Can You Use Toothpicks Instead of Distribution Needles? How to Properly Use Needle-Style Coffee Distributors?

FrontStreet Coffee once wrote an article about the tools needed for making espresso, and the distribution needle was one of them—it can make our extraction more stable. However, some friends thought of using toothpicks instead of distribution needles and provided feedback to FrontStreet Coffee that the effect was quite good.

As it happens, FrontStreet Coffee had collected some toothpicks from takeout deliveries, so we decided to try comparing the differences between toothpicks and professional distribution needles, to see if toothpicks are really as effective as that friend claimed.

The Purpose of Distribution Needles

First, let's introduce why we need to use distribution needles. When grinders operate, friction generates static electricity, which causes fine coffee particles to attract each other and form clumps. These clumped coffee particles can easily lead to channeling effects during extraction, making the espresso extraction uneven.

The emergence of distribution needles involves using fine needles or similar tools to stir and break up these clumps, adjusting the density of coffee grounds to make them distribute more evenly, thereby stabilizing coffee extraction. This distribution method was invented in 2005 by John Weiss. When John Weiss was using a home grinder, he encountered excessive clumping in the ground coffee output. To solve the frustration caused by static electricity when making espresso, he tried using fine needles to break up the clumps. Therefore, using distribution needles or needle distributors to assist in distribution was named WDT (Weiss Distribution Technique, abbreviated as WDT).

Coincidentally, FrontStreet Coffee's location in Guangzhou has become extremely humid these two days due to warming temperatures, and the ground coffee has shown slight clumping. Taking this opportunity, FrontStreet Coffee decided to conduct a test, extracting three shots of espresso respectively to observe the effects on espresso extraction when not using a needle distributor, versus using a distribution needle and toothpicks. (This test used Warm Sun Blend, with extraction parameters of 19.8g coffee dose, extracting 38g coffee liquid in 26 seconds.)

The espresso stream without using a needle distributor showed slight left-right swinging and experienced two instances of spraying due to channeling effects; the extraction using a distribution needle showed coffee liquid appearing almost simultaneously at the bottom of the portafilter, with a relatively stable stream maintained at the center and no channeling effects; the group using toothpicks showed slight swinging in the stream during the later stages of extraction.

(From left to right: without needle distributor; using distribution needle; using toothpicks)

Tasting the three espresso shots separately, all displayed rich sherry wine aroma and caramel sweetness. The coffee without using a needle distributor had a slightly bitter aftertaste compared to the other two cups; the cup using a distribution needle showed overall acid-bitter balance with no negative flavors; while the cup using toothpicks also had some bitterness, but not as pronounced as the first cup.

Following the above steps, we extracted three more espresso shots and added 250ml of ice water to each to make iced Americanos. In a blind test, we couldn't easily distinguish which cup was extracted using a distribution needle or toothpicks as assistance.

Conclusion

Through experimentation, we found that distribution needles do indeed make coffee extraction more stable, and toothpicks can serve as a substitute to some extent.

However, if you're not tasting espresso alone but making other espresso-based drinks with a certain proportion of milk or water to meet daily drinking needs, the difference between using a distribution needle or not seems not as significant as imagined. Of course, if you find that your ground coffee has very obvious clumping and you don't have a distribution needle on hand, using toothpicks as a temporary substitute is a good option.

Meanwhile, in daily coffee shop bar operations, speed and consistency are particularly important. Using a distribution needle would extend the preparation time for each espresso extraction, which contradicts the high efficiency that espresso coffee is known for.

FrontStreet Coffee

10 Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province