• Accessories

  • Paper filter at the bottom of your portafilter?

CoyoteOldMan I definitely agree with you that it’s highly circumstantial, and my previous posts did try to get across how it’s very much effort and taste/bean dependent. I also see a lot of studies with lighter roasts in espresso so would be interested to read more looking at darker roasts.

But my comparison to WDT wasn’t helpful, it was more to draw parallels about broader skepticism over new developments in espresso but I slipped into bad generalisations about cost and effort! I also should have been clearer that by results I meant extraction yield but that doesn’t necessarily equal a better coffee.

For the record I do think WDT is great 😂

    2 months later

    Interesting thread. Im going to give the 55 mm Whatman 5 filters a go and see how i get on!

      steve_07 Im going to give the 55 mm Whatman 5 filters a go and see how i get on!

      Bought and tried them, along with a good paper cutter. Tried it for a while before it went into the box of other espresso stuff that needs to be given away.

      It’s been a while so I’d have to reread old tasting notes, but I do not recollect seeing any improvement in taste. I also like a bit of body in my espresso coffee; I’m not a “clean taste” kind of an espresso guy.

      I do however continue to use a metal screen on the top of the basket. But nothing on the bottom 😳

        I have been using one filter paper disc at the bottom and one at the top and then a stainless steel mesh disc on top of the filter at the top. I have not been finding any negative tangible difference in taste. On the other hand the shot usually runs faster than if I don’t use filter paper so I assume that it’s helping the flow through the puck.

        My main reason for doing it is because some studies apparently showed that it cuts down significantly on the fats that are transferred into the espresso. I have started using two filter paper discs at the bottom for this health benefit to enhance the filtering out of fats even more and I am not really finding any tangible diminution in the taste.

        When I was on 58mm baskets I preferred the clean taste from my SSP and ims e&b super fine basket.

        Adding paper is a bit of a faff for me and just adds another variable to the equation.

        I’ve tried it in the past with a cut v60 paper, but didn’t like the results.

        Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

        a year later

        So who’s using a paper filter these days at the bottom of their espresso puck and what type of roast of coffee?

          I still use them on some shots, in the Pullman basket

          Generally light to medium

          Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

            It will clean the cup up a little as it will trap solids from the cup

            So loss of texture

            Depends what you want from the bean and it’s notes 😁

            Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

            Wrong thread

            Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

            I use a paper filter not only for below the puck but above the puck as well for almost all the shots I make. I don’t really taste any difference but I do notice it makes the shot faster so I assume its helping with the extraction rate. I am doing it more to keep the group screen cleaner and to trap more fats from entering the cup for health reasons.

              chlorox I use a puck screen for the top to keep the shower screen clean.

                  drdre89
                  Yes so do I - the stainless steel screen goes on top of the filter paper…

                    I still use them, made some from chemex filters which can be rinsed and reused. Not sure I’d bother with them if they were single use though, seems rather wasteful compared to the pretty marginal differences in cup I’ve noticed.

                    drdre89 I use the aeropress filter paper. take a bit more work as it’s 63.5mm but it works, cheap as hell (I bought 350 pieces for like, 3.5 GBP ? made in USA, good quality. compared to 400 pieces/10 GBP/made in china 58mm, yeah, aeropress every day.

                    I don’t intend to improve extraction or taste, but it reduces channeling and make the pf bottom much cleaner, so, why not

                      Where can I buy espresso filter papers that fit 58mm VST basket. Most of those Chinese papers are too big for the bottom of a VST basket.

                      I use 55mm Whatman grade 4 qualitative filter papers on the bottoms of VST baskets.