I got a new ECM Classika machine a week ago, it is my first E61 machine and has been fun so far to use. One thing I have noticed is that the puck is wet, even has a little water on the surface when I remove the portafilter. Additionally, when I do remove if and the vacuum is broken water comes out of the drain part of the group into the drip tray. The puck being wet makes for not the best knock out performance and I am typically left with some spent coffee in the filter basket.

Are these things "normal" performance/behavior for E61 machines?

Yup. It will vary by the type of bean, grind, level of roast and how long the portafilter stays in the machine prior to knockout. There are a bunch of threads on this, the bottom line of which I believe is that a soupy puck does not affect what's in the cup.

Nunas wrote:There are a bunch of threads on this...

No kidding! This question has been asked/answered regularly for over 10 years. Search on puckology. For example, from the FAQ, there's Wet puck, how to fix it? and Soupy puck syndrome.

I don't think OP is asking about anything related to puckology, ie equating a nicer puck to a nicer espresso.

To get back to what OP is asking, I don't know if it's normal or not for E61s, but I also recently got my first E61 and have also noticed much soupier pucks than with my previous machine. Even with a little water sitting on top, just like you said. It's annoying to clean up, I agree, especially the group head.

I hope someone with experience will chime in about the way an E61 works that might explain why pucks are wetter than on, say, my old Gaggia Classic Pro. Or that we should check our solenoid valves or something. Or that it's normal and everyone has soupy pucks with E61s. On the other threads linked above, you have to sift through the comments saying "stop worrying about puckology" but I think the only answers are you can either wait longer before taking the portafilter out, or dose higher.

Tyme wrote:I hope someone with experience will chime in about the way an E61 works that might explain why pucks are wetter... I think the only answers are you can either wait longer before taking the portafilter out, or dose higher.

In my experience, the E61 pucks aren't noticeably wetter than others (e.g. ECM Synchronika, La Marzocco GS/3). I've used both for catering where I was making +20 drinks an hour, so there was no waiting around for water to bleed off. My assumption is that the puck clearance determines if there's excess water. FWIW, when catering, I either use a timed grinder or use the strikeoff method to measure out ~17 grams/double.

I'm not a puckologist but would suggest dropping your basket down one size (same dose) and see if it improves.

HB wrote: I've used both for catering where I was making +20 drinks an hour

Wow I'm impressed I'll get stressed out by making 5 shots lol lol

Nunas wrote:a soupy puck does not affect what's in the cup.

That's a pretty catchy phrase with a slant rhyme that would make a nice short poem as well as good advice:
A soupy puck
Does not affect
What's in the cup

I mean that as a compliment

Thanks for all the responses. Admittedly, I need to get better using the search to find the specific information I am looking for. I am confident anything I may want to read about espresso making is here somewhere.