BaristaBob wrote:ab...similar experience to you, with respect to deliciousness! You must grind directly into your PF!?

I grind into a vessel then use a dosing funnel + WDT. Every time I dose directly into the portafilter I make a mess.

I'm currently using a 58.5 x 1.7 screen, primarily to keep things clean up top. I thought I might try a paper filter instead. Does anyone have an opinion on screen vs paper to prevent back flowing contamination into the machine? Also, the 58.5 screen fits perfectly in the basket of my Lelit Elizabeth. Should I buy 58.5 paper filters or go with 58.? Thanks

I've been using paper for about a week now and I've found there are some plusses and minuses compared to metal.

plus:
no cleaning or drying - chuck it after each shot

doesn't affect temperature of the shot

minus:
a bit fiddly to store and handle. need to be kept dry and peeling one off the stack can be a pain

biggest minus is that the puck seems to stay a lot wetter after the shot and doesn't knock out cleanly into the trash. i find i have to manually loosen the grounds from the basket each time.

for me, it's kind of a draw.

Been using an OEM 1.7mm mesh screen for a while. Recently switched to a MHW-3Bomber screen and my amateur tongue could taste a clearer, fresher note. Also a breeze in cleaning too.

slybarman wrote:I've been using paper for about a week now and I've found there are some plusses and minuses compared to metal.

plus:
no cleaning or drying - chuck it after each shot

doesn't affect temperature of the shot

minus:
a bit fiddly to store and handle. need to be kept dry and peeling one off the stack can be a pain

biggest minus is that the puck seems to stay a lot wetter after the shot and doesn't knock out cleanly into the trash. i find i have to manually loosen the grounds from the basket each time.

for me, it's kind of a draw.

Did you increase dose by 0.5 g when switching from metal to paper? Wonder if the wetness is due to more head space.

no, I'm using the same 14g dose in a 15g basket.