On my Gaggia Classic I found that puck sogginess depends on coffee volume, eg with 20 gr in a bottomless portafilter (that leaves ~ half of the basket empty when tamped) the puck is soggy and with the same dose in a smaller basket the puck is much drier. I also found that the coffee tasted good anyway so stopped worrying about it. (but what do I know?)
On my Gaggia Classic I found that puck sogginess depends on coffee volume, eg with 20 gr in a bottomless portafilter (that leaves ~ half of the basket empty when tamped) the puck is soggy and with the same dose in a smaller basket the puck is much drier. I also found that the coffee tasted good anyway so stopped worrying about it. (but what do I know?)