# sloppy puck



## beanhound (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi all

another problem for this newbie!

I am using a new gaggia classic (old style baskets, not pressurised) & iberital MC2 auto.

i am using fresh beans from happy donkey (out of the fridge) I have the grind sorted & the timed dose is about 12 seconds, this is giving approx 16g.

I'm tamping with what I think is 25 lb pressure.

My shots are taking 25 seconds or so (double basket)

Crema is pretty good.

the problem is the puck is the consistency of a babies nappy filling!

If I grind finer or tamp harder the flow is very slow & coffee is bitter.

I have used 1500g of good beans this morning, the kitchen looks like there's been a mafia style shooting in a sicilian espresso bar, I dropped my knock box & my springer spaniel tried to eat the grounds, she's now whizzing around the house like a lunatic........please help, the mrs is home at 5pm!!


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## mike 100 (Jul 15, 2010)

Dont know if this helps but I had the same problem with my Ascaso Dream, I did not realise that my machine was a"versatile" model which means it does both ground coffee and pods, but the shower screen/ plate is made to favour pods by concentrating the water flow more towards the centre, and I to used to get a sloppy puck, I overcame this by fitting a ground coffee only shower screen/dispersion plate which gives a drier puck, and a better tasting coffee, dont know if this would apply to your machine but it may help if not i am sure Glenn could help.


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## beanhound (Oct 20, 2010)

Thanks Mike, I'll look into this.

I've just noticed my wifes kitchen scales are a bit iffy, I weighed the same item 10 times & got 7 different readings! It under reads as compared to the weight printed on the packet, so maybe my 16g is not 16g, I'm guessing if I'm underfilling the basket it will over extract?

More purchasing required for shiny new scales, I can see the conversation at the local shop.... I need some very accurate scales that will weigh very fine powder down to the gram, it's for my coffee machine, really...........'course it is sir!!


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## mike 100 (Jul 15, 2010)

Check out Hasbean's website they are selling pocket scales for £9.99 which may do the job or try zeroing the scales with the portafilter on then fill and then weigh

P S

Hows the dog?


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Have you checked that the three way solenoid is working properly, at the end of extraction you can see/hear the liquid being vented out of the pipe from the solenoid into the drip tray. This removes liquid from the top of the puck and leaves you with a non sloppy result


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## beanhound (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi all

thanks for the replies & suggestions.

The solenoid is working, there is a positive shot of water out of the pipe into the drip tray at the end of extraction.

I think its a quantity issue, now I've realised this I'm using more coffee, hopefully I just need to tweak the grind & tamping (again).

The dog's fine, although she has now produced something that looks alot like melted haagen daas belgian chocolate ice cream, she's stood looking at it, seems rather proud of herself !


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## beanhound (Oct 20, 2010)

Thanks for the scales suggestion, I'll have a look.


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## Mazza (Aug 11, 2010)

I get this sometimes, coffee tastes fine though so I didn't know it was a problem.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

A sloppy puck when using a machine with a working three way solenoid is symptomatic of underdosing the PF, doesn`t mean the result will be poor neccessarily.You just know you are getting it right when you get a nice dry puck that knocks out in one piece. Check Lee Wardles puck piccies to see what I mean.


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## beanhound (Oct 20, 2010)

Thanks Don, I've been playing about with the dose & it's all starting to come together, the timings are right, the crema is good, the puck is reasonably well formed, I just dont like the taste of coffee beans I have lol!


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Ah, now thats easily fixed







. Take a look at the Beans section for some inspiration


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## ChiarasDad (Mar 21, 2010)

Yep, as DonRJ said, it doesn't mean you're getting a bad drink. I'm currently pulling super tasty shots from 15g in an 18g basket, and not getting the nice neat pucks I do with 18 or 18.5g. Nothing wrong with the shots, it's just an artifact of my working with a lower dose, which works better with this coffee.


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## beanhound (Oct 20, 2010)

Ah, thanks guys.

Over the last week I've begun to 'dial' myself into my shiny new kit.

One of the downfalls of narcissistic personality disorder is the belief that you are naturally gifted at everything, even espresso making!! Comes as a shock to realise there is a learning curve!

I'm now making pretty good shots from a variety of beans, thanks very much to all who have helped me take my first steps towards really good espresso!


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## KopiLuwak (Nov 4, 2010)

go get other tasteful beans so you can have a better crema..


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

KopiLuwak said:


> go get other tasteful beans so you can have a better crema..


This type of answer is completely useless without context and does not add to the general tone of the forum


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## DomesticEspresso (Nov 7, 2010)

I have always associated a sloppy puck, in domestic and commercial use, with the grind being to fine and not tamping hard enough. It is just a case of fine tuning your grinder to your coffee and then of course the tamping. Tamping for me has always been a grey area with all these pressures etc that you need to get the right puck but at the end of the day all you are doing is pushing the air out so as soon as when you push down with your tamper and you feel the grind below becoming stiff then thats you. Done! With your grind set correct and the right tamp pressure you cannot go wrong. Obviously changing your coffee every five mins will not help as they all grind differently so remember to stick with the one you love until you have nailed it and then if you are changing you will know exactly how to fine tune to the next coffee.


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

mike 100 said:


> Check out Hasbean's website they are selling pocket scales for £9.99 which may do the job or try zeroing the scales with the portafilter on then fill and then weigh
> 
> P S
> 
> Hows the dog?


No need to pay a tenner (sorry Steve!) when you can buy exactly the same scales from eBay for about two quid! I bought two scales and including shipping from Hong Kong it was still only about seven quid.

We checked mine against Glenn's when he visited and they both read the same.

David


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

> Obviously changing your coffee every five mins will not help as they all grind differently so remember to stick with the one you love until you have nailed it and then if you are changing you will know exactly how to fine tune to the next coffee.


I've just changed to Brazilian Perfetio from Has Bean and even with the minimum of tamping coffee is struggling to just get out of my portafilter. Shot time in the region of 1 minute at least.

Just when you think you have it nailed a different bean comes along to mess you up.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Sounds like you need to coarsen it up a few dozen turns on the grinder.

Whats the roast date on that? and are the beans really cold by any chance?


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