Why it matters in the cup.
Coffee glossary
Puck Preparation
The full sequence of steps — grinding, dosing, distributing, levelling, and tamping — used to build a stable coffee bed before brewing.
Filed under
What the barista is doing
What the barista is doing
What it means
The full sequence of steps — grinding, dosing, distributing, levelling, and tamping — used to build a stable coffee bed before brewing. A stable puck gives water a fair, even path. Many espresso problems blamed on the machine are actually puck-prep issues that compound once pressure arrives.
Keep going
Where this leads
Each one pushes this into the cup, compares it, or helps you act on it.
What the barista is doing
Dial-In
Then see how the process adjusts over time.
Make one change, taste again, and keep notes. Dialing in rewards discipline more than speed.
The numbers that define the shot
Dose
Good workflow protects consistency.
Use a scale for every dose when dialing in. Precision here saves time everywhere else.
Tools that help you see mistakes
Naked Portafilter
Use tools when workflow breaks down.
Use a bottomless portafilter when dialing in or training, even if you return to a spouted one for service.
What the barista is doing
Pulling a Shot
Stay inside what the barista is doing and compare a nearby term before widening out.
Use the phrase freely, but keep the focus on what the shot is doing in the cup.