Any experienced barista will tell you that WDT tools are the key to making good coffee with even extractions. The Weiss Distribution Technique involves using a thin object (e.g. a dissecting needle) to split up coffee clumps and level out the distribution. Resulting in an evenly extracted shot.
In this article, I have compiled and ranked the most effective Wdt tools available in the market today. But if you’re in a rush, here’s the gist of it:
Best Espresso WDT Tool: Pavant Coffee Stirring Tool (Latest Price on Amazon)
Best Budget Option: FusedLine WDT Tool (Latest Price On Amazon)
How Many Types of WDT Are There?
There are three main forms of WDT:
- Puck raking
- Shallow WDT
- Deep WDT
With deep WDT, you place the needles straight to the bottom of your filter basket and start stirring in overlapping circles until you touch all possible clumps.
Shallow WDT involves simply scraping and evening out the top layer of your espresso without going deeper.
Puck raking is where you gently flatten out the mound of your coffee grounds.
Generally, deep WDT tends to be the most effective method out of all three, as stirring directly to the bottom of the filter basket leads to higher puck resistance. So feel free to go deep!
Can You Make Your Own WDT Tool?
Yes, if you are looking for a WDT, you can buy one or make a homemade one. A DIY WDT tool is surprisingly easy to make. In the past, people used a paper clip, hairpin, or needle, but these have been shown to be too thick for proper distribution. The right needles for a good WDT tool should range from 0.25mm to 0.4mm.
So if you’re making your own tool, you need to start by getting the right-sized needles. A good idea is to purchase Acupuncture needles at your local store or get some online on Amazon.
Next, insert your needles into a cork top and your WDT tool is ready to use!
If you have access to a 3D printer, you can also get a 3D-printed WDT device. Like with the DIY method, you will also need to get the rightly-sized acupuncture needles. Once you get your needles, download and 3D print the free files. Then insert your needles and screw the pieces together.
Best Espresso WDT Tools
1. Pavant Coffee Stirring Tool
Effective for disintegrating big clumps of espresso, this tool allows you to achieve more even extractions with better espresso. When you stir, the tool distributes the grounds evenly throughout the filter basket. It is impossible to achieve this by simply spreading the coffee around the surface.
Coffee Espresso Distribution Tool comes with four fine needles to ensure even espresso extraction. The stirring process breaks up large clumps and levels out the density of espresso inside the puck, leading to reduced channeling and smoother extractions.
This WDT tool is also designed with a natural wooden handle and a flat top, meaning that it can stand on its own. This way, you don’t have to worry about creating a mess when leveling out your coffee.
2. FusedLine WDT Tool and Self-Aligning Stand
This coffee distributor comes with a self-aligning stand and a weighted bottom that definitely adds something to any coffee station. The pin design also allows for uniform espresso distribution and helps avoid agglomeration so that you can enjoy a more mellow and tasty espresso.
The tool is equipped with a wooden handle. The handle is made of ash/walnut/beech wood, which is environmentally friendly. It has a comfortable ergonomic design and an especially smooth polish.
The stirring needles are made of high-grade stainless steel and are 0.4mm in diameter, which allows for optimum stirring results.
Most importantly, stray grounds will not interfere with your espresso extraction as the FusedLine design allows for any stray grounds to fall into a catch tray. You only need to rinse the tool with hot water after disassembling it.
3. MIGOOZI Espresso Coffee Stirrer
MIGOOZI espresso coffee stirrer has a natural wooden handle and 4 premium stainless steel needles. It also comes with a walnut cleaning brush and wood stand. The walnut cleaning brush is moisture-resistant, flexible, and durable. It’s also made using quality hair fiber. You can use it to quickly clean all the nooks and crannies of your WDT tool and other coffee accessories.
To use the tool, rotate and stir gently on the portafilter basket to loosely and evenly distribute the coffee powder and avoid agglomeration.
