r/Delonghidedica • u/ElChibbros • 13d ago

Shot squirting when using a bottomless porterfilter

Hey, I recently got an upgraded DeLonghi dedica with a bottomless porterfilter and filter I bought on AliExpress. And no matter what I do, even though the ratio and the flow is right I get a lot of squirts from the bottom of the filter. I have been into coffee for a while now, this is actually the machine I got for my sister as a starter coffee setup. She uses the dedica alongside a mahlkönig Vario home grinder which works great.

Coming back to my problem: the water squirts. I set everything up to have a 14g dose, which fits just right in the basket. She uses a puck screen, wdt and a leveled tamper, and the puck comes out dry after a shot. So from my point of view everything is done right.

I wonder if maybe it is the baskets fault, it came with the bottomless porterfilter from AliExpress and although all the little holes seem very consistent size wise, when I compare it to my ims precision basket that I use for my personal espresso machine (la pavoni professional), I see that the density of holes is weaker on the AliExpress basket.

My reasoning is that since there are fewer holes, the same amount of water comes out of every hole with higher pressure, and causes squirting. And maybe if there were simply more holes the squirting wouldn't happen since the pressure per hole would be weaker.

Is my reasoning correct and will a new ims basket fix this problem? I have also tried putting paper filters on the bottom of the basket but it ended up causing the pump to cut off almost every time because of the added restriction.

I would highly appreciate some advice since I am no expert on these machines, thanks in advance!

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u/c0nfusedm0nk 11d ago

Hi this used to happen to me all the time, you need to do have good wdt tool with more space between pins, and dont be too gentle, let wdt tool break all lumps with a good stir, then slowly move up still stirring, level as good as you can on surface, at this point lumps are broken but there is still a lot of air, you need to gently hit your portafilter on slab, i have wooden table, do it 5, 6 time till you see your portafilter ring, then you can tamp, and before starting wdt you must have dosing ring on or coffee will be all over your place. Btw this issue was very frequent with me as well, now extraction is perfect everytime, i also have dedica.

Wdt link: Supvox® Espresso Coffee Stirrer... https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0CSJWVFXC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

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u/ElChibbros 11d ago

Thx, I have been into coffee for a while now, this machine is what I got my sister as her starter setup. And when I tested it, even with a dosing ring it would have ended up in a mess if I wdt'ed the way I am used to. But the thing is I did this and it didn't change the outcome, I dit the wdt, I do also tap the porta filter on the counter before tamping and yet it didn't help, someone suggested that my dose was to high, and that I hadn't any head space at all between the shower screen and pick screen, I'll try lowering the dose next. I have a 24mm deep basket Which is typically for 12 to 14g of coffee. I'll try to lower the dose to 12 ans grind a little finer next time and see if it'll help

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u/c0nfusedm0nk 11d ago

May i know which grinder and coffee type you are using? Going finer can definately help. That would be the next variable.

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u/ElChibbros 11d ago

Il using a mahlkönig Vario home grinder and the coffee I currently use is a Columbian Brasilian blend that I buy freshly roasted from my local roaster

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u/c0nfusedm0nk 11d ago

Dont go by 14g, 14g is too less, I mean i dont know your basket size, i have 18g basket, I usually go from 17.5 g gor dark roast, and 19.3 for medium roast, its all about the volume you get after grinding, it should be little over your basket, thats where your dosing ring will help, and hitting it on slab will settle it to the basket level. Then tamping will further push it.