Puck Prep Workshop: assembling your setup
Assemble your puck prep setup. From dosing to WDT, leveling, tamping, and puck screens: For each step, choose the tool that suits you – from the standard set to an automatic tamper (Puqpress). You'll see live how the coffee puck becomes more consistent with each step, and you'll get your setup with direct links.
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Why clean puck prep matters
The goal is a consistent extraction: If the water flows evenly through the puck everywhere, the cup will be sweet and clear. Uneven distribution or a crooked tamp leads to channeling – the water finds channels, and the espresso tastes both sour and bitter. Every step in this workshop works towards the same thing: a more consistent puck, a more consistent flow. There's no right or wrong – more consistent is simply cleaner.
You can explore the physics behind this in the Channeling Simulator; how over and under-extraction feel in the cup is covered in the Sensory 1×1. With a bottomless portafilter, you can immediately see channeling.
The five steps
- Dosing: Consistent dose and clean filling (dosing cup or funnel).
- Distribution (WDT): Fine needles break up clumps – the biggest lever against channeling.
- Leveling: Even out the surface and distribute roughly.
- Tamping: Consistent, even pressure – by hand or automatically with Puqpress.
- Puck Screen: Distributes water more evenly on top and keeps the shower screen clean.
All interactive tools can be found bundled in our Coffee Tools.
