WHAT IS A BOTTOMLESS PORTAFILTER?
A bottomless portafilter is an important piece of equipment that aids in diagnosing espresso extraction issues. The spouts are removed, the basket is exposed, allowing you to watch the entire extraction process. The Bottomless Portafilter, sometimes referred to as a Naked Portafilter has become an essential addition to any quality orientated espresso shop's barista tools.
5 REASONS TO USE A BOTTOMLESS PORTAFILTER
1. Consistency
With the ability to troubleshoot espresso shots instantly the consistency of coffee served in your espresso bar will increase by leaps and bounds, giving you that much needed edge over the competition.
2. Crema
In the hands of an experienced barista with fresh espresso beans, a bottomless portafilter will yield 50% or more of Crema. Why? Well the answer is simple. Your espresso shot will come in contact with no other surface than the bottom of you portafilter basket. No portafilter bottoms and no spouts. This keeps the tiny Crema bubbles we all look for in a perfect shot intact and unharmed. Furthermore the lack of a spout will give the user more cup clearance and allows espresso extraction directly into the cup for serving in most cases. Of course in most cases for to go cups larger than 12oz, brew vessels of some kind will still need to be used.
3. Taste
More Crema means more flavor. We have all soaked and cleaned dirty portafilters, less metal surfaces (ie spouts and spout threads) mean less contamination from a dirty portafilter. This also allows the user to clean the bottom of the portafilter basket after each and every shot. Make sense?
4. Espresso Extraction Troubleshooting
Bottomless portafilters allow the barista to instantly deduce whether proper tamping technique has been achieved. If the extraction leans to one side or the other an improper angle was used when tamping. If rogue streams of espresso are seen coming from the bottom of the basket it is possible that your portafilter was leveled and or dosed unevenly.
5. Training
For all the reasons above Naked Portafilters have become a valuable tool for espresso training. Novice Barista and pros alike can now instantly and visibly determine without a doubt whether or not their grind, dosing and/or technique is on or off. Valuable clues tell an informed trainee where work may be needed.
Sources: https://www.espressoparts.com/
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