Here's a tip: If you are experiencing channeling and can't work out why after watching this video and trying the suggestions, try pushing water through your filter with no coffee in it at all. If you still get those little jets of water pushing out, it's your basket! This happened to me, clearly a crappy job on the holes with the default basket that came with the bottomless handle. I've now orders an IMS Nanotech Coffee Filter Basket. I have a pretty good feeling this will help me no end...

This guy is excellent. Would just as easily excel at corporate presentations.

These are by far the most clear and best produced videos about coffee on KZfaq

One thing the video didn't talk about was clumping; some grinders are bigger culprits than others. Clumps result in pockets of uneven density distribution, which also contributes to channeling. Surface distributors like the OCD or SAI BT Wedge only partially address this issue, because it only spreads out the grounds in the upper layer of the puck; it doesn't affect distribution in the lower half closer to the basket mesh, so if you have clumps dispersed throughout, you'll still risk running into channeling issues. A common method of dealing with that is using the Weiss Distribution Technique (WDT), which employs breaking up the clumps in the basket with a tool like a toothpick, paperclip, etc. People have gotten very creative with their tools to maximize de-clumping: modified mini-whisks, dissection probes, inoculating loops, looped wire spinner shafts, etc. Basically any thin, needle-like implement that won't scratch the basket would work. You'd also need some kind of funnel or collar around the portafilter basket to ensure that grinds don't go everywhere when you stir. The cheapest solution is a single-serve yogurt cup cut to fit inside the basket, or a canning funnel, though there are a number of companies that sell specialized funnels now. A few companies like Kafatek and Londinium also sell ready-made WDT tools, but they're pretty niche.

This is the best, most informative, most professional presentation of the subject on KZfaq. Infinitely better than those other coffee equipment companies’ amateur videos.

Never ending information on coffee and coffee extraction processes. Love it and nerd out on all the different techs. Thnx for informing us.

Taking nothing away from the very informative video; with all of our leveling and tamping and distribution tools, I don't think channeling is even a thing anymore.

Good info and even better that there is no ads 🙌

Bravo! Brilliant illustration, showing the coffee come through the pinhole first! That was a thrill to see, and proof the idea is valid! This will definitely make me pool my efforts toward distribution. Thanks for a great videos.

straight to the point and professional, I like it.

Excellent explanation, I am still working in my extraction which have channeling quite often but definitely this video will help me a lot

Would appreciate your input on just distributing, without tamping.

I made my grind more fine and no splashing/channeling anymore

a very comprehensive video. I guess I gave a small contribute by my device to get rid of this small but big problem.

Very extensive and clear explanation, thank you

Really into this guy. Excellent KZfaq voice.

I have my Breville about 2 months and i always have channeling.... i try every things !!!

I get some spurts. I use the jack leveler. Been adjusting the depth of the leveler but will try grinding a little coarser and see what happens.

0:48 Great Scott, that thing really hurted me!!

Extraction is so much like electricity. Pressure = voltage, flow = current, grind = resistance.

totally loving the puns. "tamp subscribe" hahaha! :)

Thank you, this was just what I needed! Very helpful! What grinder is that? I love it!

Love this guy, no bs thank you

Thanks. Nicely explained.

If you notice the boundary of the filter, that’s where extraction starts. While it fills in the middle pretty quickly, the shower head pushes water unevenly so the outer edge gets water first causing some unevenness. You could fix the shower head or build a tamper to make the middle slightly easier to push water through.

Since i got a VST 15g, i have heavy channeling, impossible to have a good shot :(

i have a bottomless portafilter and the coffee flow is really nice from the center of the filter. but i have a few really fine splashes squirting everywhere. what might be the reason for that? I also use a distribution tool to level the coffee powder.

I dont eveb drink coffee but i just watched the whole video...

Omg i m so jealous of your machines

Yea its very helping

AMAZING!! Great video.

What about the water distribution from the espressomachine itself? When I let water flow (without a portafilter) I notice that only half of the circle passes water. Is this a bad thing?

Fantastic videos. You have a new subscriber.

Thanks for another excellent video. You really are a really great communicator. You pack your videos with facts, yet your skill makes everything sink into my fiddled brain (could be all the coffee!!!). Thanks again. Looking forward to the next one.

I always get spray or spurts. It's a mess. I think I got the tamping right. Maybe I'll try a courser grind. 🤷

افضل فديو شفته يشرح صححححححححححححححححح

Channeling can deliver a sour espresso?

Great video!

Is grinder declumper Provence channeling ?

Since I've started using the OCD's knockoff version to level my ground, it has really been a huge game changer for my espressos. Many people say they use the heavy weight from the leveler to also tamp and in fact I don't really see why it wouldn't work as I've weighted my leveler and it's like 2.25x heavier than the tamper that came with my Rocket R58. Just out of curiosity, after having tamped, if you make ur index finger flat and press with a medium force on ur puck, is it suppose to lower a bit or it should be "rock hard"? I wouldn't want to put excessive pressure. I didn't worry much about it as I've seen in ur video that the difference even between 5lbs to 40lbs was far less than we could think of.

Does there have to be no spray at all like on instagram coffee clips or are a few sprinkles in the cup fine?

Does channeling ever happen when the grind is too coarse? I'll sometimes find that channeling decreases as I grind finer. How could this be?

I have subscribed

When you hear the words "soluble material" in an espresso video ...you know somebody is dead serious about the subject.

Just a illusion to make your coffe taste better

0:46 my shot was channeling like this that it shoots water everywhere. my struggle is it happened to my one coffee beans (Medium Roasted), but the other beans (light,medium,dark roasted) that I've dialed in don't have any problems about neither channeling nor shooting/splitting my coffee everywhere. I had tried to adjust grind sizes, tamping, appropriate dosing(20grams), but it does not work just with this beans. so frustrated. Does anyone know how to solve this problem? I'm using bottomless portafilter. Don't know if it was a normal problem of using this type of the portafilter or not.

Even with wdt an perfectionist tamping, I always get channeling. I'm so frustrated

I love America.

If I make it too fine it causes channeling, if I make it coarse it's brewing too fast.

What naked portafilter do you use? Thank you!

can I bulk like videos? Or maybe double like?

Who else accidentally found this searching for Wheel of Time stuff?

Needs to distribution

I use wdt tool, a distributor tool and a normcore spring tamper and I still get channeling, I must be the worst barista in the world

0:47 espresso diarrhea

Hipsters will complain abot capitalism then open a coffeshop selling espresso for 7£

Sometimes I think WW3 would be a good idea just to clear the palate of all our fetishes, such as "channeling."

Why isn't he playing video games like most other 12yr olds , and leave the coffee to the adults?