Finally found a way to stop my espresso channeling after 6 months of frustration

I was pulling my hair out with my Breville Barista Express, getting channeling on like every third shot no matter what I tried. Tried grinding finer, distributing with a WDT tool, even bought a leveling tamper from Amazon for $25. Turned out my real issue was just letting the beans sit for at least 8 minutes after grinding before tamping - some roaster in Portland told me about degassing and it fixed everything. Has anyone else had a simple timing fix that changed their shots?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas.piper1mo ago

My buddy Dave from work tried that 8 minute rest thing after I told him about it too. He spent like $200 on different tamps and tools before giving up, now he just sets a timer on his phone and his shots are way more consistent. @the_sarah I guess sometimes the simple stuff really is the answer.

the_sarah1mo ago

That 8 minute rest trick is wild.