"The Sock" pull...

A haven dedicated to manual espresso machine aficionados.
walt_in_hawaii
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#1: Post by walt_in_hawaii »

Its a stupid name, but I gotta call it something, so I'm just throwing this out there. I watched a video online a little while ago, it was supposed to be depicting the advantages of a bottomless portafilter... and the pull came out unbelievably, it reminded me of the huge bubble that came from my kids' bubble toys when they were tiny. It was almost the width of the portafilter as it ballooned out the bottom... HUH???!!! whazzat??

I'm not sure if that was just gas coming through and inflating it, or if the liquid actually was that thick and syrupy; I've certainly never had a pull come out like that, but I've seen a couple different videos now of pulls other than the normal single 'rat tail' I seem to draw. On occasion I've had separated tails that eventually join up, but if separated, the flow is less, so there is never any thickness associated with the individual tails. So what gives? Does viscosity matter? Is the ultimate aim of a lever machine (or any machine, but mine is a lever, so I will just admit to being an espresso racial profiler and name them all levers) to give birth to a block of espresso tasting sludge?

samuellaw178
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#2: Post by samuellaw178 »

If it's what I think you're referring to, it's likely a combination of fresh/gassy coffee + overheated water. It's probably either a La Pavoni or HX machine that you saw that on yeah? :D

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TomC
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#3: Post by TomC »

I see it all the time on my Cremina. It looks more like a soft serve cone falling smoothly out of the basket than coffee.

It's a combination of certain coffees like pulped natural Brazil's common in espresso blends and the lower, but steady pressure on the puck.

The same coffee on a commercial spring lever doesn't produce the same wide cone. But it does show that the pulped natural is making a lot of body and crema in the shot. This should apply to many other coffees as well.
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walt_in_hawaii (original poster)
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#4: Post by walt_in_hawaii (original poster) »

Sorry Sam, I don't remember what kind of machine it was, I was just a little too incredulous at the time... :) Overheated water, huh?

TomC, thanks... I guess that's why I'd never see something like that. I don't really use anything other than Ethiopians and Hawaiians, occasionally a Sumatran. never venture into brazil and have a little bit left of central americans, but the quality seems to drop off (lose maybe 10% or more in sorting the bad beans out) so I've stopped ordering centrals for awhile. Still have a few pounds of aceh, though... maybe next round of roasting I'll try a small batch of that and see what happens in the pull. Natural processed, not sure what pulped natural does differently. always single origins, though; no blends. Is there a palpable difference in mouthfeel? What is your favorite blend in the cremina?

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dominico
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#5: Post by dominico »

Perhaps a link to the video would be helpful?

As far as Sam's "overheated water" comment, if they were pulling the shot at a temperature that is extremely hot it can cause a cone very similar what you described.
https://bit.ly/3N1bhPR
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samuellaw178
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#6: Post by samuellaw178 »

Ok, I did a quick search on Pavoni's videos (just because there're plenty of videos) and captured some screen shots. Almost all of these are the pre-mil steam-heated Pavoni (1974-2000). And it tends to happen in the later phase of the pull.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FmutLs_164

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly7-4Exhzw8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ9pqouR918

This video showed two successive shots. First shot was OK, second shot you get the signature Socks Pull. Pretty strong case for overheated water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpB485wa5oM

It will happen on spouted portafilter as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2nNQ7z3kvU

Kryptonicspb
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#7: Post by Kryptonicspb »

It's funny because when I see that from my machine/basket I tend to adjust the grind finer as it is usually an indicator the flow is too fast for my tastes. I like the "cone" to hug the bottom of the basket more.

walt_in_hawaii (original poster)
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#8: Post by walt_in_hawaii (original poster) »

Thanks for that, Sam! yes, the first and second capture pretty much nails the condition...
so is the inside of the 'cone' just a big air bubble? or is it filled with the last dregs of the pull? The sheer volume inside that big a cone would seem to say it must be mostly air, otherwise the emulsion would overflow the cup... more importantly, what would that taste like??

MCALheaven
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#9: Post by MCALheaven »

On my Elektra this is exactly what I see on a partial or full second pull of the lever. The first pull may be perfect but second will look like your "sock" and flow noticeably faster with hotter (overheated) result. I don't think it's a good thing. Lots of crema but never tastes as good as the single pull (non-overheated). Works ok for flavored lattes though.