Save the unformed and stagnant powder cakes in one second! What is the problem with stagnant water in the powder bowl of the espresso machine?

Recently, a friend asked Qianjie. He said that he discovered a problem while extracting espresso coffee. After removing the handle after extracting and concentrating, he saw that there was a lot of water in the powder bowl, and the powder cake that was knocked out was not complete. It was soft and wet. He asked what caused this situation? (Exaggeration)

It is not difficult to understand why this friend was confused, because under normal circumstances, there is hardly much water in the powder bowl after we extract and concentrate, and the powder cake we knocked out is relatively complete and in a relatively dry state. There are many reasons for water accumulation in the powder bowl, most of which are due to operating problems, and a small part comes from the coffee itself. The reason why there will be no water in the powder bowl after extraction and concentration under normal circumstances is that the pressure relief function of the coffee machine will absorb the hot water remaining in the powder bowl.

When we start extracting espresso, the coffee machine will apply corresponding pressure based on the resistance of the powder to extract the coffee. When we stop extracting, the pressure relief valve will open to drain the pressure, and then the excess hot water in the powder bowl will be sucked back and discharged at this time. But if we see water in the powder bowl, it means that the coffee maker failed to absorb the hot water in the powder bowl when the pressure was relieved. There are many reasons for this, such as-less coffee powder is used.

Low use of coffee powder If the coffee powder we put into the powder bowl is the recommended amount of powder for the powder bowl, then if the grinding degree is normal, there is a certain gap between the powder cake and the brewing head of the coffee machine. When it comes to extraction, the coffee maker first fills the "blank space" with hot water, and then begins to put pressure on the hot water. But if we use much less powder than the powder bowl recommends, then the gap will widen and the coffee machine will need to fill more hot water before it can start applying pressure for extraction. This led to the fact that when the pressure was relieved at the end of the extraction, the pressure relief of the coffee machine could not absorb all the hot water due to too much water, which led to water accumulation.

If there is no problem with the taste, then it doesn't matter if this happens. But if the coffee you extract does not taste pleasing, Qianjie will recommend correcting the taste of the coffee by increasing the amount of powder or modifying parameters. Yes, it is to correct the taste of coffee rather than the problem of stagnant water, because from here, you can see that stagnant water caused by some circumstances will not actually affect the taste of coffee.

If the grinding degree of coffee powder is too thick or thin, water in the powder bowl will also occur. When the grinding degree of the coffee powder is too thick, the resistance of the powder cake is not so great, and the coffee machine cannot apply too much pressure to extract, so when the pressure is relieved, there will not be too much suction to remove the powder bowl. Hot water drained;

When the coffee powder is ground too finely, the speed at which hot water passes through the powder bed will be slower. When the extraction is over, some hot water may not have time to pass through the powder layer, resulting in a higher moisture content of the powder cake. When the moisture content reaches a certain level, the powder cake will become wet, and then we can see obvious stagnant water when we remove the handle. In the same way as the above article, as long as the taste of coffee is not a problem, then we don't need to pay too much attention to a situation like this. Unless, as Qian Jie said, the taste of coffee is too bitter or too sour, then we need to adjust the parameters to correct the taste of coffee.

The coffee machine problem is finally the coffee machine problem! If the pressure supply of the coffee machine itself is not stable enough, sometimes high or small, or cannot provide enough pressure, water accumulation will occur.

Incomplete preheating, low quality coffee makers, and malfunctions are three common factors that lead to unstable pressure. But everyone still needs to make a judgment based on the actual extraction. Then the above are common factors that lead to water accumulation in the powder bowl. Qianjie still has to repeat it, it is not that the coffee will definitely become bad because of water accumulation, but that when you use the wrong extraction parameters, the taste of the coffee will be affected. The problem of water accumulation reflects the parameters you use and the status of the coffee machine, which often has little to do with the taste of the coffee. So don't completely connect the two to avoid falling into some misunderstanding ~

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FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou China, selling freshly roasted beans from its own farm in Yunnan as well as dozens of carefully selected single-origin beans from around the world for both pour-over and espresso. The products deliver consistently excellent quality and great value, with shipping within 24 hours. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers, and the beans are now available online at the Tmall 。

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473