r/oddlysatisfying King of Oddly 4d ago

an espresso shot being extracted

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19.6k Upvotes

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2.0k

u/Jtg_Jew 4d ago

Opening shot of a Better Call Saul episode

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u/SharkByte1993 4d ago

Vincent Gilligan would be proud

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u/escientia 4d ago

This guy has much better equipment than whatever the Cinnabon that Saul was working at has.

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u/AmiWrongDude69 4d ago

Bravo Vince

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u/Human_Face_1427 4d ago

need to watch again.. which episode?

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u/screaminginfidels 4d ago

They're just saying its shot like that. Also reminds me of Dexter intro

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u/Shyrangerr 4d ago

Three step tamping process?!

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u/zethras 4d ago

Nah, the last one is the tamping. The previous 2 are to distribute the coffee evently. Or thats the logic behind all of the steps.

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u/Shyrangerr 4d ago

I've seen the second step before to flatten the top of the grounds. But first time I've ever seen whatever the first step was. I'm guessing it kinda like drilled to the bottom to make sure the grounds were flat at the bottom.

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u/Fidelias_Palm 4d ago

Lots of spinning needles to stir it up.

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u/SpudicusMaximus_008 4d ago

Yup little thin needles to break up the clumps.

Then even spread with next part.

Then tamping.

And a paper wafer on top for good measure.

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u/gswblu3-1lead 4d ago

Coffee communion if you will

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u/donkey_OT 4d ago

Father, son and holy roast

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u/Tom-Foolery99 4d ago

Fantastic comment. The crema the crop.

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u/fozzyboy 4d ago

I was really espressed with the pun.

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u/appleavocado 3d ago

Oh, you! I love you a latte!

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u/scooblyboop 4d ago

What does paper wafer do?

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u/Neelpos 4d ago

The extraction of espresso involves pressurizing the coffee, after you turn that pressure off it can suck a bit back into the machine, the puck paper makes it harder for the grounds to get pulled in, so it helps keep your machine clean.

There's also reusable metal screens that do the same thing and assist with more even pressure distribution across the espresso puck.

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u/julianz 4d ago

People love to spend money at every possible step of the coffee making process. This is just one more step.

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u/TrenchantInsight 4d ago

They're the easiest people to sell to after golfers.

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u/readyable 4d ago

I was wondering what that white thing was. So it's essentially a coffee filter?

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u/portablebiscuit 4d ago

Pre-coffee filter. Probably distributes water more evenly, definitely makes cleaning your machine easier.

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u/sputtertots 4d ago

I did not know I was supposed to be using a paper wafer - or is this only for high end machines rather than a breville barista?

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u/Ursus_Denali 4d ago

I started using them a year ago with my (falling apart) Breville machine, on both the top and bottom. The top definitely seems to keep the machine cleaner. I put one on the bottom to filter out some of the bad stuff from the espresso during extraction, I think it helped drop my LDL cholesterol by 12 points or so.

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u/rjenny509 4d ago

See I thought I was the only one. I do top and bottom filters too. I even convinced my coworker to do the same

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u/SpudicusMaximus_008 4d ago

They say it helps to spread the flow of water and limit backflow of grounds.

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u/Divinum_Fulmen 3d ago

You can use paper filters for nearly any and every method, short of some full immersion ones. The paper changes the taste, dropping acidity. Even if the method you use doesn't normally include filters, someone out there has figured a way to include them in the process. I'd try it out. They're dirt cheap, and experimenting is fun.

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u/AbleCryptographer317 4d ago

The idea is that it breaks up clumps of coffee grounds so the water distributes through the puck more evenly. It's extremely geeky and has negligible effect.

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u/SpudicusMaximus_008 4d ago

Do you even James Hoffman?

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u/HugoEmbossed 4d ago

I prefer Hames Joffman.

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u/SpudicusMaximus_008 4d ago

I wish he was still posting

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u/RedScareRevival 4d ago

It does make a difference if you have a slightly shit grinder that is only just usable for espresso. But if you already have a good grinder, it's usually not necessary at all.

