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matthewb.eth
@matthewb
I'm now realizing that I yeeted this cast into the ether without much context. so, here's an overview of what this gadget does for normal well-adjusted people who don't have a coffee lab at home: * basket preparation when preparing espresso, you're grinding beans in order to fill a metal cylinder called a basket. your goal is for the coffee grounds to be perfectly distributed such that an equal density is achieved throughout the basket. ideally, you want the resulting espresso to be equally extracted from all of the grounds. if one area is less dense, then water will naturally flow through the path of least resistance. this is called channeling and means that the grounds in that area will be over-extracted whereas the surrounding areas will be under-extracted. as a result, your coffee will be less balanced and can veer towards bitter or sour, bright or dull, etc.
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matthewb.eth
@matthewb
* so wtf does this thing do? this is where a category of tools called distribution tools comes into play. these gadgets help you to evenly distribute the grounds in your basket and prevent channeling. they come in many forms and this one is called the moonraker (yes, it's a james bond reference). the moonraker works by sitting on top of your basket and moving needles in a spirograph motion to distribute the grounds evenly. of course you can take a paperclip or other metal stick and try to do something similar, but it's harder than it seems and the pattern will never be randomized like a dedicated tool. it's definitely an unhinged, over-the-top coffee gadget but believe it or not, it's the only one I've found that works. long story short, it helps make the coffee taste better so I use it. I have tried many others from cheap to expensive and can write another post about all of those past failed gadgets.
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