How to avoid wet pucks with spring lever?

December 20th, 2019, 11:08 am

I'm still adapting to my new Achille, but one semi intermittent annoyance I've been having is some water on the puck unless I wait a good while for all the tripping to cease. If I'm doing back to back Americanos and taking the PF off fairly quickly after a shot, I don't get a real sneeze, so it's not over-pressurized at that point, at most just a slight "pff" but the puck at that point still has a lot of water on it and can get messy if I don't let it sit longer.

That may be all normal, but I figured the pucks would be a bit drier than that, and I'm curious if it comes down to inevitability, if I'm grinding too fine, or if dosing too high/low factors in at all?

It's a trival thing, but I'd rather figure out all the quirks as I go if I can!

#2: Post by **mathof** » December 20th, 2019, 11:32 am

Grind as fine as you need to get the extraction you are looking for. Sometimes there will be water left over in/on the puck. I suppose it's a function of particle size, tamp pressure, roast level and bean density. What's important is flavour.

#3: Post by **Marcelnl** » December 20th, 2019, 11:48 am

when doing back to back shots, even at a real fine grind (think 45-55 sec extractions), I can simply cock the lever slightly to release any (or most) PF pressure. I don't mind that the PF content is still wet, it's a function, you either wait or deal with it.

December 20th, 2019, 2:48 pm

Great info! As long as it's normal behavior of the design and not a flaw in technique/process, I'm content!

December 21st, 2019, 4:04 pm

On my machine I pull the lever about 30 degrees with one hand and hold it a couple of seconds then release the PF with the other hand. The is no pressure release and puck is dry.

#6: Post by **Richard** » December 21st, 2019, 5:11 pm

TheMadTamper wrote:. . . one semi intermittent annoyance I've been having is some water on the puck . . ..

It's the water. Don't put water in the boiler and you will not have wet pucks.

December 25th, 2019, 6:43 pm

That was it! It's all better now, thanks!

#8: Post by **TenLayers** » December 25th, 2019, 7:22 pm

Sorry, ill advised after a couple hot buttered rums..

#9: Post by **jwCrema** » December 25th, 2019, 7:57 pm

Funny you should mention this. My Club never had any appreciable pressure to release. When I started using the Elektra I started with the same grind I used in the Club. Why not, eh? After the second wet puck mess in a row I deduced a change was necessary. It blew grounds all over the place and ruined the drinks. I have family members who like to pull their own shots and I like to keep things super simple & consistent.

At first I tried a slow release of the portafilter. But that didn't work due to what the locals in Idaho would call a "hair trigger."

I've alleviated most of the issue by grinding much coarser, while going up 1g in dose. The taste is still outstanding, and but I may continue to coarsen up the grind to see if I can mostly eliminate the issue to keep it simple. I'm at 15g instead of 14g.

The Club is such a mellow machine - it definitely is doing a lower pressure shot than the Elektra. I could not replicate the Elektra blowup on the Club if I pulled the portafilter off mid pull.

December 25th, 2019, 10:57 pm

jwCrema wrote: ... I deduced a change was necessary. ... I've alleviated most of the issue by grinding much coarser,

To my mind that's solving a minor problem by creating a major one. Portafilter sneeze just requires a little patience to cure; by grinding coarser, you are compromising shot quality, especially with lighter roasts.