So I'm getting very soggy pucks on the Linea mini. Is that true for others? I'm willing to believe that I need to change my technique, and my grinder - The latter is happening in any case - but want to make sure it's not a common issue before fighting it.

It's the Precision baskets supplied with the Linea Mini. VST manufactures the baskets for LM. They are known to be prone to creating a soggy puck because they are designed for a finer grind. It is generally considered not to be a problem as long as you are otherwise getting good extractions and the shots taste good. It will be more of an issue the smaller the basket, so 14g worse than 18g, and 18g worse than 21g.

Try searching the forums for "VST soggy puck" and you should get more info than you care to read on the subject.

There's also this Barista Hustle from Matt Perger:
For a Good Puck

Soggy pucks? Hmmm.

How does it taste?

Well, we made it just over six months without a thread about wet, sloppy, or soggy pucks. Here's the last I found: Need Help: Espresso puck is always spongy. Below is one of my replies:

HB wrote:No, it's not a problem. It simply means there's some space between the top of the puck and dispersion screen post-decompression. If you're really curious about it, search the forums on "dry pucks" or "wet pucks" or even "sloppy pucks" for plenty of useless discussions of puckology.

Examples of more important considerations: Is the coffee fresh? What coffee are you using? What is the dose in grams? What is the volume (or weight) of the resulting espresso? How do you dose/distribute? And finally, how does the espresso taste?

FWIW, I took some photos of my puck right after a shot.

As Dan stated, the more space you have between the puck and dispersion screen, the more water left behind.

FWIW, I took a a few photos of my puck after a shot a 7g single shot and a 21g triple basket shot, both stock baskets.

The single shot wasn't firm but I wouldn't call it soggy either. It was soft and dumped cleanly from the basket.


The triple was very dry and firm and I couldn't get it out cleanly.

Thanks all. It's difficult when receiving a new machine to figure out what is on barista side, and what is on machine side.

I've been pulling using a bottomless portafilter I bought from CC with the machine. Have been swapping baskets around, I'm not used to the plethora of choice, so haven't really dealt with the various size options before. (Note, bottomless is from La Marzocco, don't know what that means on the basket. I switched to the VST baskets to see if it would change things)

Shots - my first one was excellent. Not sure I liked it better than a Vivaldi shot, but it had noticeably more clarity. Ever since then I've been micro channeling like mad. No actual spritzes, but I'm not happy at all with the look of the extraction.

I'm currently using a locally roasted SO kenyan (lamplighter) which I'm thinking is a finicky bean. I just got some hairbender so when the Kenyan is done I'll switch to that, following what malachi did in the initial review.

HB wrote:No, it's not a problem. It simply means there's some space between the top of the puck and dispersion screen post-decompression. If you're really curious about it, search the forums on "dry pucks" or "wet pucks" or even "sloppy pucks" for plenty of useless discussions of puckology.

Examples of more important considerations: Is the coffee fresh? What coffee are you using? What is the dose in grams? What is the volume (or weight) of the resulting espresso? How do you dose/distribute? And finally, how does the espresso taste?

I should answer this question, as I am fighting channeling as well, which I haven't done for a long time...

Coffee is local, fresh, but on the far end of my usual espresso window - 12 days. It's also a lightly roasted SO kenyan

Dosing all over the place. Started at 16 in 32 out, then went to 19/35 as that's what they do on their GB5, and figured it might correlate. Really long shots, up to 45 seconds. Grind is very fine. Doesn't taste particularly over extracted, but it may be the channeling is throwing me off.

Tamp procedure is distribute from doser, weigh, knock a few times with portafilter in the air, tap portafilter on counter to even things. Flat tamp, then nutating tamp, then flat tamp.

It's what I've been doing on my Mini Vivaldi with great results. It's possible/likely I need to change something with the new machine. Tamper is the convex one that came with machine, that I started off liking, and like it less and less every day - the top doesn't sit nicely in my hand.

Oh, and taste. By far the most important, and what got me going - I'm not happy. I've pulled one good shot, by the standards of this forum, and the rest have been coffee shop average, which doesn't make me very happy... Lets just say I'm going to temporarily move the machine closer to the sink.

Now have had Linea Mini for several weeks and generally the shots are very good. I have been grinding slightly finer than when started. My pucks have allso have been wetter than I expected, so am glad to hear that this common to the VST baskets. Have had a few that actually stuck (interestingly in one piece) on the group, Have been alternating between 17. 17.5 and 18 grams in the double basket. Am using a Reg Barber tamper most of the time. Also have used the bottomless portafilter that I purchased, but seem to prefer the standard. I may invest in some other baskets just to play with and would be interested in others experiences with different baskets? Thank You.

I wonder to what extent my grinder and coffee are playing a role. Can't do anything about former quickly, but I'll do a a/b test with coffee and Vivaldi tomorrow. I'm having a surprisingly hard time with channeling, but it may well be the coffee