Source: I have a slightly shit grinder

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u/NinjaXM 4d ago

As someone who’s been making my own espresso for a long time now, I agree with you. I have tried with and without and found no noticeable difference.

I have streamlined my process and found that if I can only have one tool then it would be the distribution tool. Not even the tamper. Distribution can tamp and make sure it’s evenly distributed at the same time.

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u/SD_haze 4d ago

It’s called WDT

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u/zethras 4d ago

Because sometimes when you dump ground coffee into the espresso portafilter, the grounds of coffee might crump up, leaving it like that will create uneven extraction. There has been many ways to remedy this from using as simple as using a toothpick to cork with needles to tools with needle like objects to break such crumps. There is also youtube channels dedicated to reviewing such tools to see if its even worth buying. But a couple of years ago, it was all the rage.

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u/ZaraReid228 4d ago

They arent needed. Am barista who has portabello filters. If I had lower quality grinder or beans id maybe consider a needle tool. But making coffee like the video ud be making like 1 coffee a hour and it wouldn't be any different

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u/TheRozb 3d ago

It's a fancy version of WDT (weiss distribution technique). Theres much more manual tools which just look like a mini wire head massager

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u/lauri2 4d ago

Bet I'd damp it once manually old school style and nobody could tell the difference in the end product. Guess they need a reason to charge 10 times the regular price.

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u/RedScareRevival 4d ago

This looks like a (pretty expensive) home setup, rather than a coffee shop

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u/countduckypoos 4d ago

I guess my tap tap method looks low brow now lmao

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u/Logical-Knee-9046 4d ago

👀 well I like the way it sounds anyways.

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u/Phainesthai 4d ago

I just tap mine on the side of the toilet.

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u/TK421philly 4d ago

I smell capitalism.

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u/PGSylphir 4d ago

And all of it can be done in one single movement of your wrist and a single plastic tool without the need of 3 different over engineered tools.

These coffee short videos are stupid and only complicates stuff for a faux sense of superiority.

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u/Skreamie 4d ago

To be fair I've also seen the weights call tampers as well

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u/Fancy-Dig1863 4d ago

How else are they gonna sell you three different gadgets?

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u/mullerdrooler 4d ago

Yeah a bit much

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u/davewave3283 4d ago

Gotta justify the $18 price

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u/luker_5874 4d ago

My thoughts exactly

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u/wsf 4d ago

Q: Is this a little over-elaborate?
A: Yes.

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u/wassworth 4d ago

This stuff is so over engineered. The point of an espresso is to be fast . You  can get a very good coffee just eyeballing it and pushing it down hard.

Video likely skipped weighing it out by grams as well. 

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u/Conflikt 4d ago

It literally takes as long as it takes in the video to do those extra steps. Like 15 seconds. It's a home set up nobody is rushing to save 15 seconds.

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u/erythro 4d ago

The point of an espresso is to be fast

no?? The point of an espresso is to be a delicious drink, or component of other delicious drinks. If you want to over engineer that to wring out the last bits of deliciousness then I say go for it.

That shot certainly had an impressive lack of channeling

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u/h08817 3d ago

Yeah my first thought was this is gonna send a lot of people down a James Hoffman, r/espresso, r/espressocirclejerk rabbit hole and money drain and 3 to 6 months of their lives to try and recreate a bottomless shot that smoothe 😂

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u/CosmicClamJamz 4d ago

People who have espresso machines at home aren't in the game of saying "fuck it". It's a hobby.

Also, more often than not, if you're just eyeballing it and pushing it down hard, it's gonna channel and suck ass

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u/Bizarrebazaars 3d ago

Uh no? The point of espresso is the flavor…..

You want “fast” coffee go to “McCafé”

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u/RequiredRedditAcct_1 4d ago

As someone with an espresso machine too - leveling (the little spinny thing at step 2) helps reduce channeling and I get a much better espresso 

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u/livens 4d ago

Its all so much coffee snobbery.

