Before you ask if a bottomless portafilter is better for coffee, you might need a quick refresher on what it is. The easiest way to describe it is to go to your social media and look for some glamour shots of espresso being pulled. When you see that beautiful close-up of the coffee draining straight from the bottom of the basket instead of through a spout?
That’s a bottomless portafilter, a popular choice for baristas and coffee enthusiasts alike. We’ll walk you through its advantages and drawbacks and explain how to know if one is right for you.
What is a bottomless portafilter?
First things first: what is a bottomless portafilter and how is that different from the standard portafilter you might be used to?
Let’s start with the obvious: a bottomless portafilter is essentially missing the bottom piece of the filter. On standard portafilters, your coffee goes into the basket, through the metal filter, and then into another metal piece outfitted with a spout where the coffee comes out and into your cup.
But on a bottomless portafilter, that piece is completely removed and your coffee goes from the metal filter into the cup. With no spout in the way, you’ll get a full view of the espresso pouring into your cup, which is what makes it so appealing for those Instagram shots.
What are the advantages of a bottomless portafilter?
Now that you understand what a bottomless portafilter is, what’s it good for? It’s definitely helpful for much more than just looks!
Better for troubleshooting issues
Because there’s nothing blocking your view of the espresso stream, it can be much easier to troubleshoot issues with the brewing process. This is particularly useful for extraction issues. For instance, say you’re watching your brew drip and notice it’s mostly streaming on the left side. This tells you that the puck wasn’t properly saturated, which could mean an issue with your tamping process or the grind of your beans. Because you can actually see the way water moves through your puck, these problems are easier to spot.
Monitoring the way your coffee is coming out of the machine can also alert you to channeling and distribution issues, making it easier for you to correct on your next cup.
Improved crema formation
The importance of crema to a great cup of espresso aside (there are conflicting viewpoints on the subject), if that is what you want, a bottomless portafilter can help you get there. Since the crema is full of delicate air bubbles that form that beautiful, caramel-colored layer on top, the less that gets in their way, the better.
That means you can keep more of those bubbles intact by not forcing the coffee and crema through another metal attachment (the spout).
Easier to clean
Making your espresso cleanup even easier is essential to making it a more joyful part of your morning routine, and having one less piece to clean does just that. Without the bottom portion of the portafilter, there’s less to dismantle and less to clean. The bottom portion’s spout also features a small, narrow opening for the coffee to flow through that’s difficult for a brush to reach, which can make cleaning more frustrating and time-consuming.
After all, this is the part of the machine that comes into contact with the most grounds, and, more importantly, coffee oils and residue. A buildup of any kind can dramatically affect the taste of your coffee, imparting an awful bitter flavor to your cup. The bottomless portafilter helps streamline this aspect of brewing, which also helps you get a better cup.
Preserves natural espresso flavors
There’s plenty of discussion in the coffee community about whether metals affect the taste of your brew; it all boils down to preference. So, if you’re fanatical about preserving the integrity of your coffee, then it might make the most sense to go for a bottomless filter. Using one means there’s one less piece of metal your coffee has to come in contact with before it hits your cup.
The theory is that this can help preserve more of the coffee’s natural flavors and aromas. The less contact your coffee has with anything before it hits your cup, the better, so you can potentially get a cleaner, brighter taste compared to a traditional filter.
Disadvantages of bottomless portafilters
Bottomless portafilters can be great, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some drawbacks worth considering before you leap. Here are a few things to remember when deciding if bottomless is the way to go for you.
Higher risk of mess and splattering
One of the issues you might see with your espresso is spurting, which usually means a problem with your tamping, grind, or saturation. But if you have a bottomless portafilter, that spurting can lead to splattering and staining because there’s nothing to guide the spurt in a specific direction.
Unfortunately, that means an improperly brewed shot has the potential to spray everywhere, making a real mess of your kitchen and countertops. And since espresso is known to stain, you’ll want to be even more careful if you have a more porous counter such as granite, marble, or butcherblock.
Not ideal for very busy coffee shops
While professional baristas might love the look and taste of a shot pulled with a bottomless portafilter, that doesn’t make it the right choice for a busy shop. Unless the entire crew is expertly trained in using them, you could quickly increase mess and decrease efficiency.
Standard portafilters also allow for faster, more consistent extractions, which are a more important benefit to a business. Bottomless portafilters can spray and splatter, adding to cleanup time between shots and making them less practical overall. So often, even if you prefer the taste, sticking to a standard option in commercial settings is a smarter investment.
Who should use bottomless portafilters?
Anyone can use bottomless portafilters, but they’re ideal for:
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Coffee enthusiasts: This is a great tool if you’re looking to take your espresso-making game to the next level. It can make fine-tuning your morning shot even easier and give you some insight into how to make other important adjustments to your cup.
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New baristas: If you’re learning how to make the perfect shot of espresso, but you need to be able to see and correct your mistakes quickly. In fact, many barista certification programs recommend using bottomless portafilters for learning proper puck prep and tamping techniques.
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Content creators: Aside from all the practical reasons to use a bottomless portafilter, the beauty of the pour can’t be overstated. If you’re hoping to snap great-looking shots of your espresso or make gorgeous educational content, then it’s the only way to go.
The verdict – is a bottomless portafilter better for coffee?
The answer is… it depends on where you are in your espresso-making journey! But if you want to improve your base skills and get more visible, immediate feedback, then the bottomless portafilter is definitely the way to go. Potential messiness aside, it can be a truly invaluable tool for learning to make the kinds of micro adjustments an espresso aficionado needs to be able to make.
That’s why Pesado’s bottomless portafilters are made from high-end materials designed to stand the test of time. Their ergonomic design makes them comfortable to use, too. So take a look if you’re ready to take the next step in your espresso journey.
