Hi!

I tried my first shots with my naked portafilter today and everything went fine with extraction times between 25-30 seconds with 22-23 grams of coffee in the filter. I did however noticed that the crema wasn't as fine as I get when using the two spout Rancilio filter. Below I have attached two pictures, the first one showing the crema after using the original two spout filter and the second one after using the naked portafilter. The machine is a Rancilio Silvia.

Why does it differ like this?

How old was the coffee?Could it be too fresh?I don't get that kind of bubbles with my bottomless.

The coffee is pretty fresh. The strange thing is that I get great crema (as you can see in the first picture) when using the original two spout filter........

Are you suppose to change the grind when using the naked filter?

waqr wrote:I tried my first shots with my naked portafilter today and everything went fine with extraction times between 25-30 seconds with 22-23 grams of coffee in the filter. I did however noticed that the crema wasn't as fine as I get when using the two spout Rancilio filter.

This is a well-known consequence of the bottomless PF. The metal bottom and spouts of the regular PF provide a metal surface that dissipates some of the crema. If it bothers you, you can let the extracted liquid run onto a spoon before it drops into the cup, or stir the espresso before drinking it.

A couple of things to note:
1. 22-23g is a major league updose, especially if you are using a stock Rancilio double basket. Have you experimented with more "normal" doses?
2. Not sure what "pretty fresh" means. Are you using good quality, freshly roasted, freshly ground coffee beans? Crema production in your pix is minimal, at least for a pump machine. My extractions typically run 80-90% crema.

Hi!

Firstly, I use a triple basket so 22-23grams of coffee is the amount that I should use (according to what I have read). I have not yet tried the double basket in the naked PF.

Secondly, regarding the freshness of the coffee, yes I do use a good quality french roasted coffee bought from a specialized espresso shop here in Sweden. Below I have attached a picture showing my latest shot with the two spouted filter.

What else can be done in order to get more and finer crema when using the naked PF?

Do you care if the coffee tastes worse, as long as you get more crema?
I'd focus on the flavor first, crema is a side effect; a lack of crema can be an indicator, but is the goal is to maximize the crema, or to work on the flavors you want?

These look like pretty voluminous shots, which might consist of rather low-viscosity espresso. If that's the case, sometimes the additional height of the stream (with the spouts removed) can contribute to the coarseness of the bubbles' look.

You might try another shot or two with a little platform to raise the glass and reduce the waterfall effect.

If the coffee is too fresh, say roasted 2 days ago, the beans will have an excess of Co2 in them. That will will produce an enormous amount of short lived crema which tends to have some very large bubbles. After 4 or 5 days rest the excess C02 has outgased and the crema settles down. A larger bubble is normal with a bottomless but your example looks to be extreme.

RapidCoffee wrote:This is a well-known consequence of the bottomless PF. The metal bottom and spouts of the regular PF provide a metal surface that dissipates some of the crema. If it bothers you, you can let the extracted liquid run onto a spoon before it drops into the cup, or stir the espresso before drinking it.

A couple of things to note:
1. 22-23g is a major league updose, especially if you are using a stock Rancilio double basket. Have you experimented with more "normal" doses?
2. Not sure what "pretty fresh" means. Are you using good quality, freshly roasted, freshly ground coffee beans? Crema production in your pix is minimal, at least for a pump machine. My extractions typically run 80-90% crema.

Hmm - I wonder if I've been doing something wrong then for the last 2 years. I've never had a shot that was 80-90% crema from my bottomless PF.

My dosage has been between 18-19g (on a scale) with a VST double basket (since they came out) and the coffee itself is usually within 1-2weeks of roasting. I get great espresso, but I've never had that much crema, mine usually lies around 30%.

Should I be grinding finer then? That picture you linked had an elongated spout compared to what mine typically look like - closer to the bottom of the basket.

Again, as mentioned above; go for flavour.
Often those 80-90% crema shots don't stay that proportion of crema, it's just through the pour.
I've had shots that look like the above for a little while, but they haven't been the tastiest.