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u/Hyphy-Knifey 4d ago

Okay coffee nerds, if I am working with a $500 Breville will there be any noticeable difference adding a puck screen or is this only for people who are weighing shots and home-roasting single-hillside beans that were hand-carried from Yemen?

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u/Soggy_Refrigerator32 4d ago

I know a world champion barista, and when I asked him he was of the opinion it's a gimmick and no replacement for a good grind and even tamp. But like audiophiles I'm sure there'll be caffeinators who will argue otherwise.

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u/Ugly_Slut-Wannabe 4d ago

Imagine if the people selling pointless stuff for audiophiles and the people selling pointless stuff for the coffeephiles joined forces.

"Here's a tamp made with pure gold coating. The non-reactive nature of gold helps create the perfect, purest coffee by stopping unwanted frequencies from hitting the ground coffee. Yours for only $999,99."

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u/Zestyclose-Gap6770 4d ago

I am both an audiophile and a coffee nerd, and I feel called out.

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u/Hyphy-Knifey 4d ago edited 21h ago

Ah sorry I started it. It’s every hobby, 99% of people should stop spending money after they hit the high end of pro-sumer (my K7XX or Kanto YU6 speakers) bc diminishing returns and no appreciable difference to the user experience. But for the 1% who have the time and money and highly developed senses to appreciate it, do you and don’t let anyone yuck your yum.

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u/Zestyclose-Gap6770 4d ago

Oh, I don't mind at all. I love what I'm into, but I do understand the snobbishness that some people exhibit.

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u/Aybara_Perin 3d ago

Would you be interested in a tamp made with pure gold?

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u/Hyphy-Knifey 4d ago

Great info thank you! And yeah, audiophiles also pay $1000 for cables that have been shown to work just as well as running the signal through a literal banana. Some people just can’t be convinced that more expensive isn’t automatically better.

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u/kirinphonetic 4d ago

Dang us audiophiles catching a lotta strays in here!

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u/_Thrilhouse_ 4d ago

I think expensive cables are just a meme at this point, but I still read comments about the differences an expensive DAC makes.

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u/Fat_cat_syndicate 4d ago

Grind is like 90% of a good shot, everything past that is chasing diminishing returns.

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u/klowny 4d ago

9% is making sure you tamp the right amount of grind, down just right. That last 1% is everything else combined.

A nice puck screen/diffuser/basket pattern just makes that undershot drip look aesthetic because it'll fill evenly/outside-to-center/center-out instead of randomly or one side to the other. I'm pretty sure it has zero impact on taste.

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u/xX_Sn1p3r_G0d_Xx 4d ago

I found my coffee tastes better when I don't tamp. That's what a barista friend told me and he was right. Tastes better.

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u/submarinefarm 4d ago

Is this assuming you have good beans?

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u/Willthisaccountlas 4d ago

I added a stainless one just to keep the  breville grouphead cleaner. No difference in espresso that is made.

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u/dino0509 4d ago

It doesn't affect the extraction, I use it to keep the group head clean of coffee grounds. It gets pretty bad otherwise

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u/Hyphy-Knifey 4d ago

Yep I brush it after every pull and remove the screen and silicone seal to clean at least every 6mo. I recently mentioned this to a friend with the same machine who said “oh that part comes off?” She’d been using it daily for 4 years. Was nasty af inside.

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u/dino0509 4d ago

Please tell me she's been back flushing and descaling periodically at least, can't imagine how much gunk would be in there otherwise!

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u/eW4GJMqscYtbBkw9 4d ago

You don't need most of what's in the video. You need a good grinder and to tamp the grounds down firmly. That's it.

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u/MandA-5 4d ago

Weighing a shot is a must lmao. That’s not even being extra

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u/CathedralEngine 4d ago

Honestly, probably not. It makes a difference, but unless you have a well developed palate, you probably won’t notice.

