I aim to make a consistence espresso, but not 100% satisfy with current espresso result, as the outcome is not consistent around 1:2 ratio.
So I am thinking if distribution tools like WDT or Coffee Distributor & Tamperwill make a big difference from just a simple tamping?
I did not pay attention to that.. but my coffee puck often sticker on the group head, is that an issue?
it usually means you are over dosing.
Just fyi water tunnels are a sign you really messed up, not a sign of channeling
under-dosing, or gunk above the shower screen?
No I think my wdt tool (paper clip modified) is good enough but I like my puck screen which is easier for me to clean the shower screen.
Ex barista here… God that's so unnecessary 😂
thanks! save the money and buy the beans..
Yeah but how many tik tok videos have you posted of making coffee…
If it's not trending on tik tok is the advice really correct :)
Yeah I never see people use them at cafes.
if you or someone you know has a 3D printer, just print one, plenty of different designs on thinkgiveverse
I'd be cautious about using a 3d printed thing in something that involves food & drink.
Only the handles are 3D printed. The parts that touch the coffee are usually stainless steel acupuncture needles.
Step 1 - buy a keycap puller for two bucks off ebay: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/175500669104?chn=ps&_ul=AU&var=4…
Step 2 - snip off the top with a pair of pliers
Voila, you now have a perfect four pronged distribution tool.
hmm somehow mod seems to think my last post has affiliated link?
anyway, the most ozbargain way I have seen is to stick a few tooth picks onto a wine cork, basically for free :)
tooth picks is a good idea!
Coffee Distributor & Tamper
I replaced the supplied tamper with the Breville dual boiler with one of the popular ones posted here frequently found on Amazon
Found it worthwhile for repeatability and it was not expensive
I believe that distribution tools can add consistency to the pour…but it's probably a marginal thing. Hey…this is fourth wave coffee, so we get into borderline crazy stuff like that. Not the sort of thing most cafes would bother with of course, but I actually enjoy some of this stuff myself. If I was a professional barista churning out dozens or hundreds of espressos every day, I might not appreciate the stuffing around.
More to the point though…
What do you mean when you say "not consistent around 1:2 ratio"?
Do you have a particular recipe that you're aiming for? Input weight, output weight/volume, time?
Is the pour rate varying wildly (ie…getting more/less for the same pour time, or pouring for shorter or longer)?
Let us all know what grinder you're using. That may be the best place to start. Also…what sort of espresso machine are you dealing with?
A lot of cafes don't bother as their grinders are better than most of what people have at home.
I don't think I've seen any cafe stuff around with distribution.
Perhaps the commercial grinders declump better…dunno…but I don't think you'd want to add distribution into your workflow anyway - would surely slow things down in a cafe. Straight from the grinder to the tamping machine is a pretty quick operation…I reckon if you add in distribution between those and it would quickly blow the time out.
That said, I don't visit a whole lot of cafes, so take that with a grain of salt. Honestly, I find my own pours just as good, if not better. I guess, for the most part, I probably shouldn't be holding up cafes as the gold standard. I do fuss over my own pours more than somebody in a cafe will of course.
Speaking of…I think it's time I poured one. First for the day - I'm running late!
I am using the Breville pro built in grinder.. And currently did not have extra money to invest another grinder. But definitely want to improve the espresso.
Are your grinds clumping? If so buy one. Mine definitely made my espresso more consistent.
wdt was great for me, had to redial my settings to a much finer grind once i started wdt.
puck prep was much more forgiving, i don't need to tamp it super level and pressure is pretty light but the shots are consistently good in the end.
i find acupuncture needles a lot better than paperclips, i bought a pack on ebay and stuck it to a wine cork.
Work on your dosing and get a better grinder if you can't dial in your shots. The tool won't help if the basics are inadequate. The symptoms you describe suggest that this is the case.
I didn't notice I needed to distribute my grounds until I switched to a single-wall basket with a bottomless portafilter. I would get channelling leading to spurts of coffee ejecting out sideways onto the bench. Once I started using a WDT (homemade 3D print + acupuncture needles) to get rid of clumps from my cheap grinder (Breville Smart Grinder Pro), the channelling disappeared.
does the espresso taste different after you are using WDT?
I believe switching from a double-walled basket to a single-walled basket improved the taste of the coffee for me, and once I was using a single-walled basket, I had no choice but to get rid of the clumps in my grounds to prevent making a mess from the channelling. I'm not sure I have the palate to notice the difference in taste between a shot with channelling vs one without, but there should be a difference in theory.
I am still marking both single shot and double shot. Single shot seems a bit watery to me..
@JinWu: I'm not talking about single vs. double shot baskets, I'm talking about single-walled vs. double-walled (a.k.a. non-pressurised vs pressurised). More info here: https://www.homegrounds.co/pressurized-vs-non-pressurized-po…
It amazes me all the tools that have been created for coffee. Some people treat coffee like you need a degree in advanced maths to create a good one, and with all the tools some people use, you probably do.
Your issues won't be solved by this tool, there are probably a few other things that are causing the issues you're seeing that you need to experiment with. Try less, more, finer, coarser, descale your machine, tamp it less, tamp it more, make sure you're not tamping at an angle etc.
you are right, I might need some good fundamental skills first before talks about the tools
Are you seeing water tunnels in your grounds puck? If no, then no.