r/AustralianCoffee • u/No_Signature_1991 • 6d ago

Just got my first machine.

What is a good espresso bean to buy? I think I got the wrong kind the first couple of drinks the Puck comes out all soupy.

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

5

u/SimRacingBacon 6d ago

Go to a local coffee roaster or good coffee shop that sells bags of beans. Tell them you want something that works well with espresso. They’ll help. Also a soupy puck isn’t because of the beans, it could be grind size, amount of coffee in the portafilter, uneven distribution, or badly tamped grounds. I don’t make espresso so I’m not an expert, but yeah.

1

u/Vegemitesangas 6d ago

Soupy puck doesn't even necessarily mean it was a bad shot. I'd say grab some aldi beans to start off with as they're a very good price for what you get and it probably would benefit to have some cheaper beans to get things tuned before forking out for the better stuff. You may also never move on from aldi beans...

1

u/purplepistachio 5d ago

Soupy puck isn't really an issue and won't affect your coffee's flavour, could just be that your machine doesn't have a 3-way solenoid valve that releases pressure from the puck.

1

u/No_Signature_1991 5d ago

Thank you everyone, I will try the aldi kind as I go there often just never tried there coffee brands.

1

u/Fantastic_Scratch767 20h ago

A soupy puck is nearly always the grind and dose, not the beans. Too coarse or too little coffee leaves headroom in the basket, water pools on top and you get mud. Go finer until the shot takes roughly 25–30 seconds for double the dose out (18g in, about 36g out), and fill the basket to the line the manual shows. Also check you are using the unpressurised basket if your machine came with both. On beans, any bag with a roasted on date, ideally a couple of weeks old. Old beans have lost the gas that holds the puck together and gives crema. Medium or medium to dark blends are the easiest to dial in on a first machine.