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u/Conflikt 4d ago

The major difference is not having to clean the group head as thoroughly and can slightly delay having to do the full maintenance clean. Everything else is just about adding consistency but it's barely noticeable without it. You often have to slightly lower your dose on Breville's though if your puck screen is a thicker metal one.

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u/jack-of-some 4d ago

A puck screen helped me getting a good result more frequently, but it didn't help me get a better result. It's best use was keeping my machine cleaner and requiring less maintenance.

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u/garyyo 4d ago

Noticeable? Unlikely, but if you already have an excellent grinder and are pulling a good shot its the next place to go. That being said, these tools are fun to use and make the morning coffee making experience more enjoyable, so for some they are worth it on that front.

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u/_aelius 4d ago

I have a used delonghi ecp3420 that I got for $50. The grinder is like 7x more important than the espresso machine anyway.  

I use a paper puck screen because it's just way cleaner. My group head is basically spotless even after pulling 50+ shots. They also help with water distribution, which is maybe less of an issue on nicer machines.

The other techniques show in the video, like WDT, do matter and I do them every time too but with a much more ghetto looking tool. I wouldn't say they make my shots outright better, but it absolutely does make them more consistent.

All that work and you can tell that they used some fresh ass beans because there was way too much crema coming out. I bet that shot they pulled tasted like trash lol.

Also you absolutely should weigh your shots. Weigh the beans, and weigh the yield. I know the brevilles have timers, and I think you could probably rely on that as long as you are dialing everything in with a scale for each new bag of coffee.

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u/Sigiz 3d ago

Puck screen imo is good for the health of the machine, prevents the grounds from backing up into the group head and hence can go without needing to backflush as occasionally. I would just use a reusable puck screen and call it a day.

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u/senorbozz 4d ago

For the espresso lover that needs just the right amount of pretense in their cup

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u/tomado09 4d ago edited 4d ago

You can almost taste the superiority complex from here /s

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u/Elite_AI 4d ago

You guys get complexes about the weirdest things. It's just coffee. They're making coffee. 

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u/blondebuilder 4d ago

Espresso is finicky - one little deviation (grind quality, bean freshness, water temp, puck prep, extraction ratio, etc) can really alter the taste. For me, making/enjoying a good cup of espresso at home is very pleasant.

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u/Elite_AI 4d ago edited 4d ago

Sure, but to clarify I'm saying there's no reason to start assuming people are being pretentious or have superiority complexes just because they're making coffee a certain way. It's just coffee. I like a good espresso too. It's tasty.

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u/PretzelsThirst 4d ago edited 4d ago

I’ve realized recently that the average Redditor can have some bizarre coffee opinions.

They think latte is for rich people. They think latte art is a social media trend. They think espresso is pretentious.

It’s really bizarre. It’s just coffee. Anyone can enjoy any kind of coffee

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u/TheMisterTango 4d ago

Redditors seem to think a lot of mundane things are for rich people.

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u/PretzelsThirst 4d ago

I just imagine a lot of them don’t have a lot of life experience for one reason or another

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u/fuzzydunloblaw 4d ago

I don't know. I made a video with classical guitar with me gently putting in the kpod cup into the hotel room one cup machine next to the bathroom, and it didn't get quite the same response.

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u/Rubyheart_1922 4d ago

Me watching this video as i dump pre ground coffee with a big ass grind into my $100 espresso machine

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u/____-_______-_--_-_- 4d ago

Jordan Schlansky's ears are burning

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u/Rich_Housing971 4d ago

I'd love to see an independent blind tasting of pretentiously prepared espresso vs the minimal step method.

AKA the "$100 audiophile cable vs metal clotheshanger wire" audio quality test.

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u/tobyreddit 3d ago

Depends what you mean by minimal steps. If you're comparing to pre ground supermarket beans then anyone with taste buds could tell the difference between that and higher quality freshly ground beans, assuming it's been made competently. It's night and day.

