Don't get me wrong, I love the Weber Blind Shaker's consistency and extraction when done right. But for a product that is designed to be vigorously shaken, why is it so hard to hold? It tends to collapse in on itself. This leads to spills and wasted coffee. Couldn't they have designed it with a screw-on lid or something, because this seems like such a bizarre design choice.
by Phrexeus
32 Comments
I’ve never had this happen. Screw-on would be a nightmare for workflow
Luckily I’m smart enough to know that the blind shaker is well over the line of too much hassle for me personally. I’ve never been even tempted to buy one.
Hold the top and sides only. Don’t put any pressure on the bottom. You don’t have to martini shake it, just enough to loosen everything up.
I stand by that the only puck prep you really need are WDT and a firm tamp. All the extra stuff is just espresso OCD
It’s a technique to be sure. I always put a finger on the top of the stopper to make sure it’s in place before grinding coffee into the shaker, and then I brush off grinds from the same spot before putting the lid on it. Then I’m sure to hold it on the sides and hold the lid on as I shake.
No? You just grab it and put your index finger over the lid? I’ve never had this happen personally.
Don’t bother with it if it doesn’t work for you. I like the shaker more than wdt because I feel like it’s quicker and easier for me.
Have had it happen a few times. You’ll get there. If you’re not bothered, just roll back to your previous prep
Put thump and middle finger in the indented ring at the bottom side of the shaker and put your index finger on the lid.
And you don’t shake it vigorously. I find a more gentle shake is better
Tbh, that only happened to me the first time I was using it. Never happened again afterwards. So I quite like using it
Actually, I used to use it – I still have one but never used – but the E64 actually delivers super super fluffy grinds that it doesn’t need to be ‘de-clumped’ so to speak 🙂 but I remember the first time using the shaker when I had a Timemore and the first few times I would accidentally move the middle pin and the thing would spill hahaha but you get used to it
No…
I mean if you don’t have hands….maybe…
Skill issue bro.
3 fingers, sides and top, that’s it. Had the same experience and realised you hold from sides and just a finger or two on top. NEVER touch the bottom bit. You pop it open if held top to bottom no matter how hard you think you’re adding resistance. From sides and top you can shake as much as you like with just holding it.
for me it’s fast and clean tbh..
– Directly grind in to it
– Put lid on
– Shake couple of seconds
– magic tumblr
– tamp
wdt has a much worse workflow in my opinion..
I just put my hand over my grinder’s collecting glass, and shake … then i dump it all in the basket, and wdt. I believe the blind shaker is just another low utility tool, just like the leveler (despite me having a few, because you know … useless tools collecting whore).
Just level with the wdt tool, then tamp straight.
You gotta hold the top on when you shake it tho
I much prefer the workflow from Niche. I just shake the cup with the portafilter on top, then flip it upside down. No mess, no clogged ports filter, no additional purchase.
I’ve had this a couple of times. It’s frustrating, but both times because I rushed. I imagine there were considerations for a more secure lid, but time/ease of use took precedence. Perhaps you’re shaking too vigorously? At this point, I do a couple turns and call it a day. If it’s still too much, I don’t consider the shaker a necessity. The advantage of all these tools is you decide what works for you.
You hold the cup on the side and the lid, don’t put pressure on the bottom…
I have had that happen a couple of times with the weber. All it takes is an accidental tap from your finger to the bottom.
I switched to the Sworks design one when I got my Kafatek so I can use it with the portafilter forks. Never had a spill happen with it. It has gaskets and doesn’t fall apart as easily as the weber version.
I messed up maybe once in the first day I had it, and I really give it a good shake now. Very satisfying. I know I could screw up, but I don’t? I don’t WDT, huge workflow improvement IMO.
Sorry everyone’s responding like you’re an idiot who can’t shake a cup (I might be one too).
Joking aside, I forget the brand but the first blind shaker I bought I did this exact thing twice within a week and ended up returning it and went back to the WDT tool. However, there’s always something I didn’t care for with the WDT, so I bought another blind shaker a few months ago and question why I haven’t always been using one. So efficient and way more effective.
So perhaps try a different brand? I’m currently using the normcore shaker and feel everything puts together/magnetizes nicely.
Your photo looks EXACTLY like my first 3 dozen attempts to use this thing. I really wanted to throw it in the garbage, but once i figured it out, the results are great.
As others have said, don’t hold the bottom, just the side and top, then gently shake.
I have had this happen before but it’s rare… I also don’t think you are supposed to shake it *that* vigorously, and honestly having to take the time screwing and unscrewing would be much more annoying than this happening once out of every one thousand times I use it
As you suggest this is on Weber, but screwing the lid on is probably not the answer. My shaker has never done this (*yet*).
I’m with you! I had a blind shaker for a month and found it awkward and cumbersome. I now take a small mouth Mason jar lid, put it over the top of my DF64 dosing cup, and just shake the crap out of it.
Is it elegant? No. But it works.
It’s always seemed like too much hassle to me I just hold the portafilter and catch cup together in one hand and shake that, I’ve never dropped it.
Blind-shaker -> there’s just one safe grip. Every other grip? Frag grenade.
You’ll learn and adapt, as everyone did.
No way, personally, I think the blind shaker is the best thing I ever bought after the grinder…. Grind into it, stick the lid on and hold it firm from top to base and shake. Does such a good job. I do dread the day when I don’t grab it properly and I throw coffee everywhere, but that could happen with anything.
Wasn’t that thing like $150? The trends chasing needs to go.
This only ever happened to me when I showed people how not to hold it lol. Thumb and pinky go into the indent, index goes on the lid. The bottom is not to be touched. The other fingers can help stabilize the grip but also dont hold the bottom (that would be hard anyways but Im making sure).
Now shake. Hard enough so it gets thrown around, but not too hard (there is no too hard, but there is unnecessarily hard) not too soft (or you will not achieve anything).
Make sure to put flush on the porterfilter and tap on the table to settle the grounds before taking it away.
If you spill something, you are not doing what I described. Good luck next time 😀
I used to work in a café, where you’d just get the loose coffee from the hopper into the portafilter, push it against the tamp attached to the grinder and screw it under the machine and hit the button.
I own a lever Pavoni machine and a secondhand grinder from Mahlkönig (made for shops, with a vibrating plate for the bags) and everybody loves my coffee. I grind enough coffee for 4-5 cups and spoon it out, into the funnel on top of a portafilter and stir the coffee briefly with a little wooden ‘paddle picker’ before I tamp it down and draw my espresso.
https://preview.redd.it/taekht78eakg1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2097ca1d3d84f9096b60ab900ec837d1150d65e9
I don’t check the temperature or exactly how many bars I’m using. The coffee tastes good enough for all my friends to congregate at my house for coffee.
I consider WDT tools, shakers, timers, et cetera, to be unnecessary but I can understand the desire to tinker to make the ‘perfect coffee’.