What can i do to stop channeling with a pressurized portafilter?

[Chloe40]

I’ve been trying to get a clean, consistent pour with my home setup, but no matter how I adjust my grind or tamp, I always seem to get some channeling or a bitter aftertaste. I’m wondering if my basic pressurized portafilter is the main thing holding me back from better shots.

[DavidVP]

I used a basic pressurized portafilter for ages. No matter how I tweaked grind or tamp, I’d get channeling and a bitter edge. After trying a non pressurized basket and playing with a more even distribution, the shots softened a bit, but it took many tries and wasn’t a clean fix.

[Mila.H]

I actually kept notes for a couple of weeks: grind a hair finer, dose around 18 g, and tamp with a lighter touch. Some days the crema looked good but the taste betrayed me with bitterness.

[Thomas_T]

Could the real problem be the beans or the water? My water’s not great for espresso and I still taste bitterness across roasts.

[Victoria_M]

One afternoon I was sidetracked cleaning the machine, let it heat up longer, then did a longer preinfusion. The shot was a touch smoother and less bitter, but it still channeled on some tries, and I felt like I was chasing consistency without knowing why.