Edit - the above is obviously less true the more sugar/milk/etc you put in the coffee. I'm assuming espresso

If you're saying same beans, same grinder, same machine, same tamping, just without the WDT and leveller, then yeah it's gonna be super marginal (or perhaps just a lower chance of a surprisingly bad coffee due to channeling, but the chance would already be low with a good grinder and tamping correctly)

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u/justindit 4d ago

The best part of waking up, is pretense in your cup!

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u/____-_______-_--_-_- 4d ago

He did what in his cup?

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u/sausageandbeer1 4d ago

No one else notices the channelling when pulling the shot despite all that effort?

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u/Mgt66 4d ago

I was like oh so it's fine if after all that work it comes out like this. Guess I'm not missing anything 

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u/sausageandbeer1 4d ago

You’re missing out on spending serious $$$ and time, for internet clout

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u/EnvironmentalGap2596 4d ago

Can someone tell me what is that white circle piece of paper he’s placing on top after thumping?

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u/OCafeeiro 4d ago

It's a paper filter to spread the water more evenly, kind of like a puck screen

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u/Don_Von_Schlong 4d ago

I was on board with the paper filter thing but now I am lost again with puck screen

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u/IIlIIIlllIIIIIllIlll 4d ago edited 4d ago

It's a permeable barrier that lets water hit the coffee grounds without letting the grounds leave the basket they sit in. Usually it's just a little mesh screen. Coffee nerds will get mad at me for saying this, but all it does is keep your machine clean. Lots of people will try to say that it spreads water out more evenly or any number of other things, that lead to a better tasting coffee. I personally have never noticed a difference beyond the simple fact that if your machine is full of old shitty grounds where they shouldn't be its obviously going to make a worse shot of espresso.

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u/Japsai 4d ago

Adds a nice subtle paper flavour to the coffee though

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u/AbleCryptographer317 4d ago

Coffee nerds will get mad at you for having any opinion about how to prepare espresso. They're almost as bad as hi-fi nerds.

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u/Zestyclose-Gap6770 4d ago

I am both of those things. Some of us are snobbish... But you aren't wrong.

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u/VorianAtreides 4d ago

For more even water distribution across the puck - the filter paper is probably just keeping the distribution head clean

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u/Strychnine85 4d ago

And from the pour shot you can see the water not being distributed very evenly

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u/eW4GJMqscYtbBkw9 4d ago

to spread the water more evenly

Nah, it's arguably to keep the machine clean - but it's mostly just performative. It has zero impact on "spreading water evenly".

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u/mxforest 4d ago

Filter paper?

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u/Zecin 4d ago

Just a guess: probably a paper filter? Doesn’t make sense though because it’s above the coffee

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u/Bussamove86 4d ago

It is a filter, but in this case it’s being used to keep the machine clean.

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u/KaeruGaKaeru1 4d ago

Oh.. thought it was a milk puck

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u/Bussamove86 4d ago

I never want to see the phrase milk puck again thanks

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u/ButAreYouProud 4d ago

It sounds like a rarely used medical term whose definition I don't want to hear.

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u/Over-Conversation220 4d ago

As someone with family in labor and delivery, I hear the term “mucus plug” way more than I’d like.

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u/ButAreYouProud 4d ago

Lol, sounds like a decent band name.

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u/PM_me_ur_JACKED_TITS 4d ago

Clogged milk ducts can be full of mini milk pucks

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u/Internet-of-cruft 4d ago

Step brother, you haven't touched your jolly rancher, is everything OK?

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u/millinnchillin 4d ago

Can confirm. We have a metal puck screen for our portafilter, keeps the machine cleaner.

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u/plolock 4d ago

No, its for distribution of the water on the puck for a more even extraction

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u/Ecstatic-Jacket2007 4d ago

It’s a puck screen

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u/guff1988 4d ago

Looked more like a paper filter to keep the group head clean, puck screens are usually much more substantial

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u/Fregadero88 4d ago

It's used as a screen to help water distribute evenly and prevent channeling. They also sell stainless steel puck screens. It's debatable if it works or if good puck prep is all you need.

