Spent $80 on a bottomless portafilter and my shots still looked like mud

Turns out the real hack was just fixing my grind size and tamp pressure all along, has anyone else blown cash on gear before dialing in the basics?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher_west115d ago

Start with the basics before throwing money at shiny stuff. I spent like $200 on a fancy grinder and still got garbage shots until my buddy came over and showed me my tamp was all wrong. Felt dumb but at least I didn't buy a bottomless portafilter first. Honestly though, is this really that deep? Like if your shots are drinkable and you're not running a cafe who cares if they look like mud? I get the hobby side but sometimes this sub acts like you need a NASA setup to enjoy a morning coffee. Chill out and just drink the stuff.

ryanprice15d ago

Wait, you spent $200 on a grinder but didn't know your tamp was wrong? That's a heck of a way to learn. I get that it's frustrating, but it happens - I messed up my grind size for a month before realizing my machine's pressure was off. But to your point, yeah, a lot of folks here get carried away with gear before they've got the simple stuff down. If your coffee tastes fine and doesn't make you grimace, you're doing better than half the people out there.