Specifics:
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
- Size: 6.1 x 2.76 x 2.44 inches
- Material: Natural wood
4. ICOFER Espresso Distribution Tools
This espresso coffee stirrer is created from the perspective of a barista. It is optimized to give you a more comfortable user experience, from the needle placement to needle strength, number of needles, and shape. The eight replaceable needles are made of stainless steel, which offers a great combination of flexibility and rigidity and is more efficient at disintegrating large coffee clumps.
Using Weiss distribution technology, this tool can help you improve the consistency of your coffee extraction by evenly distributing the espresso and getting rid of coffee clumps in the portafilter basket. The tool also comes with a stand and base for easy storage. The base helps to keep your space tidy by collecting coffee grounds linked to the needles. You can unscrew the base for disassembly when you are cleaning off the coffee grounds.
5. BQO WDT Tool Espresso
This espresso WDT tool uses eight fine needles for leveling out your coffee grinds in the percolator, leading to more even extractions.
It is made with carefully selected materials. The surface is wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant, odorless, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly.
The tool comes with up to ten needles in total, but you only need eight. The needles are detachable so you can clean them at any time.
With optimized extraction, you can easily disintegrate agglomerated coffee powder and enhance the splash resulting from the agglomeration, or create channel effects and level out the density of espresso within the puck. This leads to reduced channeling and more even extractions.
6. MATOW Stainless Steel Mini Whisk
Wisk it or stir it, this little Wdt tool is not to be underestimated! Matow professional coffee stirrer uses four needles featuring tiny circles at the end. And this clever design prevents splashing from the pressure-less filter cup and bottomless handle when brewing, it’s also efficient in dissolving clumps and thick areas.
Before using this WDT tool, you need to place a funnel above the portafilter to combat the issue of channeling and avoid spills. Stirring the coffee breaks up huge coffee clumps and levels out the density of espresso inside the puck, leading to reduced channeling and more even espresso extractions.
The needles are made of stainless steel, so you don’t have to worry about bending and breaking. The stainless steel needles are easy to clean, hygienic, rust-resistant, and contain nonstick properties.
This WDT tool is made for the regular coffee maker, with a moderately sized ergonomic design that makes it comfortable to hold. It is budget-friendly and suitable for different occasions, e g. weddings, ceremonies, concerts, festivals birthdays, parties, hotels, kitchens, and cafes.
7. GIRLOLIIAR Espresso Coffee Stirrer
GIRLOLIIAR coffee stirrer is designed with four fine needles for evenly distributing espresso in the portafilter, thus promoting more even extractions. In addition to the four needles, the set includes a coffee grinder cleaning brush, a 10g coffee measuring spoon, and a coffee tamper mat. All of these features combine to create better espresso.
The surface is extremely polished, and there’s a self-aligning wood stand that comes with the WDT tool. What’s more, the portafilter basket size does not restrict the needles. Thanks to their special layout and design, you can use the needles with all types of coffee portafilters.
This WDT tool is an excellent gift idea for espresso coffee lovers, home baristas, and basically anyone who owns an espresso machine.
Weiss Distribution Technique
Making homemade coffee with espresso is particularly challenging, where everything from beverage size to water contact time is scaled down, making any unevenness stand out.
Unfortunately, we don’t have many options in terms of equipment when it comes to a homemade espresso. Even high-end products may not be ideal for home-friendly volumes. This is where WDT (aka Weiss Distribution Technique) comes into play.
WDT Tools help you ensure that some of the coffee is not being over-extracted or under-extracted, leading to bitter or acidic flavors. Using WDT, you can evenly distribute your coffee in the portafilter to compensate for those shortcomings and brew better espresso.
The stirring process distributes the grounds evenly throughout the filter basket. The needle allows you to do this by penetrating the bottom of the basket.
You need one other piece of equipment to avoid making a mess: a funnel that is placed inside the filter basket to contain your coffee grounds so they don’t fly out while stirring.
The best part is that you don’t have to make any significant adjustments to your coffee brewing method.
Once you are done de-clumping and distributing your coffee grounds, remove the funnel and proceed to brew and extract your espresso with your preferred brewing regimen.