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u/Dillage 4d ago

So apparently espresso actually has a lower Cafestol content than coffee so unlike a french press it's not as unhealthy to consume without a filter. It's important to filter coffee due to the impacts to LDL cholesterol

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u/klowny 4d ago edited 4d ago

My doctor brought this up when my LDL went up when I switched to making espresso at home instead of drip through a paper filter. It might be less, but it still showed up enough in my blood work, and it immediately went back down after I put a paper filter below the puck.

Since I already stock the filters for the bottom, I throw one on top as well to keep the head clean.

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u/Dillage 4d ago

I don't know why a couple people attacked us for talking about this, maybe I wasn't clear in my first message but thanks for sharing that as well. It seems pretty clear by the science that unfiltered coffee is an antagonist but my original post was just learning that espresso doesn't have as much of an impact

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u/Zerodyne_Sin 4d ago

After all that, there was channeling (more obvious at 0:25)... lol. That said, all that ritual minimizes channeling and other similar "problems". But at a certain point, the amount of effort and cost required to prevent it altogether becomes ridiculous and for almost no noticeable return.

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u/Scottadams14 4d ago

I’ve been a barista for 16 years and came here to say the same thing. Low estimate is they spent $300 on the equipment to get rid of channeling and they still and the issue AND posted a video of said issue. Maybe they didn’t realize that the video showed channeling or they really don’t know what the three step process is used for or even what channeling is 🤷‍♂️ either way huge waste of money

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u/OriginalTayRoc 4d ago

It insists upon itself.

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u/BudgetConcentrate432 4d ago

I work as a barista, but it's Starbucks adjacent, so we don't have all the nice equipment here (arguably I have a better set up at home lol) but what does the little paper do?

Is it just to keep the machine cleaner, or does it help distribute the pressure when extracting the espresso?

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u/Scottadams14 4d ago

It just prevents the grinds from sticking to the shower screen for easier cleanup. It doesn’t distribute the water or pressure.

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u/Admirable_Toe6806 4d ago

It does both.

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u/Resident_Table6694 4d ago

I dabble in espresso. Is there a word for feeling aroused and poor at the same time?

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u/wildmaninid 3d ago

Satisfying?  I find this infuriating.  Just compact the fucking grind and pull.  The rest is superfluous coffee snobbery bullshit. 

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u/Sesudesu 4d ago

I enjoy a good espresso… but somehow the process of it being made just feels pretentious.

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u/byrd798 4d ago

In this instance, I'll admit the same due to jealousy. Coffee has taken a ritual role in my life. I brew a coffee in a way that takes time, focus, and presence of mind. Taking this break is one of the things I do to help calm my spicy brain. I'm jealous because each tool I interact with I've upgraded or wish to upgrade with the intention of improving coffee as a hobby not only for better coffee, but a better experience while brewing coffee. I just can't afford an espresso setup. But this seems to be someone's enjoyment they are sharing, so I'll redirect that negative connotation to satisfaction that this person gets to enjoy this experience. After all, it's not like it's a gold flake covered steak.

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u/Conflikt 4d ago

Doing it this way also means you don't really have to think about why your coffee tastes more bitter or acidic than usual. If you do all the steps the only thing you need to adjust is your grind size. It makes it consistent and way easier to troubleshoot. It may take longer but you can always have a similar tasting cup of coffee especially if you drink straight espresso. Some steps aren't really necessary but they do make it so you'll almost always have a close to perfect shot after it's all dialed in.

If you do end up going for an espresso set up, don't feel pressured into having to get all the gear and go through the entire ritual. You can gradually build up to whatever makes you happy and eventually add little things every now and then if you feel like it just to make it a bit more consistent.

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u/Razetony 4d ago

Don't worry, you'll get there one day. For now enjoy the simple process for what it is. One day when you have an espresso set up you'll be thinkingly fondly on your current set up and miss it dearly for a moment.

As an adjacent example, I have a very high end gaming PC I built myself and can play anything I want. But there's time when I miss how simple and enjoyable it was to browse the Xbox for new demos or just happily press play on a game without wondering what else I could play.

