I'm not responsible, but I did contribute my small part to the bottomless portafilter craze by publishing Perfecting the Naked Extraction. No argument that a chopped PF is an invaluable diagnostic tool. No quarrel that it's pretty neat to watch. No quibbling that it is easier to clean up, assuming you've addressed the issue of channeling. But why the undying fascination with photographing an extraction?

To get an idea of what I'm talking about, wander over to the thread Look Out JonR!!!!! on CoffeeGeek. And you better be loading from broadband, because the hundreds of posts including thumbnail sketches will take a long time otherwise.

So who is JonR and why are so many bottomless portafilter enthusiasts alternatively showering him with praise or engaging him in one-upsmanship? Plainly stated, because he is to the naked extraction what Obi-wan Kenobi is to The Force. Don't be fooled by his relaxed demeanor:


Jon Rosenthal,
Master of the
Naked Triple Extraction

And not only does he post pictures on CoffeeGeek by the hundreds, he's slumming on TWO websites featuring his work! Below is a mere scintilla from jonr.coffeelinkcentral.com:



The debauchery continues on www.webnotized.com/jonr10. Can you imagine how many photos he would post each week if he ponied up $4 / month for webhosting on godaddy.com?

Hey, it may sound like a rant, but honestly I'm not singling out JonR as the fount of excess... although one should note that he's recruited others to his lust for obsessive observation of espresso extractions:

• Andre has dedicated his website,
• Nicholas and Noll follow closely behind their Master.

OK, true confessions time. At first I was jealous... no bottomless portafilter, no pretty pictures to post. Felt left behind. And when I did get one, they just didn't photograph like Master Jon's. Below is my feeble attempt to emulate The One:



The evenness is great, but where-oh-where is the fullness? Oh, that's right. Triple baskets aren't my thing. Too much caffeine, no improvement in flavor or body (just "bigger" espressos), I gave them up. Yet the feeling of being the last kid to be picked for the softball team lingers... aww-w, who care's about looks anyway, right?

Answer: Lots of people. And why? C'mon, face the truth. It's the word that drives us mad. It's the word that brought you here. You know the word just as I did.

Naked.

Not convinced? As my own little social experiment, I changed the title of an HB article from The Mind and Machines of Verna Design to Making the "Naked" Portafilter. What was a sleepy little piece on Lino's workshop was transformed into an article demanding attention. All because of one word:

Naked.

Voila, my weapon of choice, the Verna original:



This past week I buckled under the pressure and started using a triple basket. Not bad, but I feel compromised... and naked.

All this talk of pictures, naked and triples . . . whoa! Maybe we should make this an 18 or over site!

All aside the naked "Crotchless" portafilter was invaluable in diagnosing the screen problem I had on the LM. When watching the extraction you would see a cheesecake slice take out of the pie where nothing was being extracted. After constant dosing, tamping and pulling we notice the problem was always on the same grouphead. Removal of the screen revealed that one of the steel holes never got punched out and that was causing all the extraction problems.

It still amazes me how such a little thing can create a big problem.

Secretly I derided the triple basket as an example of American excess; a "real" barista doesn't need the extra margin, I reasoned. It's fun to ogle over a burgeoning cone-shaped extraction, but there's something about producing a true double (60ml) from a true double-shot's worth of coffee (14g). More meant cheating.

Sure, I may have cheated a little by adding an extra gram or two. T'was necessary to get the right puck-to-grouphead clearance, n'est-ce pas? Well this morning, after several mornings of triple-basket shots, I thought... "Damn, the crema on this one is really rich." No, I'm not talking about a Malabar Mountain of crema. While many fixate on the crema height, I rarely bother with shot glasses to make it easier to see. What I'm talking about is the rich, thick, cinnamon-reddish crema eggshell surface that says come-and-get-me-espresso.

Allow me to regress for a moment... Last year I participated as a SCAA regional judge. The moment was even caught in the local paper, proof positive it was a slow news day:


(Image courtesy of the Durham Herald)

Before the competition all judges were required to attend a workshop. We covered the rules, scoresheets, and the key criteria to look for. One of them is crema consistency. If you've attended a barista competition, you may notice the judges taking a little spoon and toying with the crema. A quick "crema pull" at the edge gives a visual clue about its consistency, as indicted by a lively return of the surrounding crema to fill in the gap. Crema that is sluggish to recapture the gap suggests it is too thin and too dry -- not enough oils were extracted. The taste usually confirms the crema is as lifeless over the tongue as its lounging in the cup suggests.

Back to this morning... the naked extraction was right on (OK, I dare not say it was JonR-level right on, but bear with me). The coloring and texture looked better than any I've seen in competition and on par with the best of the best I saw in Seattle. If only I could learn to photograph like this...


