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Soupy puck
A wet, sloppy puck that falls out of the basket in chunks rather than a firm disc.
Category: Extraction — Workflow & Technique
A wet, sloppy puck that knocks out as a slurry or breaks into chunks — not a firm dry cake.
Why it matters — On a modern espresso machine with a 3-way valve, this is normal. The valve releases pressure but not all the water in the puck, so the puck stays wet. It doesn't indicate a problem unless the shot itself tasted off.
Good to know
- Ignore "dry puck challenge" advice from older YouTube content — it doesn't apply to most modern machines.
- If you also see channelling or get bad flavour, fix the puck prep — not the wetness.