# Wet Puck / Dry Puck?



## Jez W (Jul 2, 2012)

Is there any significance to whether your puck should look dry after extraction - sometimes my puck has a pool of liquid on top of it when I remove the portofilter - is this an indication of wrong grind or coffee quantity for the basic?

Thanks,


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Ive had lovely shots from both scenarios - solid bone-dry puck / sloppy mud-bath. This can be down to coffee used, dose & basket characteristics.

I did a bit of an experiment on this - Ill try and dig out the post and add the link

edit - found it http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?6678-E61-vacuum&highlight=puck


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## Jez W (Jul 2, 2012)

Thanks for the link - it suggests that it might be related to the physical amount of the coffee vs basket size so I might try some experimentation. Its good to know that it is independent of good tasting espresso.


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## DublinLoveBean (Aug 29, 2012)

I used to use a Gaggia Syncrony and when new the pucks were lovely and dry but 20,000 cups later they had become quite wet but coffee still quite good. Situation was improved somewhat when I re-greased (with vaseline) the brew unit's moving parts. I feel it wasn't being compressed as tightly as it might have been due to lack of lubrication.


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

I also found it to do with the headspace at the top. 18g exactly in my VST basket and puck is fine. If I underdose in the basket I can get good shots but usually always wet.


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## mookielagoo (Dec 12, 2012)

garydyke1 said:


> Ive had lovely shots from both scenarios - solid bone-dry puck / sloppy mud-bath. This can be down to coffee used, dose & basket characteristics.
> 
> I did a bit of an experiment on this - Ill try and dig out the post and add the link
> 
> edit - found it http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?6678-E61-vacuum&highlight=puck


Thanks Gary - really useful...


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

My gaggia has no opv, so mine are nearly always wet lol. But as there is no opv, I usually just leave the puck in place until the unit naturally loses pressure. By this time the pucks are dry.


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## Wando64 (Feb 28, 2011)

When I had a Gaggia Baby the puck was always very wet. With the Silvia it is always dry. I think the difference is in how the three ways solenoid works in both machines as in the Silvia I get much more water in the waste tray.


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