(Image courtesy of Pheasant Creek Coffee)

It's been a long time since I bothered pulling out a spoon to check crema consistency, although I probably should... what a winner. The gap refilled like powered sugar returning to level. And the taste and body? The signature Black Cat -- sweet, thick, bold with a lingering aftertaste of tobacco.

Damn you JonR! Now I'll burn through beans 30% faster. I see the truth now: He's not Obi-wan... no, his loyalty aligns with someone entirely different:


(Image courtesy of the Emperor Zurg)

"Join me and together we will rule the galaxy!"

Dan,

It's interesting reading your initial thoughts about the triple basket. I have to say, at first I was probably just using it (if not for novelty) as something of a crutch to improve my otherwise fairly mediocre stuff. Now... I don't really know. I feel like I'm possibly growing up a little too fast with espresso, getting new stuff before I have truly, logically ruled out the old. But I'll stop when I get my HX machine, right?

Apparently 1st-line is about to start stocking the BFC Junior Levetta model... I'm thinking I'll probably cough up the extra cash and get that instead of an Andreja Pro. with THAT end the upgrade fever?? On that topic, is that La Valentina in your post? It kinda looks different when all you can see is the backplate (like any machine, I guess).

Back to the topic at hand, I would say that a lot of the fixation on visuals, in addition to being related to "naked" and the heightened sensuality of the pours, is a result of the internet craze. You can't post a picture of how your espresso tastes, and espresso from a double spout is far from visually interesting. I think regardless of the word naked, there's a lot of interest in naked extractions for their rich colors and sometimes bizarre shapes. I mean, look at our fixation on "tiger balls." you can't actually see these with the "naked" eye. You can only catch them with a flash camera. Purely for the entertainment of seeing them (and showing your pics off), a pursuit almost wholly separated from a god shot.

For my own part, I have truly enjoyed photographing my pulls to see my own progress at "perfecting the naked extraction," as well as for the additional feedback I get as to my shots. One thing is for sure, the naked portafilter has been instrumental for me in refining my technique, and being able to post them online has helped others such as Noll and Jon help identify problems and offer suggestions.

Welcome Nicholas, it is truly a pleasure... even if you are one of Jon's foot soldiers.

Seriously, you really nailed the point: There are no absolutes. Those who close their minds to alternatives like naked portafilters, triple baskets, up dosing, etc. stop growing in the art. Chris Tacy reminded me of this when he suggested changing baskets to suit a particular blend. Yet another variable to add to the pile.

I'm reminded of something Lionel Vatinet, owner of the incredible La Farm Bakery, once said. I had asked why he, a master baker and coach for the winning US Baking team in Paris, would choose to live in Cary. I mean Cary isn't exactly the Mecca of cuisine. He cited several reasons. First, the cost of setting up shop in France is exorbitant. Second, the competition among bakeries is brutal. Finally, he felt limited by the expectations of his French clientele. They simply would not accept any deviation from accepted standards of French cuisine. He wanted to innovate.

And that's where espresso-USA is today: In the state of innovation.

Specifically to your question, that's not Valentina in the picture above; it's Geoff's La Marzocco FB70. Obviously it's not easy to tell in close-up. And I've heard the same rumor about 1st-line introducing the Levetta, but you'd have to chat with Jim for confirmation. Good luck with that upgrade fever, wherever it leads you. And if you have suggestions on what you'd like to see in future reviews, please stop by the suggestion box.

PS: Some JonR fan club trivia... not only does he snap photos faster than Hollywood paparazzi, he's posted on CoffeeGeek over 3100 times in the last year! The man clearly enjoys his caffeine. I wonder how many of those posts are naked extractions...

HB wrote:...he's posted on CoffeeGeek over 3100 times in the last year! The man clearly enjoys his caffeine. I wonder how many of those posts are naked extractions...

Certainly quite a few are But I'm under the impression that I'm just under 3100 posts at coffeegeek (my how the time flies).

Welcome to the dark side Dan.

JonR10 wrote:But I'm under the impression that I'm just under 3100 posts at coffeegeek (my how the time flies).

That would be the number of replies, but you omit the number of topics created. In any case, JonR watchers can click here for the countdown. By my calculations, we've less than four hours before our boy passes the 3,100 replies threshold. Go Jon, go!

Updated: Woohoo! He crosses the threshold two hours ahead of schedule (link)!

HB wrote:Updated: Woohoo! He crosses the threshold two hours ahead of schedule (link)!

Well it's a good thing too because apparently the site is down for the moment. (Only 18 hours and I'm already starting to get shaky....)

Mark says they had server problems starting around 6PM yesterday and had to reboot, which apparently is a non-trivial exercise. Wayne did not offer an ETA. Hang in their buddy, I'm confident it won't be long.

Man, Jon, you make my ~500 posts in 4 months look measly. you've more than doubled my rate in the time you've been here! that's crazy.

