Since returning from my last visit to NYC, I've been experimenting with an abrupt change in distribution technique.

I watched the baristas at Ninth Street and Gimme pull great shots after no leveling of the coffee. They simply tamped the mounded coffee just as it came from the doser. No tapping, no Stockfleth, no Chicago chop, no nuttin'. Just grind, thwack, and tamp the mounded pile of coffee.

When I returned home I tried this with my SJ (Shnozzola(TM) installed). Grind, thwack, and try and keep the mound centered. Then tamp the mounded surface, forcing the coffee to distribute out to the edges under the pressure of tamping.

I am getting excellent bottomless PF shots this way, with virtually no channeling, and apparently without the doughnut extraction I expected. In fact, I'm pretty sure I am getting better tasting shots doing this than when leveling off.

Anyone else made this "discovery?"

Jim

That seems to be the case with good grinders. It helps even more if you center a perfect mountain in the center of the basket.

Cheers

Are they distributing as they thwack, by rotating the PF? I have seen that, but never tried it.

another_jim wrote:Are they distributing as they thwack, by rotating the PF? I have seen that, but never tried it.

Maybe a few degrees side to side. But nothing that drew my attention.

Jim

Arpi wrote:That seems to be the case with good grinders. It helps even more if you center a perfect mountain in the center of the basket.

I think both shops were using Robur's. It did look like there was an effort made to keep the mound centered, as you say.

Jim

That is pretty much what I've been doing for awhile now; first with the SJ & now with a Major. I do move the basket around while dosing & try to end up with a nice centered pile. I swear I get much better pours & better tasting shots now then when I used to level/stir/ect.

another_jim wrote:Are they distributing as they thwack, by rotating the PF? I have seen that, but never tried it.

I have been doing that for a while (couple of years). I take the doser forks off my grinders so I can move the portafilter around in small circles while dosing. The coffee gets thrown around the perimeter of the basket, not mounded in the centre. A tap or two onto the tamper stand settles out the grinds and I tamp. If I happen to miss the mark and get a small mound I will knock the top off with a finger but that is about it. You do have to have a good grinder to do that. The slower grinders extrude the grounds out the chute and clump bad. You have to do some distribution on those most of the time.

Dave which grinder are you using? I've not had much luck with this (in the past) on my Super Jolly.

I find this to be no surprise at all.

JimG wrote:the baristas... pull great shots after no leveling of the coffee... No tapping, no Stockfleth, no Chicago chop...

None of these maneuvers should have any impact on distribution of the coffee grounds, by which I mean the presence of clumps and irregularities within the mass of coffee grounds that may lead to channeling. In fact, as you observe, by touching the coffee grounds via such a leveling maneuver (especially tapping), you may create an irregularity in the distribution.

Tamping and the 9 Bar of subsequent pressure will spread the coffee grounds out evenly in the basket.

Rather, I suspect these maneuvers simply serve to make the dose weight consistent from shot to shot.

TimEggers wrote:Dave which grinder are you using? I've not had much luck with this (in the past) on my Super Jolly.

Are you using stock burrs or the Duraniums? I found I got much better results with the stock burrs.