Prepping your grinds before you pull a shot (aka puck prep) is important to ensure a delicious, well-rounded espresso shot. Watch the video, or check out the steps below, to learn how to prep your coffee well! 

Table of Contents

1. Video Guide
2. Written Guide
   1. Step 1: Distribution
   2. Step 2: Tamping
   3. What Does a Well-Tamped Puck Look Like?
   4. How Does a Well-Tamped Puck Perform? 

Video Guide

Written Guide

Step 1: Distribution

When prepping your coffee, the first step is to ensure you have a flat and even coffee bed inside the portafilter. An uneven coffee bed creates channeling, which leads to a watery and under-extracted shot.

Begin by holding the portafilter with coffee in it with one hand. With the other hand, use the middle section of your pointer finger to gently even out the coffee bed and flatten it out. When you're swiping in toward your thumb, try using the last joint of your pointer finger as an anchor point against the rim of the portafilter. When you're swiping back out, try using the bottom joint of your pointer finger instead.

Since you're working with finely ground coffee, start with less force than you'd think you need and increase it from there. Using too much force might just throw coffee everywhere. 

Also, don't sweat it if you lose a small amount of coffee in the process.

While you're doing this, take a moment to make sure all the exposed parts of the portafilter are free of rogue coffee grounds. The ears, neck, and face of the portafilter should be nice and clean when you put it in your espresso machine. 

Step 2: Tamping

Tamping is when we compress the coffee grounds down into the portafilter to create a puck.

Before you tamp, make sure the portafilter is on a flat and even surface. You'll be applying a good amount of downward pressure, so keep that in mind when choosing what you tamp on. 

When grabbing the tamper, approach it like you're grabbing a doorknob or a flashlight with your thumb facing downward. 

Next, put the flat end of the tamper into the portafilter and apply a good amount of pressure—20-30 pounds for those curious—to make sure everything is dense and compact. The idea is to keep the pressure even and flat to avoid the surface slanting in one direction or another.

A great way to test this is to leave the tamper in the portafilter and hold it up to eye level once you're done. If you rotate it, you'll be able to see if it's slanting in one way or another. 

Once you're done, take another moment to wipe away any stray coffee grounds from the portafilter. 

What Does a Well-Tamped Puck Look Like? 

A well-tamped puck should be a smooth, level surface with no cracks, gaps, or loose grounds. It should feel firm to the touch, no crumbly or uneven. If you tilt the portafilter slightly, the puck should stay intact and show no signs of sloping or cracking. 

How Does a Well-Tamped Puck Perform?

While your shot is pulling, take a look at the underside of the portafilter—it's one of the best ways to evaluate your prep. 

Your shot should start with a few slow, dark drips that merge into a steady, syrupy stream. This transition is a visual cue that pressure is building and the puck is resisting the water to extract all the goodness from the coffee. 

Once your shot is pulled, you should also see foam on top of the shot called crema. The amount will vary based on multiple factors, but a well-tamped puck will help produce it.

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