Good to hear about the problems with CG, I was wondering what the deal was..

What I find more interesting is how the nature of discussions on "The Geek" have changed in the past year: I remember discussions being more diverse, but it has descended into bottomless 'espresso-porn' and to a now lesser extent, latte art. Furthermore, I'm finding the tone on the BGA board to become extremely dominated by two people.


There's nothing inherently wrong with these two trends, but it's good to see some diversity of discussion. Hopefully HB's forum continues its current path.

cheers,
-j

As I sit here in my office reading this I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I want to chant GO DAN GO. Just to push the buttons a bit more I was seduced by Jon's espressoporn as well. Last night it came to a head, I can't take it any longer, so out came my spare portafilter and off to the garage we went.

After a half hour of drilling, cutting, grind, sand, fine stone grind and polish (yes I may be a bit anal, but it looks like the PF was made that way vs. the hacked open with a chainsaw appearance of some other homemade PF's) I had my very own bottomless portafilter. I smiled with excitement, like a schoolboy picking up his first date. I eagerly ran inside and powered up the machine. Then I ran upstairs and woke up the wife, 'honey, where did you put the digital camera!' yea, you know where this is going don't you.

So I impatiently sat there watching Letterman wishing this thing would heat faster. Forty minutes, that is 2400 seconds and I felt every one, it is ready to go. Flush, grind, flush, dose, tamp, get on my knees and focus the camera and flip the lever. WoHoooow! Let the love flow, click, click, click goes the camera.

After the shot, I sit there and stare at the shot glass, my GOD! Look at that crema! Got to take another photo!

Of course that is not good enough; off I go to the laptop to create a thread on CG to post my wonderful work of art. Then this morning I did the same thing, I was fifteen minutes late to work just because I wanted to take photos and stare at the extraction.

To Dan's comment about burning through more beans, I almost did the same thing. After that first pull, I sipped on the shot and thought, let's dump this one out and do it again! Alas, I spend too much time blending and roasting to just 'dump' shots.

I almost took photos of the process just to write another article for the swagfest. After Dan's post, I am glad I did not.

Hope this brings a chuckle to you.

ObieDan Canobi, may the Rosenthal be with you.

TimEggers wrote:The espresso seems smoother with a silkier body. The flavor profile seems more mellow and drawn out. All in all I love the espresso.

this might be an entertaining thread.

The goal is great TASTING espresso, not great LOOKING espresso

jon

Somehow I missed this thread the first time it came around, but I'm glad someone bumped it! If I hadn't finished this morning's cappa I'm pretty sure it'd have been split between my monitor and my keyboard by now!

I, too, wandered over to the dark side. I haven't put a fourteen gram basket in my PF for a while. The triple I bought from Jon's basket blowout (he organised a group buy of a great number of baskets, and then became a professional espresso tools distributor for a few afternoons, just because it was a nice thing to do!) hasn't seen the volume it has in the past, but I'm thinking I'm getting it out again.
I can't say who contributed more to my espresso knowledge, Dan, Mark, Jon, or a largely anonymous group of espresso hounds sprinkled amongst them. Jon, for sure, set me on the path of light and goodness when it comes to art. His patience and his careful instruction have been responsible for at least as many beautiful rosetti as ristretti.
So, let me take a moment and thank all those responsible. Jon, Dan, Mark, and all of the rest of you, thanks! My coffees this morning were excellent, and I owe it all to you guys! Shots are on me, anytime you're in Tucson, and yes, that means you, too. It takes a village to make great espresso...
I'll stand firm on the topic of looks vs taste, however. Great looking espresso may not be the goal, but it is one of the markers on the highway to great tasting espresso. I've heard the argument that not all great looking espressi taste great, and not all ugly pulls taste lousy, but I put that into the same category as the argument against seatbelts because you heard some guy got strangled or cut in half in an accident. It could, and has happened, but the odds favor those wearing the seatbelts. Most of the gorgeous pulls I've seen tasted great. I'm pretty sure that I'd be happy with nearly every single pull that JonR10 has posted to CG, too.
Nope, you can't always judge a book by it's cover, but if you can't actually read the thing, the cover is all you get. They do design the cover to let you know what's in the book, ya know! ; >

I put 18.6 grams in my 18 g basket today, and fell in love all over again. I remembered what it 'felt' like to adjust from a sixteen gram basket on the Major, and got it right first try! Yummm...

Psyd wrote:I'll stand firm on the topic of looks vs taste, however. Great looking espresso may not be the goal, but it is one of the markers on the highway to great tasting espresso.

Got some Black Cat from Dan yesterday. It was tasting and looking pretty good. Couldn't help myself - just had to get a quick snap. I do agree, taste and looks do compliment one another.




Cheers

Ian