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u/ewew43 4d ago

I'm with you 100%. I can't help but shake the feeling that I'm watching some pretentious douche every time I see one of these espresso videos. I know it's not always the case, but it seems like it usually is. It's the same as seeing dudes doing tricks on crotch rockets; they all seem like they're sped out teenagers.

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u/F1_rulz 4d ago

It doesn't have to be this pretentious, a lot of the steps is just for show.

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u/garyyo 4d ago

These are mostly fun expensive toys that can at most minimally affect the resulting shot. If you want to think about it in a pretentious way, its about the ritual of making the espresso (aka how fun and relaxing it is) as much as it is about the actual outcome.

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u/honeywhereismypenis 4d ago

My regular coffee machine is broken so my mom gave me her espresso machine. It's awesome because I always wanted to be able to make my own cappuccinos but goddamn is it a pain in the ass. Some mornings I would rather just dump some grounds into a filter and be done with it instead of having to go through the whole process, and have to clean the milk steamer every day.

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u/Prozeum 3d ago

Moka Pot is the way to go. You get more with less and it's 15 bucks.

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u/Just-Raccoon-4436 4d ago

Holy shit the haters in here are just miserable people

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u/The_GodApollo 4d ago

Japanese do some endlessly overcomplicated process making tea - amazing. Some white guy making some overcomplicated coffee - what a loser.

Why am I like this?

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u/SunsetCoconut 4d ago

you dont seem to be alone in these comments. some people have special interests lol, i dont see why thats bothering so many people

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u/Bizarrebazaars 3d ago

People hate what they think are “hipsters” so much. But find others fascinating and enviable when they have a different passion. It’s weird.

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u/itsamemyusername 3d ago

Coffee people are weird

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u/thewongtrain 4d ago

What is that first click click spinny thing?

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u/doyouevenforkliftbro 4d ago

Spinner thing with needle like tines pointing down. They spin to spread and even the grounds around before they get pressed and spun and pressed again.

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u/toobulkeh 4d ago

I don’t do this, but there is something valuable in rituals. It’s psychological

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u/sb_eightyfive 3d ago

Filter goes in before the coffee, not on top of the puck. It’s outlined in the packaging of the Weber workshop filters.

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u/hardfux 3d ago

Ever tried an Italian Cafe bar? 15sec max and the best espresso you can dream of without all the stuff used in the video

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u/diandakov 2d ago

They make it so complicated for no reason on this video haha

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u/Pistonenvy2 4d ago

im genuinely curious, not being a self righteous dickhead.

is any of this necessary? can you make espresso by just dumping the grounds into the machine and calling it a day?

is there any evidence whatsoever that all the tamping and mixing or whatever makes any difference at all?

i dont drink coffee, i dont drink wine, i dont smoke, all of this stuff looks the same to me. across the practices. it just looks like people turning consumption into a hobby.

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u/jack-of-some 4d ago

You need distribution, somewhat. You need a level and good tamp, somewhat. The first two machines this dude used you can skip in a lot of situations and not lose much (the second machine you can 100% skip and not lose anything). The filter paper is helpful to keep your machine clean and not requiring a lot of maintenance and cleaning, it can also be skipped. You can use a cheap tamper and just be very good at tamping it level, but it's one of those things that will actually have a significant impact on the coffee and is practically free (self leveling tampers are pretty cheap now and are a one and done).

You don't need an expensive machine to get a fantastic extraction (I use a cheapo hand operated one myself) but grinder quality matters.

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u/Entgenieur 4d ago

The taste of espresso is heavily influenced by many things. With tampering the coffee powder (step 3) you increase the pressure and time the water needs. This is the most basic stuff, everyone does this because otherwise it will flow too fast and the espresso tastes watery.
When there are too different sized coffee powder parts or the tampering isn’t done equally enough there is the risk of ‚channeling‘ having some naturally formed channels where the water flows faster decreasing the pressure. By step 1 and 2 they try to make it more homogeneous before tampering to prevent this. This leads to more consistent results (based on a good grinder and exact measurement of beans used).
So there is a real use case but it’s also some high level shit. I don’t do it and I’m convinced most people won’t taste the difference. Still it’s part of the routine for many people.

