Hi David, The shot you see in my video is 18g of coffee in a 21g basket. We even did the nickel test - - - I can lock in the portafilter fully, pull it right back out and the nickel hasn't dented the puck.

Now I'm not ruling out the possibility that we are all doing something wrong. I'd just like a solution.

ds wrote:Matt honestly this to me looks the same like when I have too much coffee in the basket and crack the puck when I insert the portafilter into the group. It also happens at exactly same place every time when it happens just like for you. What I would suggest to eliminate this possibility is dosing 18g of coffee into triple 21g basket so there is plenty of headspace left. Then pulling shot like that and see what happens. So 18g of coffee into triple basket and pull the shot. The puck should be soupy afterwards and have water on top...

Fordscoffee wrote:I'm not sure I follow. You are suggesting that I start the flow of water (half way point of paddle) then while the water is flowing put the portafilter up and lock it in ?

Yes, that way you're certain the flow rate is gentle. You'll have ~4 seconds to lock in.

But I assume you are talking about the portafilter being out of level with respect to the dispersion screen? Which could be difficult to see. Am I following?

Yes, on both. But, if you placed a level on the bottom of the Portafilter with a blind basket in place and all was well, then all is well from a machining standpoint.

Where are you located in Brooklyn?

HB wrote:I assume the technicians checked the inlet pressure and flow rate (the Strada has a gicleur/orifice to slow pressure ramp). As a quick sanity check, try this suggestion:


To be sure you get a super-slow ramp, move the paddle to the halfway point without locking in the portafilter. Observe the gentle, slow raining down from the dispersion screen. Then lock in the portafilter. It should take 6-10 seconds to pressurize. This is a trick I use for really fussy coffees.

If that still doesn't work, consider posting a video of your whole routine similar to Spot the errors in my barista routine.

Does locking in the portafilter while the pump is running disrupt the surface of the puck? I've always thought about doing this since sometimes it can be so tricky to get the right halfway point you want with the MP paddle.

Also read through the thread but don't know if this was asked or if it does affect, but is the machine itself level?

caffeinezombie wrote:Does locking in the portafilter while the pump is running disrupt the surface of the puck?

No, but don't take my word for it, try it.

I haven't used commercial equipment for any reasonable length of time so might be a strange question to ask, but is it normal to have wear on the left ear lug of the portafilter and the left side of handle?

erics wrote:Yes, on both. But, if you placed a level on the bottom of the Portafilter with a blind basket in place and all was well, then all is well from a machining standpoint.

This is something I have considered before (since I make portafilters) that the ears are even on both sides. In theory the ears merely push the basket up against the gasket and you would hope that the top of the basket meeting the flat gasket would level itself out. If the ears were considerably uneven (or the bayonet ring worn) then it is possible that the basket could seal at a cantered angle as long as the gasket was soft enough - and that could account for the uneven extractions.

The portafilter in the coin photo does look quite beat up and the lock-in position is quite far.

Worth a go swapping with a new portafilter.

Plausible, especially since the bottomless are still brass as opposed to the stainless on the single and double spouts and more prone to wear. However during fully locked position the ears would be roughly on the 9 and 3 O clock position, assuming it locks at 6 O clock. Only way I see this possible is if its severely worn, especially on one side.
However if your bayonet bolts are not tightened evenly to the cap or have a bit of play then it would have different clearance to the gasket. The portafilter will still seal if locked but may not be evenly pressed to the gaskets. Also this being an MP the group cap probably has been removed more than few times for full rebuild.

Perhaps you could do a full rebuild on the group, and ensure it's done correctly with the new MP rebuild kit?