Learn to read espresso pucks for extraction insights. Understand what wet, dry, cracked, and muddy pucks reveal about your technique and grind. Proper dialing-in produces consistent pucks.
Taste trumps puck appearance every time. Many home baristas obsess over puck condition when they should focus on how the shot tastes. A soggy puck can produce an amazing shot, and a perfect-looking puck can taste terrible. Use puck reading as one diagnostic tool among many—not the primary judge of quality.
Learn more about extraction in our dialing in guide.
Wet, sloppy, doesn't knock out cleanly
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
WHAT TO DO:
Solid, knocks out in one piece
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
WHAT TO DO:
Visible cracks or fractures on surface
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
WHAT TO DO:
Visible hole or depression
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
WHAT TO DO:
Puck adheres to shower screen
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
WHAT TO DO:
Completely level, mirror-like surface
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
WHAT TO DO:
❌ MYTH: A dry puck means a good shot
✓ REALITY: Puck dryness depends on machine design, basket, and dose—not extraction quality. Many great shots come from wet pucks.
❌ MYTH: Cracks always mean bad extraction
✓ REALITY: Small surface cracks after extraction are often normal. Cracks visible during or indicating channeling are concerning.
❌ MYTH: The puck should always knock out perfectly
✓ REALITY: Some machines and baskets produce messier pucks. Focus on taste, not cleanup convenience.
❌ MYTH: You can diagnose everything from the puck
✓ REALITY: The puck provides clues, but taste is the ultimate judge. A 'perfect' puck can still produce a bad shot.
Different machines produce different pucks. Don't compare your pucks to others' machines. Focus on consistency with YOUR setup.
Use puck reading as one tool in your diagnostic toolkit—but never forget that taste is the ultimate judge. A delicious shot from a messy puck beats a beautiful puck with a terrible shot every time.