New perspective on value of the naked portafilter

[MattB]

Hi everyone. First of all, thanks to everyone who posts here. I just registered, but I've been lurking for some time now, absorbing everything on home-barista i could. I've been pulling shots on my Gaggia Factory for a few months now, and came here before I bought it. The information has been invaluable, and with the helpful techniques here, I've learned a lot and am more in love with coffee than ever.

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered a bottomless portafilter from espresso parts - i got the la pavoni millennium one they sell, with the double basket. And I have some feedback I thought someone here might appreciate.

First of all, it fits fine, and makes a great double. No issues there. If you really really want a naked portafilter and want to spend $60 plus on it, go for it. But so far, I haven't seen the value. I mean, sure, I can see when I get channeling, but since I follow the advice here to letter, and have practiced on the gaggia for months, that doesn't happen to me all that often anymore. So it's really not telling me anything I can't taste for myself in the cup.

If you bought a factory like me because it was the least expensive way to make real, honest to goodness cup of espresso, then taste and value are probably your two most important considerations. Save your money and trust your tongue. That's my two cents. Anyone with a different perspective, please weigh in.

[r-gordon-7]

Well, as much as I'm enjoying the espresso from my Gaggia Factory, I for one am especially enjoying the "toy factor" aspect of the experience... and a naked p/f, if nothing else, is one more "part" to the toy... Simply put, the naked p/f is fun to play/tinker/experiment with... though I do find myself pulling more shots using the spouted p/f than the naked p/f - mostly because my wife and I usually like to split each shot...

OK, on a more mature note than the "toy factor", in addition to being an educational/instructive aid (and fun) when pulling, the naked p/f has been an especially invaluable aid in dosing... Even when I plan to pull using the regular spouted p/f, I grind into the basket with the basket in the naked p/f - it's much easier to keep the basket firmly pressed against the Ascaso i-Mini grinder's "slippery" little power button when the basket is in a spoutless p/f than when the basket is either not in a p/f at all or is in a spouted pf (the spouts get in the way...) Plus, when grinding into the basket in the naked p/f, it's much easier to gradually rotate the basket w/in the naked p/f to keep the grounds more evenly distributed... rotating the basket inside the spouted p/f while keeping the spouted p/f firmly pressed against the grinder's slippery little button requires no fewer than three hands (again, as the spouts are always in the way). I then tamp with the basket still in the naked p/f (also much easier/smoother than with the basket either in the spouted p/f or in no p/f at all). Only after the basket is tamped do I transfer the basket to the spouted p/f for the pull...

All-in-all I'm very glad I spent the $$ I did on my naked p/f... but I can certainly understand MattB's perspective.

r-gordon

[cafeIKE]

If you really really want a naked portafilter and want to spend $60 plus on it, go for it. But so far, I haven't seen the value. I mean, sure, I can see when I get channeling, but since I follow the advice here to letter, and have practiced on the gaggia for months, that doesn't happen to me all that often anymore. So it's really not telling me anything I can't taste for myself in the cup.

If you bought a factory like me because it was the least expensive way to make real, honest to goodness cup of espresso, then taste and value are probably your two most important considerations. Save your money and trust your tongue. That's my two cents. Anyone with a different perspective, please weigh in.

Welcome to my club. You're Vice President.

[MattB]

Welcome to my club. You're Vice President.

Awesome! Is there a decoder ring?

[r-gordon-7]

Awesome! Is there a decoder ring?

Speaking of toys...

r-gordon-7

[Marshall]

...but since I follow the advice here to letter, and have practiced on the gaggia for months, that doesn't happen to me all that often anymore.

If you follow the advice here to the letter, you'll soon be sending your letters from a long-term care facility, since there are at least five positions on every issue.

But, I agree, although the bottomless was a great learning tool, I put it away after I had learned what I could with it. I would probably pull it out again, if I developed a serious problem and wanted to diagnose it. But, I actually can't, since my wife accidently sent it to a friend who loaned me a Scace Thermofilter (i.e. didn't remove the Thermofilter!).

[AndyS]

I love the fact that the naked pf doesn't need cleaning and doesn't go drip, drip.....drip...........drip after the shot has been cut.

I never tire of watching the extractions.

[zin1953]

. . . although the bottomless was a great learning tool, I put it away after I had learned what I could with it. I would probably pull it out again, if I developed a serious problem and wanted to diagnose it.

Yup. I use it to hold my backflush disc.

