NEOUZA V4 Espresso Puck Screen 0.8mm Thickness Honeycomb Mesh Double Layer Black Protective Coating for Coffee Portafilter Basket (1 pc., Black, 58mm)

Whether you need or use a puck screen may depend on what sort of coffee setup you have. I have a Mazzer Mini grinder and a Bellezza Francesca Espresso machine.Making coffee is always an art, given the factors that can affect the amount of coffee that goes into the group head. I try and maintain a 20gm weight for each pour. I try and grind coffee as needed, but if there's some sitting in the hopper left over from the day before, the amount of coffee required varies slightly. Different blends (beans) also require minor changes to the grinder to keep the weight roughly the sameUsing the puck screen, I had to alter the grind slightly. Even though the Neouza screen is thin, I had to increase the fineness of the grind so it would fit in the group head and not touch the group screen. As you can see the accompanying photo, the coating started to come off in its early use as I learned what adjustments I needed to make. I'd suggest the stainless steel option should you purchase it. It's easy to get the screen out after using, a short tap on the knock box allows it to fall out, with a quick rinse ready for the next use. It does keep the group head clean, but so does a quick flush and rinse of the group handle.Overall, I didn't find any real difference in using the puck screen from the coffee that I've been making. But this maybe different for you depending on the setup you have.

Adding this topper to my Coffee Machine 58mm basket on top of the coffee has improved my extraction substantially, and has the additional benefit of less backwash of grounds back into the machine and head when the extraction completes, making the machine easier to keep clean and less maintenance and clean cycles to clear out the backwash channel.I always seem to have a dilemma in getting the best combination of grind size/bean amount and extraction time/pressure to get the perfect extraction. I would always land in a zone of compromise where the extraction would be too long, or too short, or would not generate enough pressure for the best crema. I have eventually found my compromise by slightly under filling my basket after tamping, which results in allowing the beans to expand somewhat during extraction - just a little - but enough that the pressure isn't maintained at my preferred 8.5-9 ATM.This little slug, though, occupies enough space at the top of my basket to control all of that, whilst ensuring a even water flow and distribution. My extraction is slightly longer, at higher pressure, and my Crema is PERFECT!The puck when removed shows excellent even water penetration without tunnelling and nice even extraction. The Puck is firm and easy to eject, and the Puck screen pops off easily just by inverting the basket.The metal is very strong, though thin, and I initially though it would potentially distort and lose shape when clamped tightly into the extraction head, but it is looking just like it did when it arrived.After using this for about 20 extractions, the black plating on top of the stainless steel began to flake. It is unclear if this is iron plating or a Teflon type paint product.The product is available in a naked stainless steel version, and the supplier replaced my black version with the Naked Stainless steel version, and so my review returns to 5 stars - but get hte silver naked version.Pictures of the flaking for the black plated/pained product are attached. I'll update with the silver ones soon.So, with the caveat of using the silver version, I'd much recommend this product.