Do you fully dry the basket between shots?
I am just wondering if a wet basket could affect puck preparation

I am coming from the perspective of a Robot owner, but I guess this is a generic question

Thanks

I do but I also preheat my Robot baskets before I use them.

I don't have a Robot, but do dry my basket. My process is to rinse the basket under the tap, give it a shot of water from the espresso machine water wand, dry, then fill.

It seems messy to me to use a wet basket. The coffee would stick to the walls. Would it affect the shot? Probably not but then again, maybe. I suggest doing 100 shots with and without drying. Measure the timing, assess the shots visually, take refractometer readings, and do blind tastings with at least four people.

Let us know.

I dry the basket between shots to prevent any sort of side channeling.

My basket falls out of the portafilter and into the grounds too often. I usually rinse then dry.

A dry basket for me is a prerequisite for proper puck preparation. I don't feel I can have one without the other.

Nope. I treat it like my dog treats her coat when wet. A good shake, then move on with life.

Do what works for you.

I keep one of the cafelat microfiber cloths (not that you couldn't use anything) with my coffee setup and I use it to wipe it out if it's wet. Also use same cloth to wipe out puck residue between shots without bothering to rinse if I am pulling multiple shots in a row. Since I use the cloth over and over it's rarely bone dry but I strive for dry-ish.

TL/DR: Yes.

Long answer:
I use Cafelat Robot (barista model) as my essentially sole espresso brewer. And it is <=3 espressos per day. But twice a year I play barista for my in-laws (Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Each of these days I make range 12 to 24 double espresso that almost exclusively go to make cappuccinos. They are very patient and appreciate the quality product. I have experimented with not drying basket, half-assed wipe drying and full drying. The not-drying and half-assed drying is to save some time. As stated by jpender and yakster above problem is dry ground coffee sticks to wet spot and can lead to uneven extractions. This has happened for my electric pump espresso brewer too.

You did not ask but one way to speed up Robot efficiency when making multiple consecutive drinks is to have two portafilter baskets. But I would suggest that if you are making >3 consecutive espresso daily with Robot then you may want to consider a lever with an electric pump and larger boiler.

To original poster: did you not dry basket between shots with prior espresso brewers you used?