Getting rid of water trapped inside standard portafilter?

#1: Post by **Moka 1 Cup** » March 17th, 2023, 10:46 am

I am sure it is a stupid question.
Recently we went back from naked to standard portafilter.
Breville portafilter, La Marzocco 7g single shot basket.

Water remains trapped inside the portafilter, under the basket, between shots after each flush.
I can shake it, hit the counter covered with a towel, or other things, however the water stays in and typically (and obviously) it comes out from the spout only when I insert the portafilter in the grinder or when I put it over my tamping station

.
To avoid that I tilt the portafilter on one side, slightly lift the basket (it needs some efforts), and the water comes out.
I am sure there are more practical ways to empty it. Anybody who had to face the same existential problem and found a solution?

#2: Post by **Jake_G** » March 17th, 2023, 11:05 am

I pull the portafilter spring out so the basket is loose.

This alleviates the problem, as you lose the "seal" that is formed between the basket and the portafilter, and you can easily lift the basket out to wipe the PF clean, as well.

Cheers!

- Jake

March 17th, 2023, 11:21 am

Thank you, that is probably the most practical solution.
(I already see my son chasing the basket around the kitchen

)

#4: Post by **Nunas** » March 17th, 2023, 11:27 am

The tiny holes in the basket are blocked with water, which prevents air from entering. The water is held there by skin tension. After rinsing the basket, wipe it with a dry, absorbent cloth. This will remove the water from the holes, allowing air to enter and the water, in turn, to be released.

March 17th, 2023, 6:55 pm

Well that does not work. Maybe it's the single baskets, but I tried it with kitchen paper, over both the La Marzocco and the IMS baskets and it did not work. Thank you for suggesting it, I hoped it would have worked in my case too.

Removing the spring works well of course, good solution. However it bring another sets of problems.
For the time being I'm going to go back to the naked portafilter and leave the standard one to my son. Usually he does not make more than one cappuccino each time so it's a lesser problem for him.

#6: Post by **Nunas** » March 20th, 2023, 9:32 pm

Moka 1 Cup wrote:Well that does not work. Maybe it's the single baskets, but I tried it with kitchen paper, over both the La Marzocco and the IMS baskets and it did not work. Thank you for suggesting it, I hoped it would have worked in my case too.

Well...that's disappointing. I do this every time I pull a shot, and it works for me on both ECM and Rancilio portafilters. I wonder if there could be a partial blockage in the path from the bottom of the portafilter, through the spouts. But, I expect you've already looked there. Sorry...nothing more to suggest.

#7: Post by **Skoot1123** » March 21st, 2023, 7:32 pm

Moka 1 Cup - I too have a Breville and was tired of constantly shaking the portafilter to get all the water out. When you take the basket out there is a black plastic pc at the bottom (at least on mine). You can remove that black plastic piece if you first remove the spout - once removed you'll want to clean the exposed surface really well (just wiped it out in my case) as it was covered in crud. Reinstall the spout and place the basket back in (I left the spring clip in place) - while there is a little residual water in there it is drastically better. Hope this helps.

March 22nd, 2023, 9:43 am

Skoot1123 wrote:...When you the basket out there is a black plastic pc at the bottom (at least on mine). ...

Thank you. You are actually right. It does not apply to the 58mm portafilter, but the Bambino that we use at the office has the stupid black insert. I have just removed it and cleaned the portafilter. I pulled a shot and you are right, much better without it. Thank you.