Portafilters, baskets and tamping tools

Do You Need a Puck Screen for Espresso, and What Size Should You Buy?

Published · By the Espresso Shortlist editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

You don't need a puck screen to make espresso. It is a thin metal disk laid on the tamped puck that spreads the incoming water and keeps coffee from sticking to the machine's shower screen, so its most visible benefit is a cleaner group head. The size to buy is the one listed for your machine's basket, and the thickness is a second choice that depends on how full your basket is.

What it does, in the makers' words

Normcore says its screen sits on top of the tamped puck "to help distribute water more evenly, reduce channeling" and keeps coffee grounds from sticking to the shower screen. Flair makes a similar case for the Flair 58, a lever machine. Its mesh screen softens the flow of water to the coffee bed and cuts the coffee that gets pulled into the brew head when the lever lifts, and Flair says this can cut how often you take off the brew head for cleaning, perhaps to once a month or less.

Size comes from the basket

Normcore's compatibility guide gives a puck screen size for each machine. Breville's Bambino, Bambino Plus, and Barista Express, Pro, and Touch take 53.3 mm, even though their portafilters are called 54 mm. Gaggia's Classic and Classic Pro, Breville's Dual Boiler, and E61 machines from makers such as Rocket take 58.5 mm. Lelit's 57 mm models are listed at 57 mm.

Thickness and dose

A screen takes up room above the coffee, and the options vary a lot.

ScreenThicknessPrice
Normcore Puck Screen, 316 stainless1.7 mm$13.99 (silver)
Normcore 2-pack with stand1.7 mm and 1.0 mm$29.99
Normcore Ultra-Slim0.8 mm, or 0.2 mm with titanium PVD$14.99 to $19.99
Flair 58 Etched Puck Screen0.5 mm$15.00

Normcore gives a rule for its two-pack. Use the 1.7 mm screen with a normal dose, and switch to the 1 mm screen when the dose is larger and ground very fine. It also suggests 1 mm for dark roasts and 1.7 mm for light and medium ones.

Flair's 0.5 mm etched screen is Flair's answer to cleaning. Compared with its original sintered mesh screen, Flair says the etched one does not hold on to fines, heats up faster, and lifts out with a magnet. Normcore's cleaning advice for its mesh screens is to rinse with water after each use and to use Cafiza or a blast from the steam wand if a screen is stained.

Shopping for one? Shop espresso tools and accessories →

Sources

  1. Normcore — Espresso Puck Screen, 316 Stainless Steel
  2. Normcore — Ultra-Slim Puck Screen, 316 Stainless Steel
  3. Normcore — 2 Packs Puck Screen With Stand (1.7mm / 1.0mm)
  4. Normcore — Espresso Machine Compatibility Guide
  5. Flair Espresso — Flair 58 Puck Screen
  6. Flair Espresso — Flair 58 Etched Puck Screen

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

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