Sticking pucks

dndrich

Coffeepals:

My pucks keep sticking! Lelit Elizabeth with the standard basket. I replaced the old group head worn out gasket with an 8 mm silicone one about a year ago. I use 16 gm of medium roast coffee. The problem is intermittent, but I would say it happens more than half the time. Should I increase head room with a lower dose? A 15 gm shot just seems a bit small. Thoughts?

Elcarajillo

dndrich I have a new Liz machine and am having the same problem intermittently?

dndrich

Elcarajillo how much coffee are you dosing?

Elcarajillo

dndrich 9/10 in small basket, 17/18 in large basket. tried the 18 gVST still sticks intermittently.

MediumRoastSteam

Fact of life with the Elizabeth, I’m afraid. Had mine for 5.5 years. Puck will stick.

Use a puck screen or a filter paper on top of the puck to mitigate the issue if it bothers you.

There’s a whole thread around stuck pucks here somewhere I started when I got the Elizabeth. They are worth a read.

dfk41

I must have superhuman strength as I never get a sticking puck. Occasionally there is a bit of residue in the basket but I always run the pf under the tap anyway. Do folks disengage the pf as soon as the shot finishes or fanny around with milk etc letting it dry out further?

MediumRoastSteam

dfk41 - it’s funny you say that Dfk. At the beginning, I wasn’t happy with the stuck pucks. Took to Bella Barista, spent a couple of hours there. We were using a Eureka Helios, 80mm burrs if I remember correctly. Not a single puck stuck. Zilch. Nada. I was embarrassed. Came home, made a coffee (With the Niche Zero) and the damn stuck pucks returned. So it can be grinder dependent too. I learnt to live with it.

Clodius

I got 6 puck screens from AliExpress, 3 × 0.2mm and 3 × 1.7mm. Cost around £10 and it keeps the group head cleaner and don’t have this issue.

PartySausage

Maybe this will help. I often get stuck pucks on my Sync especially with IMS Nano Baskets & one thing I do routinely now is before I remove the portafilter I momentarily lift the lever. Not enough to engage the pump but enough to open the valve, which usually releases the puck from the screen

MediumRoastSteam

References:

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/1969-stuck-pucks/3

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/351-lelit-elizabeth-coffee-sticking-to-screen

dndrich

I have a puck screen, but I just hate using the thing. I’m determined to fix this problem! I have been using a 16 g dose, but I am thinking now that perhaps the dose is too large. Today I will do the coin on top of the puck trick to see if I am dosing too high. I have ordered a larger IMS basket to see if it helps.

dndrich

Ok follow up. I tried various methods with the stock basket including reducing the dose. But in the end I bought a new competition IMS basket https://a.co/d/4SdSbov and with my Niche zero I was able to dial in a 17.5 gm dose with sufficient head room, lovely flavor, and no sticking. I have family visiting and made like 6 in a row, no sticking. So I may have solved this.

dfk41

dndrich I had forgotten that I had swopped out the stndard one for a Pullman, and no sticking with that one!

dndrich

dfk41 I think the issue is the head room. This basket is a touch bigger than the standard one, with a concave base to hold a bit more. So I can dose a good double with 17.5 gm and not get stuck.

Brainbox

I have the same issue 9/10. Also learned to live with it, goal is making espresso, not solid pucks … :)
It is doable if after opening the portafilter, to move it forward to scrape of the residue and after removing the puck from the filter, clean the shower screen and filter by flowing some water using both upper buttons.

dndrich

Brainbox I typically make 2 per session, one for my wife and one for me. So the stuck puck is a pain. Obviously first world problem, but one I have wanted to solve. It appears solved now. Yay.

Elcarajillo

Something I have noticed with the included IMS 14 -18 basket , the holes have been punched from the outside of the basket, then a too has moved across inside to ‘wipe’ rip off the fash / burr’s.

But this has left the inside like a cheese grater- rough. The VST on the other hand is smoothly polished.

Anyone else noticed this ??

MediumRoastSteam

Elcarajillo - all my IMS baskets I have or ever had were the same. VST is smooth, whereas IMS is rough on the inside.