There is regular discussion here about the pros and cons of puck screens. One of the often mentioned cons is that they require cleaning. Several cleaning methods have been talked about frim the sensible and effective steam wand method, to the meticulous and expensive use of ultrasonic cleaners.
I thought I’d do a little experiment. I used my puck screen daily for a period of MORE THAN SIX MONTHS with my modded Gaggia Classic. After every pull, I did a simple rinse with hot tap water as I do with my portafilter. The only caveat I’ll add here is that I use medium roasts, but they do range towards the darker side of medium on occasion.
Today, I performed a steam wand cleaning. The attached photo is the result. White cup for visibiity. Minimal evidence of ground fines and almost zero evidence of coffee oils or dissolved coffee solids.
Conclusion: the “con” of cleaning your puck screen is largely overblown, barring perhaps a significant difference with very dark roast beans. A simple daily rinse in hot water is completely adequate, then include your puck screen in your regular cleaning schedule.
No problem.
by Charming-Weather-148
22 Comments
lol. I really don’t need one more thing to clean daily, even if it sounds like a simple rinse. 15 years of espresso making and never used one, don’t feel the need to add it now.
Except you can say the same for cleaning your actual shower screen. Daily cleaning with bush and water and then less frequent deep clean is all it takes. Also , while the puck screen keeps the larger grounds off your shower screen you still get coffee oils in there so it will require period cleaning anyways.
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I rinse and wash them after every shot with the basket. And about once a month or when I notice they look a bit stained I soak them in cafiza for a few minutes.
You don’t really need it, all my channeling issues was resolved with WDT. For reference, I have a BBE and used the built in grinder.
I use round paper filter screen now. No need to clean and can be had for cheap.
Puck screen sucks because it requires a decent amount of cleaning. Any left over residue will alter flavors imo unless you clean them real good.
The only reason I use my paper filter is to keep the group head cleaner.
On my flair 58 I need one. I stuck a paper filter between the buck and the screen. Then I rinse with hot water. No solids no more oils
as long u remember which side is the top side and keep it that way, no deep clean required.
I used to use a puck screen but got tired of picking it out of the puck each time and worrying about temp drop. I use paper filters now and I am very happy with the results. All the benefits of a puck screen but without the hassle.
Personally, I dont wanna fuss about with them for now
But this is good to know!
I use a screen on my lever machine, which I pull 2-5 double shots on daily. I rinse the screen under hot water after every shot and I empty the boiler tank through the screen and portafilter before shutting down the machine every day. That eliminates particles of coffee for sure, but what it *doesn’t* do is remove the oils which accumulate within the screen. I can run boiling water under pressure through it and it all comes out crystal clear, just as in your picture.
What I do every couple of months though is let the screen soak in a glass with a bit of hot water and a citrus based degreaser (an industrial product used in commercial kitchens and by painters and the like). The amount of crap that comes out is astonishing. The water literally turns muddy brown as the degreaser breaks down the oils.
Bottom line is that rinsing takes care of the particles, but does nothing to remove the oils which are not water soluble anyway. Try it yourself and see. If you don’t have degreaser, concentrated dish detergent and boiling hot water might work as well, you just need something oleophilic that will actually bind to the oils. Imagine coating your arm with Crisco and then trying to remove it by simply running warm water over it – it won’t work. You need soap or detergent or something that will attach to the oil molecules and pull them apart and off of your skin (or the metal of the screen in this case).
Keep in mind the primary issue with oil accumulation isn’t degraded taste (the oils won’t come out with hot water so they won’t end up in your coffee anyway), it’s reduced flow as the holes in the screen get ever smaller as they clog up.
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What does leaving grounds in the filter do? There are times I pull back to back shots and don’t rinse just because I don’t want to.
Never saw more channeling/flavor difference between em
After every shot, I rinse it really quickly when I rinse my basket, then let it sit inside a folded towel while I steam my milk. Haven’t had to do a deep clean once, still looks as clean as the day I got it (minus a few dents here and there)
I use the super thin Normcore puck screen, so cleaning is never an issue. It doesn’t get very dirty at all that some hot tap water can’t clean
Someone mentioned there is a top or bottom to a puck screen. I bought a cheapy on Amazon and there is no difference between right side up or upside down. Am I doing something wrong?
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I just don’t know why you would use a puck screen? What does it even do? My shots are pretty great, can’t think of anyway they could improve.
Yeah I’ve found a similar thing myself, I wasn’t good about cleaning my screen each run and the first time I used a cleaning solution a ton of crud came out. Since then I put a small blob of dish soap on the filter after each shot and rub it and rinse under the hot faucet. It’s just part of my shot routine and takes like 15s. The next time I tried a deep clean, nothing much came out, proving to me at least, that the soap-rinse after each shot kept it clean.
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I suggest soaking it in some TSP or Cafiza and report back
Quick rinse daily, then dishwasher once a week
Thanks for the report, OP. Helpful to have another data point/experience. 👍
(I still haven’t joined the puck screen world, as just one more thing for me–instead, I am running a blank shot after doing my espresso pull, to help keep things clean, which seems to be working.)
oh god only now I’ve heard that you have to clean those things and I’ve had mine for 4 months without it even touching warm water….
I’ll update y’all tomorrow morning