[cannonfodder]

I do the same. If I am getting an off flavor in the cup I will pull it out to see what is going on or if I am changing blends/baskets/grinders/machine I will use it to aid in dialing in the shot. However once everything is set, it goes back in the cupboard. I also keep my backflush basket in it. I do however believe it is a good learning tool but with practice it becomes unneeded. One day I realized I was spending more time watching the shot and taking stupid photos of them, than I was on preparing and enjoying my drink. I would be kneeling down on the floor at the espresso alter praying to the coffee gods while pulling my shot. It hit me one day, this is silly. It is about what is in the cup, pay attention to that.

[cafeIKE]

I would probably pull it out again, if I developed a serious problem and wanted to diagnose it.

Every so often, when having a particularly good or not so good series, I'll pull out the BPF to see if I can divine any information from the video. Correlation : ZERO

I never tire of watching the extractions.

Us old farts have trouble getting down that low that often

[TimEggers]

I love the fact that the naked pf doesn't need cleaning and doesn't go drip, drip.....drip...........drip after the shot has been cut.

I find myself in this camp as well. Once I moved beyond the function I became fond of the form.

[RegulatorJohnson]

i also like it for the clean factor.

i like to look at the reflection in the chrome. im thinkin of getting a panoramic mirror from the auto store.

espresso tastes good, looks cool, is easier to clean up after.

whats not to love?

jon

[CafSuperCharged]

I never seriously enough felt I had to jump on the naked PF bandwagon. Dose, grind, distribute, tamp - and usually no channeling.
I did replace the "original" QM portafilter that came with Andreja by a La Marzocco. The QM needed to be cleaned underneath the basket after each use really. If I did not, old coffee residue in the PF would cause some dullness in the taste. The LM is better in this respect, and some rinsing/flushing suffices, or else I might have acquired a naked PF.
Another thing not to overlook is a classic double PF can actually do two single espressi at a time.

Regards
Peter
Netherlands
Europe

[shadowfax]

I did replace the "original" QM portafilter that came with Andreja by a La Marzocco. The QM needed to be cleaned underneath the basket after each use really. If I did not, old coffee residue in the PF would cause some dullness in the taste. The LM is better in this respect, and some rinsing/flushing suffices, or else I might have acquired a naked PF.

It really is kind of disappointing how shallow the stock portafilters are on most machines. I have a La Marzocco portafilter too. It's nice to be able to do triple shots in a spouted portafilter, but you're right that another big plus is that it seems to flush out much better without removing the basket. I would imagine this has to do with the amount of space in the portafilter.

I think that a naked portafilter should be considered mandatory for a new espresso enthusiast, but it's definitely true that you should quickly get to the point where you don't need to constantly be diagnosing your shots. I still think that I would agree with something that Dan has said about dosing--once you learn how to dose, you don't need to every time. But you do need to be able to check yourself every now and then and make sure you haven't "drifted." It's good for most, I think, to keep a naked portafilter around for a periodic "self-check" to make sure that you aren't letting any slack enter your routine. It's true that the end result in the cup is the final test for any diagnosis, but scales and naked portafilters are important tools, even if you don't just use them to keep your routine convenient and your basket clean.

[AndyS]

i also like it for the clean factor...espresso tastes good,

Yes, you remind me: I prefer the taste of the coffee from a naked compared to the taste of hot brass from a spouted. You spouted guys must like that hot metal taste....

[Spironski]

I never make singles, so what is the use of a spout? I like the cleanliness and also the thicker mouthfeel of the bottomless (and I think tamping is easier also). To me (for me) there simply is no reason to use the portafilter with a spout.

[cafeIKE]

Yes, you remind me: I prefer the taste of the coffee from a naked compared to the taste of hot brass from a spouted. You spouted guys must like that hot metal taste....

Nah, just let the coffee oils build up and petrify. It's just like glass.

[zin1953]

I like the cleanliness and also the thicker mouthfeel of the bottomless (and I think tamping is easier also).

Thicker mouthfeel? Maybe. (I'll do a comparison this weekend and see for myself.) But why on earth would it be easier to tamp???

[RapidCoffee]

Although I'm (mostly) past the diagnostics stage, I still use the bottomless PF 99% of the time. Why? All positives, practically no negatives. Perhaps the most compelling reason has already been stated by AndyS: watching the extraction adds to the overall aesthetics of the espresso-making process.

But why on earth would it be easier to tamp???

It's easier to get a level tamp with a bottomless PF, since you don't have to balance the PF on the spouts while you tamp. Single spouts are particularly annoying. Not a big factor for me, since a) I've got a tamp stand and b) I typically dose and tamp my ridgeless baskets before inserting them into the PF.

[cafeIKE]

I like the cleanliness...

You mean to tell me you've never had a sprite shot that sprays coffee all over the front of the machine, the drip tray, the counter? PLEASE tell us your secret!