Help! Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

[Meaty0]

Too much fibre in my diet?

I have had my machine (Makin Signature) for a week now and am still trying to get the grind/tamp right.

I set my grinder (ECM KS) to No. 2.5....a runny pour with little crema and a slightly sour taste. The puck comes out with just a small puddle of water in the centre and that disappears fast. The puck is dry by the time I knock it out.

I set my grinder to No. 2.0...a better pour, that lasts about 20 seconds. Crema variable, taste good. Bigger puck puddle that takes a while to go away...puck is quite wet still when I "knock" it into the box.

Set grinder to 1.5. Very fine grind that clumps a bit. The pour takes AGES to start...8 seconds or so, then a very dark flow of coffee (definitely not warm honey like flow) followed by reasonable crema. Pour takes about 30 seconds all up. Taste is very good. The puck has a big puddle of water on it that just sits there. By the time I finish my coffee, its dried up though, but the puck is still quite wet.

Is this all normal? 1.5 seems to give the best tasting coffee so far, but Im not getting the "Guiness-like", almost "all crema" that some people get. Is my grinder not doing the job?

[takeaim]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Set grinder to 1.5. Very fine grind that clumps a bit. The pour takes AGES to start...8 seconds or so, then a very dark flow of coffee (definitely not warm honey like flow) followed by reasonable crema. Pour takes about 30 seconds all up. Taste is very good.

If it tastes good dont worry too much about the puck.
On my mazzers when I got clumping I knew the grind was about right.
Are you using frsh coffee?

[Meaty0]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Yup...fresh coffee. I fill the basket to the top, then level it off and tamp it down to the line in the basket.

[GrindOnDemand]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

By all means experiment with your grind settings, but the grinder may not be the issue. Try updosing the amount of grind in your PF, then try it out with the different grind settings. Im admitedly not familiar with the Makin, but are you getting a bit of resistance when you insert the PF into the group? If not then there may be a gap between the screen in the group & your tamped puck - this could be causing the puddle factor.

Good luck!

[jimmyb]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Ill second that, try updose and grinding a bit more coarse.

[Dimal]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Yep,

I agree, sounds more like a dosing issue than anything to do with grinder settings. You need to dose such that the coffee puck barely kisses the shower-screen/screw/nut or whatever is the lower most point. Once you have this down pat, then you can try adjusting the grind setting to get your pours into the 30/60ml within 25-30 seconds.

Dosing/Distribution is always the most difficult aspect of espresso pouring to get right and then become consistent with it. Lots of info to be found on CS about how to do this and a search will reveal where the info is hiding. All the best mate ,

Mal.

[Meaty0]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Thanks for the help everyone. Youre probably right about the dosing problem. I have been tamping to just below the line in the basket. It probably should be just above the line and a coarser grind.

Ill have fun finding out! And Ill post what happens.

[Meaty0]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Okay...I set grinder to 2.0...and overfilled it just a tad...so that it tamped to just above the line. Much better result tonight. Will see if I can repeat it tomorrow.

[Dimal]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Glad to hear mate,

You just need to stick with it until you find the dose/tamp combo that gets the best from the coffee in your machine..... and then practice doing this until it becomes second nature. Youll be laughing after a while and wonder what all the fuss was about ,

Cheers,
Mal.

[Meaty0]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Okay...I did it again at 2.0 grind setting and it turned out OK again.

I notice that at this setting, theres coffee grounds left all over the shower filter screen. Is it OK (after a flushing) to wipe the remainder off the screen with a cloth...wont damage the screen will it?

[luca]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Hi Meaty,

Sounds like youre getting it down pat.

Wiping with a cloth is fine. But surely the coffee grounds would come off with a simple flush?

As much as I am religiously opposed to stepped grinders, I think that the grinder is unlikely to be the problem. If you think it is, why not take the consistency challenge? Make five shots in a row, measure the volume and time and see how much variation you are contributing. I think that its a worthwhile exercise.

That whole black coffee thing sounded a little suss to me. What coffee are you using?

Best of luck,

Luca

[Meaty0]

Re: Help!  Ive got sloppy wet pucks!

Five shots in a row...ok, Ill give it a try. I might be a little nervy for the rest of the day though.

The coffee Im using is a Merlo Riviera that I bought from the factory at Fortitude Valley the day before.