So I’ve been um ing and arr ing about getting one of these for my gaggia. I know they can be good learning tools for better puck prep etc but is this something I should be looking at early on? How many of you use them for your daily driver?

I use mine every day on a rancilio Silvia. Not only does it help understand your puck prep, but it also gives you more space to get scales and a cup underneath.

I'm pretty new to espresso but since I got my bottomless portafilter it is the only one that I use daily. It has definitely helped me to identify flaws in my puck preparation, therefore more room to experiment. Also, gives me a feeling of satisfaction when I don't have channeling and the output of coffee is spot on - feels like I am continuously improving and learning as I go along. In my opinion definitely worth getting if you want to fine tune your puck preparation.

> @"Baldrick"#p3641 How many of you use them for your daily driver? I do use it as the daily driver. The spouted PF is stored in a high cupboard and hasn't seen coffee in a long time. It took a few trials for me to make the move, because initially I made more mess with the bottomless (spritzes on the machine and scales etc.) and got frustrated. The spouted PF hides those problems in not-so-perfect pours. The bottomless lets you see (and feel) those problems, so you need to fix them. And once you do - there is no mess anymore. I have been using the bottomless exclusively for many months now, with no mess whatsoever. You do need a capable grinder and good coffee to get things right. It's a process, and it can be messy in the beginning, but I think if you can crack it then the end result is definitely worth it. You won't be able to split a shot though, if that's a concern.

I’m single dosing (16g at the moment) with a eureka specialita into a stock double gaggia basket, any more and it hits the shower screen. I have no interest in splitting shots, I actually tried it for the first time this morning as my OH wants to cut down on her caffeine so I made 2 flat whites which, she enjoyed but I didn’t. I couldn’t taste the coffee. I only use speciality coffee. I think my concern, and the reason for this post was partly the mess - i change beans all the time so normally takes me a few shots to dial in. Can you tell if it’s going to be a bit of a gusher and stop the shot? The other thing is thermal mass you get with a nicely heated portafilter. Is this something i should be concerned about? Sorry if these are dumb questions 😬

I only use a bottomless portafilter, have done for more than 10 years. Less thermal mass to keep warm and chill the coffe, which only contacts the nice clean basket.

I use a bottomless PF all the time and have done for many years. I use a 18 gm basket for myself and a 9 gm for my wife . It is easy to change baskets with a push of the thumb\`. (second basket used preheated in cup of hot water) Spritzers and sprays = mess are normally associated with poor prep, you can also see if you get a nice even spread coming through the basket changing to a nice tail. If you are going to get a 'gusher' you will see very quickly (not able to hide inside the PF) The heat transfer to basket is from top of PF +spring, it does not touch the side of the PF. With a well warmed up PF + basket it should not adversely affect your shot.

Always used my bottomless on my Gaggia. My new Sage didn't come with one, so I've literally just ordered one. They are not cheap at £69.95!!! Of course, second hand ones that would fit the BES920 dual boiler are as rare as hen's teeth (well they were when I was looking). Did phone Edesia, as that is where I got my one for my Gaggia and it was perfect. But, unfortunately they do not do anything that will fit a Sage or Breville. Strange considering it is a standard 58mm portafilter on the dual boiler. I did find a company on Etsy that said they were made for a Sage and even gave you a choice of rose wood handles as well as plastic at just over £51 including delivery, but I couldn't find any reviews on whether they were any good i.e fitted properly or not, so I didn't take a chance.

@"Pompeyexile"#p3670 😱 that is soooo expensive!!! Must be worth it though if you’re willing to spend that much on one. Fortunately I can pick one up from shades for £30.

A. What or who is shades? B. Is it for a sage BES920? C. Does he, it whatever, have any more? D. If yes, then I am going to go into my shed, lock the door and have a little weep.

@"Pompeyexile"#p3673 shades of coffee? He’s like the pied piper of the gaggia classic! Makes a very famous PID plus a load of accessories. https://www.shadesofcoffee.co.uk/ Not sure it’ll work for the sage? Hope I haven’t given you need to visit the shed 😂

Bottomless portafilters

Baldrick

tompoland am thinking this for the portafilter https://www.shadesofcoffee.co.uk/bottomless-portafilters/bottomless-portafilter-with-walnut-wooden-handle-smooth---for-gaggia-classic-classic-pro

And this for the basket
https://www.shadesofcoffee.co.uk/barista-tools/ims-baristapro-precision-filter-basket-58mm

Probably the 18g standard basket unless people think the nano coating is worth it?

Keeping the old portafilter as my blind holder is a great shout. I try and back flush after each round of coffees and this will make the workflow so much nicer.

tompoland

Baldrick they look good to me. What dose size do you prefer? And do your mostly enjoy light, medium or dark roast?

Reason for asking is that 18g of light roast will sit in an 18g basket fine but you will want a 20g basket if you want 18g of dark roasts, they are more voluminous.

No idea what the nano thing is about sorry. Probably a gimmick but others may know.

Baldrick

tompoland that’s a great tip that I wouldn’t have thought of! I mainly drink medium roasts and dose 16g - because that’s the most I can fit into my current basket without it leaving an imprint on the puck from my shower screen.
Ideally I would like to dose 18g as this seems to be a bit of a standard? Plus who doesn’t want a bit more espresso in their cup?

Petre

Also 100% on bottomless now, but I must say that depending on your machine it might not work that well. On my prev machine, Sage BE because of the high pressure (14 bar) it was spraying a lot and it made everything very annoying. Spraying coffee on your scale and your white Sunday T-shirt is not fun. But for a well set machine at 9 bar you will not have these issues.

Baldrick

Petre I’ve got a pressure gauge coming so I can adjust the OPV on my gaggia to 9bar. Should be here middle of next week if all goes well. I think they come set at 15 so that could have made quite the mess 😅

tompoland

@Baldrick sounds like an 18g basket would be perfect for you then. That will sit just a bit lower than the dark roasted beans and being 16g dose, should you wander into darker territory you should be fine at that level too.

tompoland

Oh my yes indeed 14 bar would be brutal on a 58mm puck. Good point. Actually, I don’t think it would be so great for any sized basket. I know I have “fun” sometime with my Izzo Valexia (54mm basket) because the pre-infusion really gushes compared to other machines.

Pompeyexile

Since having my Sage dual boiler a couple of weeks ago it has not once reached 14 bar, 9 to 10 at most. Maybe they have started sending them out set at the right pressure.

Hopefully the bottomless portafilter will arrive this week. In the meantime I’ll look at getting an IMS basket too, although the basket that comes with the Sage when holding it up to the light looks okay.

HVL87

Pompeyexile Since having my Sage dual boiler a couple of weeks ago it has not once reached 14 bar, 9 to 10 at most. Maybe they have started sending them out set at the right pressure.

The Sage Barista Express has a different set up to the Dual Boiler.

Dumnorix

Pompeyexile
I think the standard Sage baskets are pretty good.
I will check what the pressure goes up to on mine when backflushing- I assume this gives the most accurate idea of what pressure the machine is set to?

Dumnorix

My Sage DB goes up to 11.5 bar when backflushing.

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