# Drama with VST - advice please!



## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

I don't know what's going on.

I bought a VST and various other bits and pulled a couple of the finest shots I've ever pulled.

Since then I've been working on settling the bed better pre-tamp with a few sideways taps against my palm - and now I seem to be getting fairly not great shots - and the puck seems to be lifting/curling up curiously on one edge?!

Has anyone experienced the puck sort of curling away from the basket like this?

Not sure if it's my bed-settling technique, the beans are getting a bit old - or something else.

Advice welcome - thank you!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Some pics would help.


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

Yeah - I knew someone would say that - but I have none; maybe tomorrow!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Notice you mention making 'a few sideways taps against my palm'. Could this be the problem? Maybe try distributing the grinds a different way - recommend a brush.


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Go back to what you were doing when you pulled your best shots and see what is different ? Realise this sounds obvious but before you started tapping the sides you were happy with the shot adn then introduce what you then did to help identify what is at fault.

A tap of the portafilter on the counter or mat at the bottom is all I do to settle the grinds pre tamping, seems to get rid of any big gaps and the tamp deos the rest. I do then nutate NSEW and it does seem to help avoid any spritzers with the Silvia and use a naked filter so have an avid desire to avoid what someone on here referred to as "Kaldi's arrow"!

Hope of help

John


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

Thanks folks


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Avoid sideways taps.

If any taps then a light vertical is okay (but I mean light as a feather)


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Glenn said:


> Avoid sideways taps.
> 
> If any taps then a light vertical is okay (but I mean light as a feather)


How about shaking left to right ?


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> How about shaking left to right ?


Doing the hokey kokey?


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## Sk8-bizarre (Jan 22, 2015)

In all honesty go back to what you were doing. Taps, shakes whatever made mine worse with pour. My more uneven/unlevel tamps were due to distrubution and moving the grind by whatever means made my pour worse with spitters, channeling etc though making it more level in tamp.

I found concentrating on the distribution as the grind goes into the basket making it as even as poss then no shakes, taps etc and just tamping far more beneficial. Making sure the distribution was good or as good as I could get it as the the basket filled and during grind best and helped my tamp be more level with less probs on pour.

Get the best distribution on grind you can, tamp and go.

My tamp still isn't the best far from it but better for the above reasons.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> How about shaking left to right ?


I tap one side, then the opposite side (gently on the palm of my hand) to flatten the mound that the hg catch cup leaves. Then a gentle tap down on my tamping mat. Seems to give me even extractions most of the time. Maybe I need to try without the sideways.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

I dont think sideways is so much of an issue if its kept symmetrical , i.e. if you do opposite and equal taps. Anything to excess will cause problems


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## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

Has anyone considered the tamper? I see you are using a 58.35 which is close but not quite the best fit, 58.5 being ideal if not a little fiddly. If you are giving it a hard tamp but those edges are being missed, maybe you have channeling around the edges resulting in the less than tasty shots and explaining the lift/curling as this area is able to expand more than the area that is actually tamped.


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

Thanks!

An update: the non-sideways tapping got me back into the good zone.

Will now try to get to the great zone consistently!

Really appreciate everyone's help on this.

@ridland regards tamper I'm going to shift to a 58.5 or thereabouts when I can get one on here or if/when @coffeechap does another Torr group buy thingy


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

58.35s are plenty sufficient


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

jeebsy said:


> 58.35s are plenty sufficient


Yeah? Not worth bothering with this bigger size - you think? Mr Perger's diagrams not swaying you?

You know I'm very tight - so if I can avoid spending money I will!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

0.15mm in tamper won't be the cause of channeling anyway, it's an incremental improvement rather than a fundamental. Speciality shops have got by on .35s for ages without issue


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## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

Looks like I have been schooled.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

jonc said:


> You know I'm very tight - so if I can avoid spending money I will!


You can borrow my 58.55 for a few weeks when my new tamper arrives if you want to decide if it's worth it


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

jeebsy said:


> You can borrow my 58.55 for a few weeks when my new tamper arrives if you want to decide if it's worth it


That's kind thank you!


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

jonc said:


> That's kind thank you!


He hasn't told you the cost yet ;-).


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

jlarkin said:


> He hasn't told you the cost yet ;-).


DFK has a calculation for these things


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