What Is Espresso Puck?

The puck is the used coffee grounds in the portafilter If your grind was right, the grind should stick together in a solid round ‘puck’. It should be firm and dry, easily snapping into 3-4 pieces.

What does your espresso puck tell you?

Any sign of channeling is telling you something about what’s going on inside the puck during extraction The surest way to spot it is by looking at the underside of your portafilter while your shot is pulling. Spraying, gaps in extraction, and the way the first drops come through the filter can all be warning signs.

What does a coffee puck screen do?

The new Caffewerks puck screen can help soften and even the delivery of water to the coffee bed and help prevent channeling and to ensure a more even and balanced extraction.

How should an espresso puck look?

The espresso shot should pour steadily and remain golden in colour, with just a little blonding at the end. It should look like a long ‘mouse tail’ The first shot of the day will always be a bit quicker than the next one and then the next one, so we will time 3 shots before we make any grinder adjustments.

How hard is tamp espresso?

Apply 20-30 pounds of pressure , and polish baristas often recommend 30 pounds of pressure, but some do as little as 20 pounds. More and more are finding that tamping pressure is overrated—it’s hard on the wrist and cause an over-extracted, bitter brew.

What can you do with an espresso puck?

  • Coffee Exfoliator. I think one of the most interesting uses for used coffee grounds is as a facial and body exfoliator
  • plant food
  • Insect Repellant
  • Deodorizer
  • Hair and clothing dye
  • Cleaning scrub
  • Flea Reducer.

Why are my espresso pucks wet?

A coffee puck can be wet when the amount of coffee grounds in the scoop isn’t enough You can also get a sense of this when you don’t notice resistance upon tamping your espresso. If you want to decrease your espresso’s potency, you can use a coarser grind or a different roast.

Why are my espresso pucks soupy?

If your coffee puck is too soft or muddy, then you are dosing too low (Picture #3). A low dose means that you may have had channelling through your coffee, causing an uneven extraction (see the holes in Picture #3). Also, your espresso will lack body and sweetness, making it taste a little thin and over extracted.

Why is there no crema on my espresso?

If your espresso comes out with no crema, it’s most likely because you’re using the wrong coffee grind size Your coffee grind should be just a tad finer than table salt. Other reasons why you’re seeing no crema could be because of stale coffee beans or bad water pressure.

What creates crema on coffee?

When water is pushed through ground coffee at very high pressure, it extracts the coffee but also forces carbon dioxide out, creating tiny bubbles. These bubbles then mix with soluble oils released from the coffee and emulsify into a soft reddish-brown foam.

How do you remove an espresso puck?

My regimen is: 1) Knock the puck out ; 2) Rinse the pf with the hot water tap; 3) Lock in the pf and run a short, blank shot to get the grinds off the screen; 4) Rinse the pf with hot water again; and 5) Wipe the basket with my “Official Barista Towel.”.

Is a puck screen necessary?

Yep, that’s it. It’s very simple in design, application, and in theory it should work They call it a “lower contact shower screen” because as it sits on top of your freshly tamped grinds and should provide a more even distribution of water.

Is PUCK screen useful?

This will help to prevent channeling and ensure a more even and balanced extraction from your Flair 58 In addition, the Puck Screen will reduce the need for cleaning of the brew head, as it will minimize the amount of coffee material that is pulled into the brew head when lifting the lever after a shot is completed.

What is Puck filter?

Categories: Flair Puck Puck. The perfect shot screen for your favorite Flair 58 or 58x brew head, the Flair 58 Puck screen is a 58.5mm filter screen placed on top of the bed of coffee prior to brewing an espresso and works by softening and evening out the flow of water to the coffee bed in your Flair 58 machine.

What is the best grind size for espresso?

The best ground beans size for espresso is 0.88 mm or 1.32 of an inch ; this is a fine grind. While the precise size can fluctuate slightly with different coffee beans and even different espresso machines, it’s essential to keep practicing until you get the grind size right.

How long should you pull a shot of espresso?

The ideal brewing time you’re looking for is between 20 – 30 seconds – if you’re running too long or too short, check your grind, dose and tamp, then adjust it accordingly. If your shots are coming out unevenly from both spouts, your tamp needs to be more even.

What is the purpose of a bottomless portafilter?

Bottomless portafilters allow the barista to instantly deduce whether proper tamping technique has been achieved If the extraction leans to one side or the other an improper angle was used when tamping.

Is tamping necessary?

Why Tamping Is Necessary. What is this? There needs to be a small amount of space between the espresso maker’s filter and where the water comes out of the machine, which is part of why tamping is necessary If you don’t tamp your coffee grounds, there won’t be enough space for the water to optimally saturate the coffee.

Do you need a tamping mat?

Tamping mats are an essential must-have accessory for every barista , be it in a busy commercial setting or at home. Sure you can buy a flat square of rubber in any hardware shop that would achieve a lot of the aims of our Cafelat mats, but more often than not these are smelly old bits of rubber that look awful.

What happens if you over tamp espresso too hard?

Tamping pressure shouldn’t be too hard as it can lead to over-extracting and an extremely bitter taste of espresso Polish the puck with a twisting motion. Avoid twisting as you push down though.

Are espresso pucks good for plants?

And, once you have enjoyed its taste, do not throw away the coffee pucks! There are plenty of ways to give them a second life. For example, they can be recycled and used for gardening Coffee grounds, in fact, are rich in nutrients such as calcium, nitrogen, potassium and magnesium, essential for fertilisation.

What do you do with espresso pucks Reddit?

  • Save pucks.
  • Apply small amount of egg wash or other natural protein binder to assist in structural integrity of puck.
  • Find friend or minion with good arm, or some kind of small catapult.
  • Go to field with shotgun.
  • Have friend or minion chuck pucks, and you shoot at pucks.

Do all house plants like coffee grounds?

Yes, coffee grounds are beneficial for indoor plants ! This rich organic material is good for your plants due to its high nitrogen content, micronutrients, and high-water retention. The absolute best way to use coffee grounds on your houseplants is to compost!.

Can you tamp coffee too hard?

Use a downward twisting motion as you are coming up out of pushing down. This continues to compact the coffee, even as you lift the tamper off of the service. Tamping espresso too hard or unevenly isn’t just bad for your wrist – it can also cause over-extraction.

Why is my espresso so bitter?

The main cause of sour, bitter, and burnt flavors in espresso is over-extraction and under-extraction With over-extraction the coffee becomes overcooked and releases unwanted flavors; it becomes harsh, bitter, and burnt. With under-extraction too few of the good flavors end up in the cup; it becomes weak and sour.

What should the puck look like after a good shot of coffee?

Press on the surface of the coffee, the surface should feel firm with a spongy surface (Picture #1). Knock the puck out onto the bench, and you should find that it stays intact, indicating that your dose is perfect.