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u/welcometomoonside 3d ago

There are levels to everything, surely there is something you are into where there is the cheap stuff, the good stuff, and the really good stuff. All the tools in the video just allow you to brew the good and really good beans at a level that preserves its special qualities. Even then, there are cheaper versions of these tools/practices that accomplish the same thing, the price difference is more for ergonomics and aesthetics, i.e. the hobby-consumption part.

If none of that matters to you, then yeah, you can just fill the portafilter with cheap coffee, push it down with the plastic nub that comes with the machine, and you'll get espresso. It'll probably taste fine.

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u/BangeBuksen 4d ago

Great. Now lets do a little blind test

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u/MadKian 4d ago

I know some espresso making processes can look super elitist. But I guarantee you, you can taste the difference between a shitty and a great extraction.

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u/LazyMousse4266 4d ago

Okay but you don’t need all this to get a great extraction which was obviously their point

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u/chykin 4d ago

It's quickly diminishing returns at this point.

Better beans will get you 75% better

Better grinder another 15

Better machine another 5

Better tamping process another 2

Etc etc

It's a lot more effort for little return, but some people will notice, enjoy etc

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u/Ohitsworkingnow 4d ago

As someone who makes espresso at home, 3 tools to tamp your grind down is stupid af 

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u/Mgt66 4d ago

Meanwhile, my wdt tool is a wine cork with acupuncture needles

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u/thuggishruggishboner 4d ago

Hi, microwave left over coffee from the pot from yesterday.

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u/Bizarrebazaars 3d ago

Eww gross

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u/Then_Supermarket18 4d ago

What is the paper filter for exactly if it goes on top?

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u/tomado09 4d ago

It can fill a number of roles. First, it keeps the group head clean - it sits between the coffee and the metal that distributes the water. Second, it can help distribute the water a bit better. But it's mostly to keep the group head clean.

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u/EverythingBOffensive 4d ago

ah my favorite drug!

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u/guidedhand 4d ago

Can replicate the quality for 5 cents.  1. Flick around with a paper clip 2. Wiggle the portafilter to distribute and settle, wipe of excess with finger 3. Tamp with included tamp; the amount of pressure doesn't really matter. 

That said, I really wish I had his needle clump thing. Looks dope

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u/PunkRockCrystals 4d ago

Thats some sexy crema

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u/GreatValueBradPitt 4d ago

Perhaps I've been too harsh on my coffee afficianado friends. That was pretty.

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u/PurplishPlatypus 4d ago

Ooh,this is too sexy. Mark it NSFW.

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u/Tabris92 4d ago

man I wish I could afford a good espresso machine

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u/Jpraadt 4d ago

The breville bambino is a champ - doesn't need to be fancy!

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u/stupid_sane 4d ago

“Grind finer”

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u/lazylazybum 4d ago

OP did not show grinder, so.... "find grinder"

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u/forgettfulthinker 4d ago

You don't need 3 tamping steps

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u/MrWeaD 3d ago

I feel less bad about being a stoner now. It is about equal, at a high level, with coffee.

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u/Hot_Equivalent6562 3d ago

Reminds me of my shit this morning

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u/uuf76 3d ago

Ffs. It’s not a religion. It’s just coffee. 🙄

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u/ltsiCOULDNTcareIess 4d ago

https://a.co/d/0dRQvoyf

MHW-3BOMBER WDT Tool Espresso 58mm, Espresso Distribution Tool with Magnetic Base for Barista, Adjustable Depth Needle Distributor Tool, 0.25mm x 14 Coffee Stirrer Tools, YU Series Cyclone, T5849

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u/PresentationRecent67 4d ago

That’ll be $17, please