I like the LeverCraft WDT tool. And why shouldn't I? Eric and I worked together to create it, and I'm proud of how it looks, feels and performs.

That said, I rather wish that 90% of home baristas out there pulled shots from a single spout portafilter and kept their bottomless and WDT tools in the back of the coffee closet, next to the refractometer.

Here's the thing.

WDT is a troubleshooting tool to address extraction problems. It is sometimes necessary, like the user before mentioned with their Monolith Flat or my old Super Jolly. Mandatory.

However, troubleshooting tools really ought to be used in conjunction with a troubleshooting guide and therein lies the problem I'm trying to describe; troubleshooting guides start with a problem statement.

This topic started with a picture of ground coffee in a portafilter and a question:

iploya wrote:Is there any benefit to using WDT (i.e., stirring the grounds)?

The answer ought to unanimously have been:

What problem are you trying to troubleshoot with your espresso?

Even better:

What problem with the way your espresso tastes are you trying to troubleshoot?

This is where the single spout portafilter comes in. Coffee comes out a spout and lands in your cup. You taste it. If you are satisfied, that's it. If you taste something you don't like, you consult the troubleshooting guide. In the guide, under the problem of "Espresso tastes sour and bitter at the same time" you see things like:
"Check for there spritzers and other signs of channeling/severe unevenness of the extraction."

You bust out the bottomless and use the troubleshooting tools at your disposal to correct the issues, satisfied when the espresso tastes the way you want it. Then, hang up the bottomless and go back to single-spouted bliss.

Now, I use a bottomless daily and have for years. But mainly because I prefer the cleanliness. Basket removal is easy, and there is nothing to get dirty under the basket, so as long as my prep is on-point, it is a very clean process. I also used the WDT for every single shot once I learned how badly I needed it with my Super Jolly. After upgrading to a well-aligned 98mm flat burr grinder, I just assumed I still needed it, but it turns out I don't.

This reminds me of the precision basket discussion. If your aim is to chase diminishing returns to the ends of the earth, I applaud you and wish you success, but I highly suspect many folks would enjoy their coffee more if the process were placed on a lower tier than the product.

Much like the arbitrary "bottom of the basket fills in evenly within 1 second rule", if I were to post a picture of the bottom of one of my spent pucks, I'd be told that my extractions would be more even if I down-dose, grind coarser and pull a longer ratio. It's very likely true. When I do those things, the bottom of my pucks have less dark regions on them, which is neat. But I don't prefer the flavor, body or mouthfeel of those more dilute shots. So I pull my tight ristrettos of light roast coffee and enjoy them thoroughly.

I'd probably enjoy them even more if I switched to my spouted portafilter.

Cheers!

- Jake

To assuage any concerns that I'm advocating for mediocrity, I simply mean that if I personally can't taste the difference between certain tweaks in my workflow when I'm looking for them, I certainly won't be able to discern them in a blind tasting, and I see no reason not to simplify my workflow.

Coming back to the OP's question, the answer is "If you are seeing signs of uneven extraction that are impacting your enjoyment of the espresso you get from your Niche, you should try WDT and see if it improves."

Or even a simply "Try it and see if you like it!".

In the case where the one pulling the shots (you see what I did there?) can taste the difference between various techniques of puck prep or any other part of the espresso equation and has a preference in the outcome, they should employ the preferred techniques! In my case, I can't taste the difference between WDT and no WDT, and see no indication that my shot consistency has wavered, so I'm sitting that out for a while. I will inevitably try it again, I certainly have no issue trying it and have a great routine to fall back on that employs it should I find the need arises or that I find a particularly difficult coffee that benefits from it.

I have tools in my kit that I use to make coffee that I find to be downright phenomenal and that's that. Shot's version of phenomenal I would also find very good. It's not a matter of "is it good enough?" It's all about "is this the style I like and is it presenting in a way that I find most appealing?". Shot would make something that I would very likely not prefer to my own, but I've no doubt I would slurp down that big gulp with a smile on my face and know that when it comes to that style of coffee, I'm not likely to find a better example just about anywhere, because it's what he loves and he has it perfected for his tastes. I'm sure Chris' Coffee (coffee prepared by PIXIllate, not Shotwell, nor the site sponsor of the same name) would be equally phenomenal, and of a style that suits his preferences (I might enjoy this a tad bit more, as it sounds they are closer to my style, but that's a minor detail).

Anyway, I'm blathering on because to me, the pursuit of perfection in the cup is all about what I can taste in the cup, and nothing else, really. If I can't taste the difference between method A and B and somebody says A is better than B, is it? Or if I can taste the difference and I prefer B, should I still strive to execute A to perfection because it's "better"? I think not.

Make coffee that tastes good to you. Make coffee that tastes phenomenal to you. But much like the Paul's comment on the baskets, I think lots of folks (who haven't necessarily gone through the "process" that lead them to things like Monolith grinders and RDT and VST baskets and WDT because they found how they meet their specific needs) find themselves overwhelmed with all these "thou shalts" with respect to how to make great coffee and the truth is that it just isn't always that hard.

Stick to the basics. Make good coffee, train your palate, make incremental changes, explore the extraction space, learn what you like, and have fun. When you learn what you like and what you like is a fussy process that nails perfection for you every shot, perfect. Stick with that. But my challenge is for folks who are frustrated chasing after some idealistic concept of what perfection might be to slow down and get there the old fashioned way. It is a really rewarding process, and when you know what you like, it's fun, because you can do silly things if you want to and still have great coffee.