But if it’s wet and soggy, then you might recheck your tamping.
Both machines come with a tamping tool. This is the flat, disc-shape on the other end of the measuring scoop. Use it to tamp or flatten the coffee in the basket before inserting it into the machine. Tamp with just the right pressure. Imagine the surface as the face of a clock. Tamp four times, at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock. Ideally, you’d apply 30-40 lbs of pressure (try practising on the bathroom scales).
If you pull the handle out really quickly when you’ve stopped extracting coffee, the grinds won’t have had time to soak up the water. So you’ll have soup. Some say too much time is spent analyzing pucks, as some machines will always give a soupy puck. What matters is how you coffee tastes.