Sorry for yet another thread about CC1 problems. I think they are all related, but I have a funny observation that it is due to the bottomless portafilter. After switching to a cafelat gasket, it no longer pops out of place, but I get leakage around the outside of the portafilter. X-posted on reddit coffee.

When using the CC1 bottomless portafilter I have had many problems with sealing the portafilter against the group head gasket. The problems are especially noticeable when a lot of pressure builds up, like when backflushing or if I grind a little on the fine side. The result can vary from a couple of drops of water dripping down the outside of the portafilter, to water gushing and spraying. I have tried the original CC1 basket, as well as a 20g VST precision basket, with similar results.

I have now gone back to the original 2-spout portafilter that came with my CC1, and the problems have stopped. It makes no sense to me, since the two portafilters look identical on top.

Has anyone else had trouble with the bottomless portafilter on the CC1?

LatteDaddy wrote:I'm not a CC1 owner, but when I tried a Cafelat gasket on my Silvia I had identical issues. Have you tried a harder rubber gasket instead? That cleared up the issue for me.

It originally game with a rubber gasket, but that would pop out of place while backflushing. I had to wait until the machine fully cooled before I could get it to lay flat again, which was very annoying if I wanted to make more drinks in the morning!

cannonfodder wrote:You could try a paper gasket spacer above the gasket to add a hair of thickness. May solve you issue.

Is that literally just cutting a donut shape out of a piece of paper and putting it above the gasket, or did I simplify that too much?

Hi Remathis,

My machine has been performing brilliantly lately. I did switch out the gasket with the blue cafelat E61 gasket, but I don't know if that was necessary. Even after the switch, I would get a bit of dripping outside the portafilter. It is my first electric machine, so I was afraid to lock the portafilter too tightly at first, but now I am using a good bit of force and it seems to make a good seal. Even with a pretty fine grind it has been sealing well.

I have also turned off the pre-infusion, not because of the sealing issues, but because it would mask a bad grind size. For instance, if I did a 2 sec preinfusion with a 2 second pause I could get a 30 second shot. But then turning off the preinfusion might yield a 15 second shot, so I knew my grind size was a bit off. Take my experience with a grain of salt, because I still consider myself very much a newbie.

Yes, I'm using the 20g ridged VST filter, and usually load it with 19g of coffee. It actually fits in the 2-spout portafilter for the CC1.

Espresso parts also has a cheaper precision filter here: https://www.espressoparts.com/parts/com ... ter-basket

The HQ21 also fits in the standard portafilter, but I haven't played with it much.