Add one more downside to transfering from one vessel to another... additional time passes. Your espresso should be drunk as soon as possible.

Just thought that I'd chime in with a comment about tamping. I think that I've tried just about every method recommended. My current method which results in consistent times and volumes with no channeling from my bottomless portafilter is what I call the 'finger poke' method. It is sort of like a perverted Staub tamp. After leveling and before tamping, I just poke my finger into to coffee all around the periphery of the basket. It's kind of like tucking the sheet in when making a bed or crimping pie dough while making a crust.

Bob

HB wrote:What I described in Dose, distribute, tamp. Repeat. is pretty much what Chris Deferio advocated.

Dan...forgive my obtuseness, but i seem to be getting conflicting theories here...I read on 1 hand when doing the "polishing twist, to do so WITHOUT downward force...and here, you describe doing it at the end with 20lbs of force....which is it?
TIA

Just like songwriting...more than one way to screw up a good lyric! ;>D