Question for yogurt-cup WDT practitioners

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DaveB
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#1: Post by DaveB »

Following advice I read on HB, I carefully measured and cut a plastic yogurt cup so that it goes into the portalfilter several millimeters and wedges into place. After WDT, when I lift it out it leaves a substantial looking channel around the inner circumference of the basket, as shown here:



So what do you guys do at this point? Ignore it and tamp? Tap the sides to fill the gap and then tamp?

Since I use a cheap distribution tool set to 10mm, I'm guessing that might take care of it. But what about folks who don't use such tool?
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jchung
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#2: Post by jchung »

I 3d printed a custom funnel for my PF. It sits on the basket and doesn't go in the basket.





Before I custom made mine, I used the Orphan Espresso funnel which left a similar channel in the basket. I didn't find it affected my tamping.

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DaveB (original poster)
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#3: Post by DaveB (original poster) »

While your homemade funnel is quite nice, my question is specific to using a cut yogurt cup as shown on page 2 of John Weiss' WDT tutorial.

If the OE funnel forms a similar channel and is of no consequence, that is a good data point
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RapidCoffee
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#4: Post by RapidCoffee »

Hi Dave. I've been using a cut off yogurt cup funnel for over a decade, without any edge channeling issues. If you trim the bottom of the funnel properly, and do not overdose the basket, any minimal imprint from the funnel is easily filled in with a slight shake/tap of the basket before tamping. You can also use nutation or a leveling tool to ensure level grinds prior to tamping. (Having said that: my experiments with a 3-vaned "clover leaf" leveling tool have not yielded impressive results.)

Decent Espresso sells a nicely manufactured funnel that sits on top of the basket. But it's heavy (228g vs ~30g for a basket), and I keep going back to my trusty old yogurt cup funnel (4-5g). The 3-D printed funnel looks promising.
John

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#5: Post by *sigh* »

I don't use the yogurt cup, the funnel from Kafatek leaves a similar channel. I just give the portafilter one good vertical knock on my tamping mat that helps fill in the channel and settle the grounds below the lip of the basket to make tamping easy. My pours generally start out quite even so it doesn't seem to make a difference for me, but I'll have to experiment with a few other options to see if I notice anything different.

ScottL
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#6: Post by ScottL »

I get the 'ring' around the edge of the filter basket after WDTing as well. To alleviate this I use my stirring tool (a wooden kebab stick cut in half) to level the grounds with the top of the portafilter after stirring. Usually there is a little bit of excess that ends up spilling over the edge of the portafilter anyway, but that way I am ensured enough grounds will be in the basket to allow me to create a level surface prior to tamping.

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AZRich
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#7: Post by AZRich »

I also use a yogurt cup, and after removing it, tap to settle, then some minor grooming with a stirrer, then a quick spin of grooming tool, then tamp. (then I lay a precut round filter paper on top to keep my screen clean) The bottom line is how the extraction looks with a bottomless portafilter. I find I must be rather careful in my prep in order to get a great looking pour, but usually do so. Without that bottomless pf I'd be blind.

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DeGaulle
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#8: Post by DeGaulle »

Never mind the channel around the circumference of the PF after you remove the funnel. If you have sufficiently stirred and loosened up the grounds, just tapping the PF on the tamping mat once or twice will settle the grounds and fill the gap nicely.
I used a yoghurt cup for a couple of years and a few months ago switched to the OE aluminum funnel, but either will work.
Bert

DaveB (original poster)
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#9: Post by DaveB (original poster) »

RapidCoffee wrote:Hi Dave. I've been using a cut off yogurt cup funnel for over a decade, without any edge channeling issues. If you trim the bottom of the funnel properly, and do not overdose the basket, any minimal imprint from the funnel is easily filled in with a slight shake/tap of the basket before tamping. You can also use nutation or a leveling tool to ensure level grinds prior to tamping. (Having said that: my experiments with a 3-vaned "clover leaf" leveling tool have not yielded impressive results.)

Decent Espresso sells a nicely manufactured funnel that sits on top of the basket. But it's heavy (228g vs ~30g for a basket), and I keep going back to my trusty old yogurt cup funnel (4-5g). The 3-D printed funnel looks promising.
I am honored to get a response from the man / legend himself!

The main reason I like the cut yogurt cup (aside from the fact that it cost nothing) is that I can use it for hands free grinding, as my grinder has a little tab that hooks over the basket. This pushes the yogurt cup in a millimeter or two; I'm thinking a rigid funnel would not work this way.




I am using an 18 gram dose into a stock Breville basket, and this is what it looks like after WDT:



This is what it looks like after a light tap or two onto the mat, just before removing funnel:




After reading the above responses, I simply tapped a couple more times and the groove disappeared. As the consensus seems to be that it's a non-issue, I will leave it at that and call it good. Thank you all for the input, and thank you John for the great tutorial!
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SiempreTuParceroMike
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#10: Post by SiempreTuParceroMike »

Permit me as I piggy-back on this theme. I neither use a funnel not WDT (I used to with my Rocky) and I do get a ring around the circumference of the PFB. But does anyone have any proof based on experience that such a ring is affecting the pours? Or, does it just look messy and thus the inference is that it might be an issue?


EDIT: Just in case that sounds rude or skeptical, I promise that's not the case. I'm just trying to dig a bit deeper into the "what" and "why."

Best,
Mike

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