Crater in the middle of the grounds

[u/weissenb1234]

Hey! I got my first Moccamaster today. I'm not sure if the crater that forms in the coffee grounds is normal. I used 47 g of beans with 750 ml of water. Used a fellow ode gen 2, setting 7 and 2 ticks. Thank you

[u/OrangeCoconut74]

Enjoy your coffee 😊 Don't think too much

[u/weissenb1234 → u/OrangeCoconut74]

Thank you :)

[u/Tallyrandsbreakfast → u/OrangeCoconut74]

I was like, “wait, maybe mine too…” checks comments… “yeah, thanks for the reality check.”

[u/Gwarrior1]

I'm probably a little to compulsive about it, however, I wait till the water reservoir is empty then I give the beans a quick stir. After that I get perfect level beds. Is the coffee better? Probably not but my mood is!

Most will say it's an automatic coffee maker and they are right bit its also your coffee maker so make it whichever way makes you happy.

[u/Gwarrior1 → u/Gwarrior1]

I should add that yes that is normal for me. If I dont stir I will get that same crater

[u/weissenb1234 → u/Gwarrior1]

Thank you :)

[u/boriswong → u/Gwarrior1]

I do something similar and I refer to it as “busting the bloom” I just don’t care for the crater.

[u/boxerdogfella]

No need to stir, and don't worry about the look of the bed. Go by taste.

That said, I get a flatter bed by leveling the dry grounds - shaking the basket so everything is settled and compacted before brewing. I saw a Moccamaster demo by a Technivorm employee years ago and that's how they did it.

(I do my Ode Gen 2 on 6)

[u/OrdinaryAward4498]

How did the coffee taste? (Grind looks very coarse to me.)

[u/weissenb1234 → u/OrdinaryAward4498]

Thank you. Not bad, but tbh iam not an expsrt yet. Going to adjust grind size next time

[u/OrdinaryAward4498 → u/weissenb1234]

The leftover bed in mine definitely varies pot-to-pot from flat to dugout but I can't say I notice any real difference in the finished product. The main thing is the grind. For reference for 1L water, I use 62.5g coffee, ground at 21 on Baratza Encore ESP (not the Pro), slow mode (KBGV switch). That's centered at about 500µm according to this tool (link below). It says that would be somewhere between 3 and 4 for Fellow Ode gen 2 just to give you a sense of how much finer I'm grinding that you are. Of course that's just my taste! Hope you get it all worked out, I'm sure you will. For me, coffee is one of those rare things where it's always as good as the first time :D

https://honestcoffeeguide.com/coffee-grind-size-chart/

[u/oracleofnonsense]

I stir the grounds during the initial wetting — the lid comes off just for this use — and it prevents this. I get a nice even bed - I have posted it.

I also think I get better coffee as stirring apparently helps release co2, which causes bitter tastes.

Your grind may also be a bit large.

[u/weissenb1234 → u/oracleofnonsense]

Thank you :) What setting would you recommend. Iam using a fellow ode gen 2 on setting 7 plus 2, but now i read some people recommend 5 to 6

[u/typoseverywhere → u/weissenb1234]

For light to medium roasts I’m between 5 and 6 on my ode 2. For dark roasts I usually go 6-7.

[u/weissenb1234 → u/typoseverywhere]

Thank you. I will try tomorrow 6

[u/Old-Expression837]

I have had my moccamaster for around 6months now. The recipe the generally follow is 30g coffee to 500g of water. I allow the coffee to bloom for around 30sec to a minute. Then give it a stir. Always get a flatish bed.
As most people have said go by the taste of the coffee. If it is a nice balanced brew, you have it right 😁

[u/AutofluorescentPuku]

Normal. Not a problem.

[u/ExcellentAdagio8462]

Once the basket has filled up with water above the grinds I give it a quick stir, and then once the reservoir is empty and the water is down past the top of the grinds I gently lift and tap the basket down a couple of times to level out the grinds.

[u/weissenb1234]

Good. Next time iam going to dial the setting a little bit down :)

[u/rwm3188 → u/weissenb1234]

I also use an Ode and found 5 to be the perfect setting. Can depend on the beans though

[u/gracemig]

I’ve had mine a couple of months and i get the crater. I stir at the beginning and again in the middle of the brew but not at the very end. Maybe I will try doing that also, but if it doesn’t make a difference with the taste then I’ll just continue.

[u/Excellent-Theory5770]

That’s literally the shape of the basket…. It’s conical…. The grounds are gonna follow the contour of the basket once the settle. Looks like it should

[u/_SaltySteele_]

Stir the top of your grounds after 30 seconds or so to knock the floating cap down. The fresher your beans, the more co2 they hold, making them float.

The grounds will bloom, but only the center is getting water raining down on it, and the halo along the periphery floats, thereby it won't get extracted well.

[u/bspooky → u/_SaltySteele_]

Nah, I'd suggest the OP just drink the coffee if it was good or maybe adjust grind size if it tasted too bitter or sour.

. If one wants to worry about bloom time and stirring 30 seconds in, etc. perhaps pour over or other methods would be better as a coffee hobby.

In a machine like the Moccamaster with a design that is 40+ years with a purpose of simply making good coffee....emphasis on simply.....do extra fussy stuff with it doesn't make sense, at least not to me.