Flow control to mitigate channeling

#1: Post by **Oberon** » January 18th, 2023, 3:31 pm

Greetings All,

I had an ECM Classika PID with a Eureka Specialty 75 and they seemed to be nice machines, but over the course of a couple years, and lots of attention to technique and tools, I eventually got tired of regular channeling/spritzing...the espressos were typically fine and rarely bad, but I didn't need performance anxiety at 5:30AM every day, or being shamed by the revelations of my bottomless portafilter. I know I could have just used my spouted PF and lived in somewhat blissful ignorance, but that's not how I'm wired.

So...sold the Classika, kept the Eureka 75, and have been doing chemex pour-overs for a couple years, and I'm not taken with the workflow, and so have been revisiting the world of espresso...and whoa! Flow control is now accessible on any E61 machine, and ECM's Puristika looks right up my alley for an americano only diet with a spouse who is very hawkish about counter space.

I have no interest in light roasts, so taming them is not a flow control benefit I care about...I am wondering just how much difference flow control (in its various guises/names) does for mitigating channeling/spritzing???

Thanks much for any insights

#2: Post by **Nunas** » January 18th, 2023, 3:59 pm

In my experience, a flow control isn't a panacea for bad puck prep. That said, on the odd occasion where I do have a problem, if I get to it quickly enough, I can sometimes use the FCD to turn what would have been a sink shot into passable (but not great) espresso.

#3: Post by **jgood** » January 18th, 2023, 4:06 pm

I agree -- I don't see how flow control will help with puck issues. Were you stirring the grinds and then getting them fairly level before tamping?

#4: Post by **spressomon** » January 18th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Bad or insufficient puck prep will still show its ugliness during/after pre-infusion, etc.

Take a look at this from Lance Hendrick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzrs7hj7Sto

100% spot on based upon my experiences using many different puck prep tools and methods over the years.

FWIW, this is what I am using and it works great: https://www.etsy.com/listing/977629464/ ... ng_details

If you follow Lance's instructions of raking the grounds in the basket from the bottom, to middle to top areas you will eliminate 99% of channeling. I grind into a catch cup on my Kafatek Flat, then pour the grounds into the basket, then rake, then a light tamp and you're done. It works!

#5: Post by **mrgnomer** » January 18th, 2023, 4:41 pm

I agree about puck prep. Getting a puck to consistently extract evenly is easier with consistently well dosed, even, level tamped grinds. A gentle preinfusion from a showerscreen that disperses water evenly might help too if you're using a pump set at high bars.

One thing that used to be a big deal is preventing puck disturbance after prep. Don't bang it before or during lock in. Lock in gently.

#6: Post by **another_jim** » January 18th, 2023, 5:36 pm

I do not rake. poke, groom or otherwise TLC my pucks. I don't get espressoporn pours, but I don't get spritzes either. I often do get several streams, but this makes no detectable difference in taste compared to more filmworthy pours.

So here's what matters: 1) Don't overload your basket, 14 to 15 gram doubles are way easier to level and tamp nonchalantly than 18 to 21 gram doubles. 2) Don't use perfectly cylindrical precision baskets, use baskets that taper. 3) Flow control can save some shots by slowing down wonky looking pours.

Now people will say that doing it this way cannot make optimal espresso shots. I don't care. Nobody has ever complained about the shots I make; and the "optimal" shots I've had mostly don't taste as good as my casual ones.

#7: Post by **spressomon** » January 18th, 2023, 5:46 pm

Jim, just to be clear: You say a shot that has visual channeling tastes as good or better than a shot w/o any visual defects including channeling?

#8: Post by **another_jim** » January 18th, 2023, 6:43 pm

If you call two streams without spritzing "channeling" yes; I''ve never tasted a degradation based on that. Notice that my work flow doesn't include the S&M of overstuffed precision baskets. Not my kink; ymmv.

#9: Post by **Martin** » January 19th, 2023, 10:38 am

Jim. What's the word (and technique) you introduced for a tamping process where you rotate the tamper to emphasize the outer edge of the puck. When plotted, the action looked like a line drawn from a spot on a rolling wheel, reminiscent of a calculus exercise. Did you abandon that?

#10: Post by **spressomon** » January 19th, 2023, 10:50 am

Nutation.