Understanding Espresso
Hydrostatic Water Pressure vs Compressive Stress
While not quite constant throughout the puck, traditional espresso extraction usually occurs at anywhere between 6 to 9 bars of 'hydrostatic' water pressure. Although this pressure is necessary, it is not sufficient for excellent espresso. Much more important is the compressive force (or stress) puck layers experience. It's this compressive force that reduces water capillary channels between coffee grounds in the mid to lower layers, which in turn forces more water to diffuse deep into the interior of the grounds as opposed to by-passing them.
The issue with traditional espresso is twofold. Firstly, the generation of this necessary compressive force, is strongly dependent on a sufficiently fine enough grind size of the top layers, and due to fines migration this force is temporary. Secondly the top layer itself does not experience much compressive force at all, only hydrostatic water pressure.
Why Compression is Important
VFiPP Redefines Espresso
In traditional espresso the top layers are extracted in a high pressure immersive region similar to a pressurized portafilter basket. It's only by the saving grace that the middle to lower layers are compressed by the top layer (if and only you hit the right grind size) that we get good forced extraction in a significant majority of the layers, recovering taste.
With VFiPP ALL layers are reliably compressed as the compression does not rely on grind size. As such VFiPP shots offer a small boost in brightness and vibrancy against even the best traditional espresso shots ("traditional" here is defined as shots that don't use VFiPP), as well as a faster extraction.
Pressurized Portafilter Baskets
Traditional Espresso Extraction
Forced VFiPP Extraction
Coarse Grind
Similar Flow
Fine Grind
Variable Force
However, apart from a small boost in vibrancy, VFiPP technology offers one huge main advantage over traditional espresso; in that it doesn't matter if the grind is slightly too course or slightly too fine; espresso machine that implement true independent variable force modulation, automatically provide the right the amount of compressive force to achieve an ideal flow and prefect espresso timings each time.
Note: The VFiPP plates sold on our online store, can only approximate true independent force modulation. For manual lever machines, where the user can adjust to the felt puck resistance, VFiPPs all but eliminate "dial-in", but for flat 6-9 bar espresso machines, VFiPPs only offer a reduced "dial-in" process, i.e., a boarder range of grind settings.
iso-Compression
Say goodbye to fancy distributors
Lastly, apart from vibrancy and a simplified "dial-in" process, VFiPP offers another large advantage over traditional espresso; iso-compression of the puck's surface means a VFiPP shot will almost never channel, since an iso-compressive force hold fines in place in that critical bottom layer and prevents them from being flushed out - which would otherwise result in the breakdown of the critical bottom filtering layer and hence cause channeling, and a poor under-extracted sour shot.
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