Inside Espresso Pucks With A CT Scanner

"Maybe we're worrying about things we don't need to worry about". By the time you're reviewing CT scans of espresso pucks, I'd say that ship has sailed.

Thank you for visiting, James! It was a pleasure to work with you on this project.

"So thanks to our Patrons we have purchased a CT Scanner and will be giving it away to one lucky Patron at the end of the video."

2019: Buying a $29.99 Aeropress because of James Hoffman 2025: Buying a $600,000 DirectMed CT scanner because of James Hoffman

Hey James, watching this, all I can see is Oil and Gas drilling since that's the industry I'm in. You may really find some useful parallels with fracking and espresso extraction. Basically, you aren't seeing any channeling because those channels collapse without proppant being pumped downhole to keep them open. The entire drilling industry has spent so much to get data on porosity and permeability for oil extraction. Basically espresso is the same thing.

Thank you James for the mentions and really happy you were able to get some support locally. One little modification: the Decent can absolutely behave the same as a lever machine, and not pressure release at the end of the shot. To do this, add a 0 mL/s step at the end of your profile, that lasts long enough to let the puck release pressure itself. Your shot will end as it normally will, but then there'll be several seconds where coffee will slowly dribble out, just as on a lever. You'll be able to look at the tablet to see when pressure has reached 0 bar, and then you can stop the shot and remove your portafilter and puck. It's a subtle thing, but on the Decent, a zero flow rate implies "add no water, and leave the pressure valve alone", i.e. behave like a lever machine. Another approach, simpler, would have been to make a pressure profile that rises to 9 bar and ends at 0 bar. The depressurizing at the end of the shot would then have had no effect.

Every time you think he overdoes coffee he surprises you. Love this guy.

As a radiologist I really enjoyed this video! Once I scanned an hi-end speaker cable to understand its internal geometry and it was fun 😂

this is the level of coffee-based insanity that is just about perfect for this channel. absolutely wonderful

James continues his journey as a science communicator masquerading as a coffee enthusiast.