Puck Screens: How Much do They Really Impact Extraction?
We’ve always believed that a good puck prep routine, whatever that looks like for you, makes great-tasting espresso possible. Recently, we’ve forced ourselves to shine a brighter light on puck screens, those tiny metal discs that look like a ’90s slammer in your Pog collection (we know you still compete on the blacktop). We know the benefits of cleanliness and how neat our espresso pucks knock out, but we were curious about long-term use when it comes to extraction. Time to bust out the handy refractometer and map some percentages.
The Setup & Experiment
We kept things simple. Using our go-to Kickstep blend, we dialed a classic 20g in // 40g out recipe on the Linea Mini with a 30-second shot time. Our grinder of choice was the LUCCA Atom 75, and we prepped every puck using a Weber Workshops Moonraker and the Really Nice Tamper for consistency. If you're wondering whether that’s overkill: yes, proudly so.
Once everything was locked in, we pulled a set of baseline shots. We tested these shots with the refractometer and measured the TDS. Next, we added the LUCCA puck screen and measured the TDS percentage. Nothing else changed in our puck prep or espresso recipe. It was all smooth sailing.
The Results
The outcome was surprisingly impressive. The shots pulled with a puck screen showed an average of 3% higher extraction yield than those without. That’s about a 20% relative increase in extraction, without touching the recipe, grind size, or liquid espresso yield. Even better, the numbers were consistent across the board.
We expected to see some difference, but not this much. After all, a puck screen doesn’t look like it’s doing much, but the reality is that it does just enough to make that little difference in the cup that you're chasing.
Evenly dispersing water across the puck and slightly reducing headspace between the group screen and coffee bed smooths out flow and mitigates channeling. And as this experiment showed, those small benefits can significantly impact flavor clarity and extraction efficiency.
So, Are Puck Screens Worth It?
The answer is a resounding yes. If you’re chasing precision and nuance in your espresso, puck screens are not the silver bullet to magically transform your shots, but they are practical and effective. The tiny inconvenience of placing and removing a puck screen pales in comparison to the consistent gains in performance.
If you're like us and maybe brushed puck screens off as a novelty, consider this your invitation to reconsider. You might just find yourself quietly converted, too. Cheers!