What? No Mess?

January 19th, 2022, 2:30 pm

I've seen maybe a hundred videos of people making espressos and with all of the grinding and distributing and tamping, there's never a stray grain of coffee grounds to be seen anywhere!?!

I've never been able to make espressos without at least some bits of grounds ending up on the counter or somewhere!

Is there a secret or am I just messy?

#2: Post by **mckolit** » January 19th, 2022, 2:58 pm

It's in the music, camera equipment, and lighting. Once you get those things while making your shot, you'll be good to go.

#3: Post by **luvmy40** » January 19th, 2022, 2:58 pm

Dark counter tops and clean as you go!

Give up on trying to be super neat. It doesn't work. There will always be a little bit that escapes your best intentions.

I have a tendency to ignore the mess until it threatens to take over the kitchen!

#4: Post by **Nunas** » January 19th, 2022, 3:00 pm

I don't have a mess of stray grounds, unless I do something untoward

. With my Sette grinder, I place a cloth over the base to catch any stray grinds, which usually isn't very much. With my Feilai ZF64w grinder, I use a stainless Orphan Espresso portafilter funnel, which catches everything. I tamp on a silicone mat that has grooves; it catches what little spill there may be. The rag and the silicone mat I just shake off into the sink as needed.

January 19th, 2022, 7:51 pm

My prep involves breaking up clumps with a curate as they fall into the portafilter. It's usually not very messy. These pics are about as bad as it usually gets. Static electricity can be a big factor regarding mess. Our grinder produces none.

#6: Post by **gscace** » January 20th, 2022, 9:25 am

daviddecristoforo wrote:I've seen maybe a hundred videos of people making espressos and with all of the grinding and distributing and tamping, there's never a stray grain of coffee grounds to be seen anywhere!?!

I've never been able to make espressos without at least some bits of grounds ending up on the counter or somewhere!

Is there a secret or am I just messy?

Good single dose grinder and workflow was a game changer for me. Dosing by weight is way better than grinders that dose volumetrically or by time. Personally I think we have a moral obligation not to waste a rather scarce and finite crop.

#7: Post by **mgwolf** » January 20th, 2022, 4:31 pm

A dosing funnel (eg one by Decent) helps greatly.

January 20th, 2022, 5:29 pm

Yes, I have a funnel and I do the water spritzing thing and it really helps keep it under control. It's not like I've got coffee grounds everywhere. I'm just looking at those videos where it seems like there's not a speck anywhere!

#9: Post by **macal425** » January 21st, 2022, 10:32 am

Since adding a funnel, I have been relatively mess free. Except for the time last week when I was tamping and got distracted and turned around right at the point I started to apply pressure. Somehow, I managed to completely flip the portafilter. That was not a fun mess to clean up.

#10: Post by **DamianWarS** » January 21st, 2022, 9:30 pm

daviddecristoforo wrote:I've seen maybe a hundred videos of people making espressos and with all of the grinding and distributing and tamping, there's never a stray grain of coffee grounds to be seen anywhere!?!

I've never been able to make espressos without at least some bits of grounds ending up on the counter or somewhere!

Is there a secret or am I just messy?

that's what jump cuts are for. When I started it was a mess, but I'm fortunate to have a separate coffee bar so it may be a mess but it's my mess but I've gotten more tidy over the years. RDT helps to keep static down which makes the coffee easier to work with and things like dosing cups and funnels help to keep the coffee where you want it. I keep a small handheld vaccum close by cause there are always messy days, I only mind when the coffee isn't good.