Hi All,
After 4 years of mistress Silvia and I engaging in our normal morning ritual, I decided to spice things up with the addition of a naked portafilter.
Day one, "Hmmm... this came out a lot better than I expected..."
Day 2 "Why didn't I do this sooner, this is really nice..."
Day 3 Hissing, spitting, espresso shooting in fine streams in all directions..... Ah, I have angered the mistress.....

No changes, same dose, same grind (mazzer SJ) same coffee (roasted Monday)

Next shot, same mess. Same technique, same tamp, same temp surf I have been doing since getting wise to her little tortures...

Learning: A very fine spray of espresso can stain a wall a long way away.

Am I looking at sloppy pressure control from the mistress?

I don't think I can take another Silvia learning curve at my age...


Best,

Mark

Older beans? Are you a "whacker" of the portafilter during/after your tamping routine? You might be inducing some small channeling.

If all the variables have been kept constant (grind setting, amount of grounds, prep ritual etc...) then I would look at bean freshness, or lack thereof, first then maybe environmental changes. Then again, some days are just off days! See what happens tomorrow.

HB wrote:Or switch back to the spouted filter and live in ignorant bliss.

But what has been tasted can not be untasted......

Back to the books to learn all over. Maybe it's time to send her on her way and succumb to upgradeitis.....

It may feel good to kick her to the curb.......

Out come the scale, the yogurt cup, and all those evil instruments I thought I was done with,



the adventure continues. I should know better.....


Best,

Mark

Look like this? I love this video.

yes, I suppose upgrading will just make those sprays go a little further.

I've had the same issue when I switched to naked PF, and it does seem a little random. It goes to show just how a little difference in preparation can affect the extraction. That said, apart from the mess, a mild spritz or two doesn't kill the flavor, just the mood. One option is to keep the bottomless for those times other than 7 AM on a work day.

PC