Sometimes an 18g dose will be fluffy enough to mound above the portafilter basket which makes leveling easier. I take a chopstick, set it flush against the top of the basket and push the coffee grinds around until it's smooth and flat. Other times (usually with clumping involved) the grind level isn't near as fluffy and sits lower in the basket basket so my chopstick can't reach the coffee. When it's below the basket I'm not sure how to level before tamping. I usually just whack the portafilter with the side of my hand to try and flatten it out and then tamp, but I'm not sure if this is the proper way to do it.

Is the the goal to always ensure the coffee grinds are mounded above the top of the basket?

If not, how do you level the grinds if the volume isn't high enough?

The inconsistency of volume is precisely why we recommend dosing by weight. It is obviously harder to level below the rim. Some people use various tools to scrape below the rim, I personally just use some shaking and tapping to level it out, then smooth it with a light tamp before i tamp for real. Don't shake or tap after tamping though.

If you have clumps, you can always try WDT (stirring with a needle or other thin utensil). This helps with leveling as well.

Even with exact dosing weight the volume is likely to change day to day. At least for me that has been the case.

SonVolt wrote:Even with exact dosing weight the volume is likely to change day to day. At least for me that has been the case.

I'm sure it is, that's my point. In terms of getting the recipe right, weight is more consistent. In terms of what the volume ends up being and how you are going to level if it winds up below the rim, that's something you just need to learn a trick to deal with.

SonVolt wrote:If not, how do you level the grinds if the volume isn't high enough?

Search is your friend. Following these forum search tips, I found these previous discussions:

• Down-dosing: how to level when the basket isn't overflowing?
• Proper distribution technique when "down dosing" using WDT
• Underdosed Stockfleth - When your dose is below the basket rim
• Dosing less than level with the rim of the basket
• Downdosing tool
• How to properly dose when using ~14.5g coffee in double basket?

The short answer is dose by weight and use the WDT if you want to be extra consistent. I personally focus on dosing more carefully to minimize the need to redistribute in the first place, as demonstrated in Newbie Introduction to Espresso - Grinders.

Maybe I worded my question wrong - my actual train of thought was wondering if I should find for a basket size that would ensure the volume of my typical dosing weight always mounded over the top of basket before leveling and tamping.

If you can find an appropriate basket, sure why not, but I wouldn't sweat it. Worry more about taste than what you think you "should" do. Also, it can be helpful to err on the side of "basket too large" , so there is plenty of headspace above the puck. I personally almost always end up dosing below the rim. But whatever works well for you is fine.

SonVolt wrote:Maybe I worded my question wrong - my actual train of thought was wondering if I should find for a basket size that would ensure the volume of my typical dosing weight always mounded over the top of basket before leveling and tamping.

In a cafe setting you might want the baskets sized to your dose, or if you are pulling the same beans day after day that might be something you like. Then again some people just need more precision. If you want different sized baskets based on dosage grams* they are available.
* : Note that the volume of a coffee bean at a particular grind that will fit in your basket differs from variety to variety and roast to roast...

I generally use the same basket for nearly everything. A tapered double basket. Some 18g doses are quite low in the basket and others fill it to the top. Again, that depends on the beans and the grind.

For tamping I've mostly stopped leveling my doses and just tamp straight down. My basket loads slightly towards the front so my initial move with the tamper is touch the mound, slight motion toward the handle that centers the mound and then a straight down tamp. I have fewer spritzers this way. I also have a K10 grinder that typically doesn't need WDT.

variation is normal especially in the summer with swings in humidity and temperature. I just use my finger bowed down or you can take a flexible cutting board and cut a distribution tool out of it that will sit down inside the basket.