Hi guys.
Like (probably) all of you, I let my portafilter warm up before pulling a shot. When I try it out before placing the coffee, I sometimes open it to clean the inside. Every time I found a good amount of moisture, accumulated after a number of flushes I usually do while the portafilter is still attached to the machine.
That made me think - it's easily 2-3g of H2O which should not be there. And therefore the question - should I also dry that (open the gasket, dry inside) before pulling a shot?
Thanks!

Are you asking about the water between the portafilter basket and the portafilter spout? The area just below the basket?

Typically one would wipe down the portafilter basket inside, as you don't want to wet your coffee before it's time to pull the shot. If there is alot of water underneath the basket I think a quick tap on the counter over a towel should probably take care of enough that you don't need to worry about it.

Hope that helps.

If you use a bottomless portafilter and dry the basket, there's no moisture buildup, unless you count the water clinging to the dispersion screen (even that's too OCD for me). If you're using a spouted portafilter, a few drops of water cling to the bottom of the bowl. I tilt the portafilter to assure that the spout and bowl are clear; I've seen some baristas spin the portafilter around to get it extra dry. Seems like wasted effort for 2-3 drops of water, but then again, I've never done a side-by-side comparison.

Thanks.