Images:

Images in the links above show the portafiltas with and without filter baskets, this is for demonstration purposes only, please note all bottomless portafiltas do come with the relevant fitting filter basket.

Baskets:

The baskets that come with the bottomless are nearly always 18G baskets. They are interchangeable, that is you can use your existing compatible single and double baskets in these portafiltas no problem.

As with all portafiltas they work best with double and treble (18G) baskets and single baskets should be avoided, as anyone who has experience in coffee will tell you, single baskets are tricky to use at the best of times.

Height Advanatge:

Using these portafiltas will give you more height to work with when making coffee, this is another advantage gained by not having any spouts, you have more room between the chassis and the machines group head to work with, this is particularly useful if you want to use a taller or 'takeaway cup' to serve your drink into.

Good Looking:

If you get the tamp right the pour from the bottomless will resemble a cone shape, this is what you should be aiming for. Click Here to see a photo of a cone pour.

About Bottomless Portafiltas.

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Bottomless Portafiltas have been the talk of coffee enthusiasts, shop owners and vendors in the uk, here you will find all the information you will need on the subject.

These filter holders are in many respects the same as the standard ones that you get with any coffee machine, except for the fact that they do not have a spout attached to the bottom, not only do they not have a spout attached, but looking from the top view you can see that there is nothing for the spout to attach to anyway !!

Although this may seem a little insignificant, this small change makes a big difference and when it comes to making coffee, this tool changes everything, it's coffee like you have never tasted before.

The coffee pours straight from the filter basket into the coffee cup, this results in the coffee having less contact with solid objects, such as the internals of a portafilta spout, as a result the coffee is extracted in a more direct and natural way.

Because the coffee has less contact with solid objects the temperature is maintained and this results in a thicker and tastier crema layer, crema is the result of oils from the coffee beans being heated up, which is why it floats, in theory the more heat you have the better the crema, the less disruption the crema has on it's journey the thicker the crema comes out.

However it should be noted that if the water is too hot it will nuke the coffee resulting in less taste.

The whole concept, like so many concepts in the industry these days, of making espresso was started off by coffee enthusiasts, it has now spread to many independant commercial coffee shops, as most people will be aware, the independants are where coffee is taken seriously and subsequently, generally speaking, these are the only places worth going for a decent espresso based drink in the uk.

Build Quality.

So now you know the theory behind the concept, what else do you need to know? Well the fundamental difference between a good bottomless portafilter and a bad one is the build quality.

There are some available that are 'modified from standard'. These are standard portafilters that have been crudely chopped horizontally along the centre leaving a nasty sharp or ragged edge. So not only do they look a bit tatty but they could also prove to be dangerous. There are others which have been modified by machine, that apparently produce similar results.

The portafiltas we supply are the best we have seen. They are specifically cut and then chromed afterwards and that is the important thing to watch out for. Our portafilters are smooth and properly finished in the factory, so you can be sure that when you buy this product from us you'll get the best there is.

A Great Barista Training Tool.

In order to get the best out of these portafiltas you really do need to tamp straight. Failure to do this will result in channels of coffee shooting off in odd directions. For that reason it is now recognised as one of the best training tools for a barista available.

Don't let that put you off though, the benefits of use far outweigh the down side. The bottomless can be laid flat on a tamping mat because it has no spout connected to the base, using your arm with the elbow above and inline with your wrist, allows you to easily tamp straight, image your arm and coffee tamper in unison acting as a piston and you're half way there already.

It really does not take that long to master the tamping technique and it's like riding a bike, you will never forget how to do it and you will be pleased you took the time to learn something new and useful.