V1AmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzMzQ2MDlETExBQkdMQklLUEsmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQ5NzY2ODFKWlJOU1VMQUFSTUQmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl


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## Davebo (Jan 9, 2021)

Thanks. I've already ordered a basic funnel which I will use to transfer grinds from a dosing cup but I may try this in the future to avoid the extra step.


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## Emily (Dec 27, 2020)

If I grind into the portafilter directly I just end up with a big mess. I try to stick to around 17g-17.5g (had a couple of accidents with the portafilter flying off under pressure when I dosed more than 18g). I grind into a cup then spoon it into the portafilter which means you can distribute it a little more easily. It's only a bit more faff but it works for me.

i tried making a funnel, but with no success with this.


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