Grocery store checkout guy told me to tap my grounds twice before locking the portafilter

I was buying beans at a shop in Boulder and the kid at the register said to give the basket two firm taps on the counter before tamping. Tried it this morning and my shot ran way slower, no more channeling. Anybody else heard of this trick or is it just a superstition thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade27117d ago

I've been tapping mine a couple times before locking it in for months now. A barista in Denver told me it settles the grounds so the water hits it evenly from the start, it makes a big difference for me too.

richard_shah16d ago

Oh man, that's totally a real thing! (And here I was thinking I was just clumsy with my tamping.) I've been doing the double tap for about six months now after some random barista in Portland told me the same trick, and it honestly saved my morning routine. The first time I tried it I was so proud of myself that I forgot to actually lock the portafilter in and made a huge mess, which is pretty on-brand for me honestly. But yeah, it definitely helps settle the grounds so you get that nice even extraction instead of water just blasting through the weak spots. Sounds like you got solid advice from that kid in Boulder.