# Difficulty removing puck



## Gottzi (Dec 7, 2014)

Hi everyone, my wife bought me a new Gaggia classic for my 50th birthday as an upgrade from my Delonghi Icona.

As you can imagine I'm over the moon with it however I am having difficulty getting the pucks out of the basket and having to rely on using a teaspoon to scrape it out, any tips?


----------



## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

Gottzi said:


> Hi everyone, my wife bought me a new Gaggia classic for my 50th birthday as an upgrade from my Delonghi Icona.
> 
> As you can imagine I'm over the moon with it however I am having difficulty getting the pucks out of the basket and having to rely on using a teaspoon to scrape it out, any tips?


Hi,

A knock box with a bar can help get the puck out. I use a small Motta one as the stainless fits with my kitchen but the Grindenstein ones also get good reviews. There are plenty of others including tray ones that fit under your grinder.


----------



## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

A good, solid tap on the bar of the knock box usually does the trick. What knock box do you have and are you knocking the puck out immediately after brewing or leaving it in until you make another shot later?


----------



## gaggiamanualservice.com (Dec 22, 2009)

Make sure you leave it to dry first. Then just a sharp knock for it to pop out.


----------



## Gottzi (Dec 7, 2014)

Currently have no knock box tried knocking out into a bin or onto a chopping board on the work surface.

Trying to knock out within 5 mins of pulling the shot.


----------



## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

Gottzi said:


> Currently have no knock box tried knocking out into a bin or onto a chopping board on the work surface.
> 
> Trying to knock out within 5 mins of pulling the shot.


Before I got a knock box I knocked into a plastic pot with the edge hitting between the handle & the basket bit. It's so much easier to clear if you have a bar you can knock the basket against.


----------



## Gottzi (Dec 7, 2014)

Ok thanks everyone, guess I need a knock box now.


----------



## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Gottzi said:


> Ok thanks everyone, guess I need a knock box now.


You do! The bar across a k/b is thick, with thick rubber coating. Very different to knocking out on a bin or board


----------



## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

Tell me about it. For various reasons I am sans knock box just now, and the new one is currently creeping hither like snail unwillingly through stormy seas*. Knocking out a La Pavoni Flying FilterTM into a bulging bin is not fun. Anyone who fancies retrieving aforesaid basket from its impact crater in half a pound of expired mince is welcome to my turn.

*glug.


----------



## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Sage make a good solid knock box but I found it a little small to be completely tidy - a few bits would finish up on the counter at times. It is a robust option though. I've switched to one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071NCR6JT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are about under various names. It's a hefty bit of kit.

:act-up:However I am a tidy puck fanatic. I like them to knock out cleanly or just leave traces. Some baskets I have used always retain a bit around the rim. They need a good hard knock. The usual reason for not being able to knock them out with reasonable effort is too much coffee. If the fill height is way too low it usually results in a wet messy puck. Of late I have found that there is also a low fill height where the puck might stick to the shower screen. If that's the case it's very fragile. As the fill height gets into the correct region the top will be fairly flat but show signs of being a bit wavy. What it all means in practice is that there must be sufficient space for the grounds to expand. I usually aim to see a light impression of the shower screen on the puck and work up to that. There will be a point where the puck sticks to the shower screen. A touch more coffee fixes that - it just needs a fraction of a gram. Go too high and it will be difficult to knock out and need a couple of hard knocks. Sometimes I tune like that - the effect is similar to a change in grinder settings - going a bit finer. Actually any change in fill height is really.

John

-


----------



## lake_m (Feb 4, 2017)

Also found that the pressurised filter basket on the new Gaggia Classic is a lot harder to knock out than an un-pressurised one. Don't know why, maybe creates more suction?

If you try to knock it out into a bin, you normally end up losing both the filter and the little distributor plastic pin that goes in the spout. Had the bin contents laid out on the floor a few times looking for it at work - no fun!

Knock box is the way to go.


----------



## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

Got a spare Grindenstein if anyone wants to chuck me a few £


----------



## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

I just use a circular Tupperware, fits about 5 pucks.

As it's not as solid as a knockbox I favour several small sharp taps and it always drops out, but may be a bit more difficult without a VST basket, can't be sure!


----------



## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

I thought of going the Tupperware route, but a stainless steel knock-box insert on eBay caught my eye and I ordered it, only to find that it was coming from the Third Grade Bu xin Secondary School, Luohu District (somewhere near Milton Keynes. Not.) ETA 13th April - 23rd May.


----------



## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Vieux Clou said:


> I thought of going the Tupperware route, but a stainless steel knock-box insert on eBay caught my eye and I ordered it, only to find that it was coming from the Third Grade Bu xin Secondary School, Luohu District (somewhere near Milton Keynes. Not.) ETA 13th April - 23rd May.


Ebay is a bugger for that. I tend to select 'UK Only' on everything I look for.


----------



## JohnnyVirgil (Mar 1, 2018)

lake_m said:


> Also found that the pressurised filter basket on the new Gaggia Classic is a lot harder to knock out than an un-pressurised one. Don't know why, maybe creates more suction?
> 
> If you try to knock it out into a bin, you normally end up losing both the filter and the little distributor plastic pin that goes in the spout. Had the bin contents laid out on the floor a few times looking for it at work - no fun!
> 
> Knock box is the way to go.


Yes, that little pinhole is the only way for water to get in or out. So it usually leaves a sloppy puck that doesn't want to come out.


----------

