Channeling.  The word which incites fear in the hearts of the coffee people.  If Good is the enemy of Great according to Jim Collins, Channeling is the Enemy of Coffee according to...well, me.

What is it? Why should it be avoided at all costs? And most importantly, HOW can we avoid channeling in our espresso craft at home?

Thanks to this sweet article/resource by Clive Coffee, we'll dig in to the first two questions first.

Thanks to Jonathan Pascual, the owner of Taproom Coffee & Beer in Atlanta GA, we'll spend most of the episode digging in to the all-important "HOW"  question.  My biggest takeaways from Jonathan's advice were:
--> Get rid of clumps!
--> Even distribution of grounds in the portafilter is probably the #1 most important technique
--> Learn the "palm tap" technique (see Clive Coffee article!)
--> Don't overthink the Tamp

Big thanks to @TaproomCoffee and Jonathan Pascual for the time he took to share such great advice.  If you're local or visiting Atlanta, you need to check them out!

Oh, and Here's another article by Barista Hustle if you want to get a little more nerdy with the science of coffee extraction!