Stall

A shot that slows dramatically or nearly stops because the puck is offering too much resistance.

Filed under

When things go wrong

What it means

A shot that slows dramatically or nearly stops because the puck is offering too much resistance. Usually the result of a grind that is too fine, a dose that is too high, or an overly compressed puck. The shot often arrives late and tastes heavy, harsh, or over-concentrated. Blaming tamping pressure alone often misses the more important issues.

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Where this leads

Each one pushes this into the cup, compares it, or helps you act on it.

The numbers that define the shot

Dose

Start with the controllable recipe inputs.

Use a scale for every dose when dialing in. Precision here saves time everywhere else.

How you read the result

Yield

Then confirm what the shot actually produced.

Think of yield as the result you are aiming for and brewed weight as the way you verify you hit it.

Before the water hits

Channeling

Many faults begin in the puck long before the cup.

Treat puck prep as part of extraction, not as a ritual before it.

What people mean when they say "extraction"

Espresso Extraction

Translate the fault back into cup balance.

Separate extraction from strength in your thinking. One asks how much was dissolved, the other how concentrated the drink feels.