JmanEspresso wrote: Also, comparing the two, I feel to get the same cup as a spouted shot, I need to swirl/stir the bottomless shot. Like if the motion of the espresso gathering and flowing out the spout, "mixes" it.. or something.

Bottomless PF is a tool for Diagnosing extraction problems/Dialing in Coffee. Spouted PF is a tool for pulling shots of espresso.

I'm a bottomless kind of guy. Wait... that came out wrong...

Anyhoo, I find it easier to wash a spoon than a portafilter. I'm lazy that way.

I once asked a barista at Cafe Grumpy in NYC why they use spouted PFs on their Synesso 3-group (and why their bottomless PF had the blind basket in it. His reply was that a bottomless PF lets the espresso cool too much - it's like pouring the shot into a cold cup. Obviously, MANY coffee pros disagree, but it was interesting to get that perspective (the spouts, of course, stay hot as the PF spends most or all of its time locked in, and they are rinsed under the hot water tap often enough to not build up too much rancid oil).

Another bottomless/spouted anecdote (if I remember it correctly): apparently a certain cafe switches from bottomless to spouted at a certain time of the year because the blend switches to include a certain component that works better spouted than bottomless. Unfortunately, I can't remember who told me this or who it was about.

JmanEspresso wrote:With a bottomless, the crema, and the mouthfeel is "bulkier", if that makes sense. The spouted shots are creamier.

Agreed, but both my Gaggia and Ponte Vecchio PFs are bottomless because I worry a bit about keeping the spouts clean, and I prefer the bottomless shots.

JmanEspresso wrote:Also, comparing the two, I feel to get the same cup as a spouted shot, I need to swirl/stir the bottomless shot. Like if the motion of the espresso gathering and flowing out the spout, "mixes" it.. or something.

If you swirl the entire shot (once complete), aren't you losing the "layered" characteristic of the shot? Isn't this a trick used by competition judges so they can get a shot summary in one sip (I think they usually stir in the videos that I have seen)?