I was a spouted fan until recently. The crema is slightly different with a spouted PF. However, I pulled off one of the removable spouts on the LM portafilter a couple of weeks ago and saw the inside after 6 months use… Needless to say I now exclusively use the bottomless. I know you can soak in Pulycaff etc but it’s extra faff.

Never use anything else - you get so much feedback

I must be the only weirdo deliberately not looking at the bottomless PF during extraction… If I spot an off-centre flow or a dry patch on the basket I’m already making my mind up the shot is going to taste terrible. Haven’t had a bad tasting one since 😂

> @"Ernie1"#p47118 I must be the only weirdo deliberately You are not alone. I defo pay attention when I have opened a new bag. Once I am happy with the shot, which is normally after 2 shots or 3 max, I don’t pay any attention. > @"Ernie1"#p47118 Haven’t had a bad tasting one since Thats’s all matters

@"Systemic"#p47116 Same here, only use spouted when I am testing a unit with manufacturers portafilters.

Spouted for me as a bottomless would be an insane mess extracting into my preferred thimble sized demitasse... Also wouldn't like the .4 degree temp loss from less metal mass.

I initially moved to bottomless to check that I was tamping the coffee well enough to ensure a single outflow without it squirting randomly from the basket. Now I have the hang of tamping I don't really need to check the outflow but am staying with bottomless as it's really easy to clean the portafilter🙂

Bottomless user here, even though spouted portafilter produces tastier shots to my liking.

Always bottomless, just for the ease of cleaning. I tend to use the spouted with a blank on hand for my back flush.

I occasionally need to split shots and I don't want another portafilter hanging around as I don't have the space.

How many use a bottomless?

Dusk

My spouted PF broke when i was trying to change the handle and i bought a bottomless replacement. I prefer the bottomless as it’s easier to clean.

Tbh I’d forget about regularly cleaning the spouted PF and then have a fright when I finally got round to it…

Systemic

Never used anything else. Apart from the visual feedback in respect of evenness of flow, there’s something hypnotic watching the plume develop and then flow.

dfk41

I detest bottomless portafilters. They had a function which was to allow a barista to check his shot in a coffee shop. Then they became fashionable. There are plenty of ways of working out if your shot prep needs work!

MediumRoastSteam

dfk41 I detest bottomless portafilters. They had a function which was to allow a barista to check his shot in a coffee shop. Then they became fashionable. There are plenty of ways of working out if your shot prep needs work!

How do you keep your spouted PF clean?

JimmyP

dfk41 Wow. As a manual lever enthusiast I would suggest a bottomless portafilter provides a wealth of useful information. (Particularly during the pull).

dfk41

MediumRoastSteam What do you mean by clean? A Yorkshire pudding tin should never be washed as it is recognised the build up of fat etc aids the taste.

Systemic

Not sure I see the logic of that one :)

dfk41

Systemic It is simple. What is clean? Are people suggesting that they wash the basket and pf after every shot? I soak the spouted part in Cafiza once every couple of weeks

MediumRoastSteam

dfk41 soak the spouted part in Cafiza once every couple of weeks

This is what I wanted to know. Oils will bake and build up in the spouts. You don’t need to do this with a bottomless, hence easier to keep it clean.

Uncletits

I use a bottomless to allow for a deeper basket - 22g VST

Inspector

I have switched to spouted pf, prefer the taste from it. Somehow smoother. But can’t deny the easy cleaning of bottomless pf.

dfk41

MediumRoastSteam You don’t need to do this with a bottomless, hence easier to keep it clean.

So why have not all cafes caught onto this phenomenon then since I would imagine cleanliness must be high up on their list? I make on average 3 coffees a day or 21 a week. I do not see much of a problem at that level of use!

axpetts

Bottomless for me. I like seeing the steam develop and appreciate the feedback the bottomless gives me on my prep. I haven’t used a spouted for years and don’t think I have one to hand anymore!

Intrigued by some of the observations reported here. Some are saying that they prefer the crema from a spouted portafilter - how is it different? Is the difference because the coffee is delivered more gently into the cup? @Inspector you mention you prefer the taste from a spouted - how does it differ for you?

Inspector

axpetts Hard to explain just more pleasant to drink as a straight espresso, just smoother. Maybe it’s the crema, as bottomless produces more crema which makes it somehow tastes less pleasant. Don’t know. I should maybe remove all the crema and then taste them both.

HarveyMushman

axpetts Some are saying that they prefer the crema from a spouted portafilter - how is it different? Is the difference because the coffee is delivered more gently into the cup?

I think this is probably why. Much like pouring a beer into a tilted glass. The coffee obviously falls from a greater height from a bottomless, therefore creating more disturbance in the cup.

I can’t really explain it either, just a different mouthfeel. The flavour is obviously unchanged.

MediumRoastSteam

dfk41 - all I’m saying is that the bottomless is easier to keep it clean, hence I prefer using it. If you are happy with your cleaning routine, fantastic.

MediumRoastSteam

HarveyMushman The coffee obviously falls from a greater height from a bottomless, therefore creating more disturbance in the cup.

I agree with you! And what I’ve been doing recently, specifically when drinking straight espresso, was to elevate the cup all the way to the bottom of the bottomless PF, almost touching it. I can almost swear it tastes better, but I don’t know why! 👍

chlorox

MediumRoastSteam

If you use a riser (as In the case of the nurri leva) and once you put scales underneath the cup too, it’s not far below the portafilter anymore…

chlorox

I have used bottomless portafilters I think from the second machine I owned onwards and hardly ever used spouted portafilters at all ever since, because:-

I can better see how well or badly I prepared and distributed the puck from the flow of the sbot
It’s nice to he able to see the Shot as opposed to the spout hiding almost all of it and thee are few things in our hobby more beautiful than to see a good flow
It is much lighter and easier and faster to heat up vs the spouted portafilyer
it’s so much easier to clean the naked portafilter and you can make sure at A mere glance it really is clean unlike the spouted portafilter
For the tall glasses, the naked portafilter allow those glasses to fit underneath it more easily vs the spouted portafilter

DavecUK

chlorox It is much lighter and easier and faster to heat up vs the spouted portafilyer
it’s so much easier to clean the naked portafilter and you can make sure at A mere glance it really is clean unlike the spouted portafilter
For the tall glasses, the naked portafilter allow those glasses to fit underneath it more easily vs the spouted portafilter

For me, these are key reasons. Plus the reduced mass, e.g. mainly the basket, and reduced heat sink of the body allows the coffee temps to be more consistent.

FadedFrontiers

Wonder what role temperature is playing in the difference between spouted and bottomless extractions, given most spouted PF are big metal heat syncs that will cool the shot down considerably.

I know a lot do like a cooler shot anyway, given the brief popularity of cooling balls and so on in the wider espresso community.

dfk41

DavecUK So why do professionals not use them on the whole?

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