Easy fix for problems with bottomless portafilter channeling - Page 2

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
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aecletec (original poster)
Posts: 1997
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#11: Post by aecletec (original poster) »

Yes... this thread premise wasn't really about nutation but I can take or leave it depending on the coffee.

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roastaroma
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#12: Post by roastaroma »

I misunderstood, thinking maybe you were still looking for easy fixes. No question, the coffees vary significantly on how much fussing they need to get good pours.
"Non è la macchina, è la mano."
LMWDP #223

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aecletec (original poster)
Posts: 1997
Joined: 13 years ago

#13: Post by aecletec (original poster) »

Oh right! Yes well nutation does seem to help a lot with tricky coffees - I also misunderstood!

doppiodan
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Joined: 12 years ago

#14: Post by doppiodan »

I never was able to get consistently perfect pours with my Mazzer Mini, no matter what I tried. Dose, distribution Hocus pocus, nutation, NSEW tamping, yogurt cups, Stockfleths (not as easy as it looks), Chicago chop, WDT, RDT, WTF, etc.

You know what works the business? Mahlkonig K30 baby! 3.2 seconds, simple leveling of the beautiful fluffy mound, simple straight tamp with my custom machined tamper, no-pressure gentle spin as I lift the tamper, lock in, and go. Doesn't seem to matter if I line preinfuse or not. I still see some channeling sometimes but by and large it's just one pretty shot after another.

More importantly the shots are massively improved in mouthfeel and taste. I only wish I had bought the K30 sooner! How and why it's so sweet I can't say for sure but I think burr shape and alignment are probably to blame. It's German precision and I love it! Now, off to make some Tanzanian nectar!

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aecletec (original poster)
Posts: 1997
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#15: Post by aecletec (original poster) »

Yep, grinder certainly makes a difference. I went from a Faema A6 (no slouch) to the Anfim and it felt like night and day.
The K30 is upwards of 3.0K here, so it's not likely to be on the immediate horizon, unfortunately.

(edited to 3.0K instead of 3K because it made me feel clever)

doppiodan
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#16: Post by doppiodan »

Understood completely. Just wanted to make the point that grinder design has proven to be, for me, far and away the most significant variable. I'm sure the K30 is not alone in enabling more even extraction with minimal fussing. Sorry I can't offer alternatives from personal experience but for me the Mini was a pesky partner. The Ceado E37s seems to be roughly equivalent and at least here is quite a bit less expensive.

The best I did with the Mini was to rotate the basket while dosing, NOT TOUCH OR TAP the basket, then a straight tamp focusing on being level (use fingertips as I tamp to check tamper height all around), and slowly a quarter-turn polish with no pressure as I lift the tamper to break any adhesion between the tamper and top of the puck. Every once in a while I got a great pour. Unless the beans were too fresh. Or oily. Or it was super dry. Or humid. Or The weekend or I had guests over wanting a straight shot. Then the pesky beast would puke out clumpy grinds aplenty.

brianl
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#17: Post by brianl »

I can't speak on the terribleness of the mini. but tapping and bumping the basket before tamping is a very effective means of distribution that will reduce channeling.

And besides all the hoopla about how there is no difference between convex and flat tampers, my best results are with the convex. I actually just bought a c-flat and i'm curious how that works.

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