What Does a Puck Screen Do (And What DOESN’T): Top Tips Inside

What does a puck screen do? 

This is a common question many coffee lovers have as a puck screen is a gadget that many times comes with espresso machines but maybe there is no clear instruction in the manual on how to use it. Stick around, I’ve compiled a guide that explains exactly what the puck screen does and how to use it the right way.

Let’s dive right into it.

What Does a Puck Screen Do

Puck screens are a simple yet effective way to supply hot water evenly across the coffee grounds to avoid espresso channelling which results in coffee with unusual and unbalanced flavours. Another use of a puck screen is to block any possible water rush from the boiler that could also spoil the taste of your coffee.

What is the difference between mesh, paper and screen?

Let’s go over the main differences between the 3. 

You can use paper instead of a screen. Use scissors to cut baking paper in the shape of the coffee basket and once you’re done with tamping you can put it above the coffee grounds. 

Is this method effective?

Yes, in a way helps the water to run through the coffee grounds more evenly, but the problem is you might taste the paper in your coffee, and who wants that? The second option is to use a sieve which is quite flexible but there’s a possibility of blocking the water running through evenly. IMO it’s not the most effective method out of the 3.

A metallic screen is probably the best option as it fits well into the coffee basket and helps spread the water in a way that extracts the flavours and aromas of the coffee grounds. Plus, it’s reusable, meaning you buy it once and use it multiple times. All you need to do is give it a wash (like with the rest of the parts that need washing) to keep it in a good condition.  

Essential coffee machine parts related to puck screens

Let’s go over a few essential bits of a coffee machine to help get a better understanding of where a puck screen fits in.

Tampers and distributors

Let’s face it, brewing with an espresso machine means that you need to tamp your coffee grounds. You can’t brew without tamping them but at the same time if you over-tamp them you’ll end up with a very little amount of coffee. The trick is to find the right balance of tamping your coffee grounds enough to help your coffee machine to pull an excellent espresso shot every single time. 

So, having a great tamper and regular practice to get the hang of this step of the process is key. 

Distributors are equally important and will help you spread the coffee grounds more evenly and enjoy better coffee. 

It’s useful to have them both IMO, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to break the bank and buy the most expensive ones. Go ahead and read about how to clean an espresso filter basket easily.

Coffee grounds Baskets

This is one of the most important parts of any coffee machine. 

No matter how well you did your tampering, if the coffee basket is damaged (which happens due to excessive usage or when not following the best practices the manufacturers recommend). As a result, the water finds the easiest way to run through the coffee grounds and (as you might have guessed it) this leads to espresso channelling. 

Make sure you follow the guidelines for brewing espresso with your coffee machine to avoid damaging the coffee grounds basket in mint condition.

Portafilters

A good way to detect any issues with your coffee extraction and whether it’s channelling or not is to use a naked portafilter.

Typically, coffee should be coming out from the middle of the portafilter; if it’s not it means that there are some issues with the coffee extraction and one quick solution is to use a puck screen.

Fancy items for better coffee

Let’s go over a bunch of gadgets that will help you elevate the taste of your coffee.

Tasting cups

We see this time and time again the coffee industry ‘steals’ ideas and concepts from the wine industry. So, similar to wine-tasting glasses, there are tasting cups for coffee, ideal to taste coffee and identify unique features of different coffee beans. 

Is it essential to have one? 

Not necessarily, but there’s no harm in buying one, especially if you’re into trying different coffee beans.

Books about latte art 

Once you master the basics you can move on to more complex stuff like latte art.

Let’s get real, it doesn’t make your coffee taste better, but it’s a cool finishing touch that is pleasing to the eye. And of course, great coffee is a whole experience. So it’s interesting to learn how to do latte art and in this case you’ll need to buy books to learn these skills. But it’s important to say one more time you need to master the basics.

How to choose a puck screen?

As mentioned above metallic puck screens tend to be better than the other 2 options for a bunch of reasons.

When it comes to thickness, I suggest you go for 1.5mm – 2mm which are just what you need to allow water to be distributed nicely. 

Such puck screens can hold the coffee grounds properly and reduce the possibility of espresso channelling.

Let’s wrap it up

So, what does a puck screen do?  It’s key to being aware of what each and every bit of your coffee machine is and how it fits in the big picture.

Since you know what the puck screen does, you’ll be able to use it the right way and brew excellent, espresso, cappuccino americano and more.

FAQ

Do you have a burning question about the topic? Let’s have a look at some of the most common ones.

Do espresso puck screens work? 

The answer is: yes they do. When you use them the right way (which probably needs a bit of practice) you’ll be able to make great espresso consistently.

What is the purpose of an espresso puck screen?

The main purpose of an espresso puck screen is to help the hot water in your espresso machine to be distributed evenly and avoid ‘espresso channelling’. So what’s the big deal with espresso channelling? The water extracts the flavours and aromas of just a small part of the coffee grounds and you end up with a cup of coffee that tastes weird.

Does the Puck Screen increase the pressure?

When it’s done right it doesn’t increase pressure. Instead, as we mentioned above it helps you brew better coffee every single time. 

Should the puck touch the shower screen?

It’s a good brewing practice to ensure that the puck doesn’t touch the shower screen. If it does what happens is your extraction is going to be less even and your coffee less rich. Ideally, you need to leave a gap between the two, so the water will flow more evenly through the coffee grounds and the result is going to be better.