Puck screen is the common recommended tool to people starting their espresso journey. It is said to improve water distribution at to the puck, which promotes even extraction which means better tasting espresso. My my best of effort, I can’t detect any change in flavor with or without the puck screen. The benefit of using puck screen – is to keep your group head clean. When you stop the pump, some of the coffee ground will be suck up to the
Normcore
Thickness: 1.7mm
This is a mesh puck screen, which means it has several levels pressed together with a laser etching. It is the thickest and also the heaviest (but not by much). It used to cost around 250kr on amazon.se but it is now 185kr.
Pros: It is probably the one that works best.
Cons: it feels bulky. It probably works the best but it is also the hardest to clean. I had to soak it in puly caff from time to time to clean it even after putting it in disk washing machine. There could be concern that it will cold the water down more than it should, but given its thermal mass compared to the group head it should be very negligible.
3MHW-Bomber
Thickness: 0.8mm
It is a hybrid puck screen, with a plate with bigger holes and a net with smaller holes. Price is around 140kr on Aliexpress but I bought 5 for 330kr.
Pros: Of all three, this one is the best looking, not as bulky as the normcore but not as slimy as the Temu one. It also seems to work great – on par with Normcore, while much easier to clean.
Cons: it’s asymmetric so if you put it in the puck up side down, it is not as beautiful.
No name Temu puck screen
I had I hope for this but it turn out to be quite a disappointment. It is by far the cheapest, for around 2 pieces/35kr. It is simply a very thin metal place with holes
Pros: It is the thinnest (0.2mm), and also the lightest (2.7gr), so virtually no impact on thermality. It is also the easiest to clean.
Cons: it is too thin it is easy to bend, harder to hold as well. When you store 2 or more of them, they are easy stuck together. Performs the worst as the holes are big enough for grounds to get through.
All in all, my favorite is the 3MHW-Bomber. It has the best craftmanship, it has a nice balanced between size and function. After some trials I decided to put away my Normcore and Temu, and use it exclusively.
