Whether your customer will run back to your coffee shop or run away after having their first cup of coffee depends a lot on your portafilter. In recent times the bottomless portafilter has become a reliable partner to cafe owners around the world.
However, when it comes to choosing between a Regular vs Bottomless Portafilter one, it entirely depends on your preference. The making of espresso comes with an unlimited selection of variables from which you can easily customize your experience.
“The bottomless portafilter is the one Natalie Portman in the school recognized as sort of national crush”. Also, the regular ones come with unique features. We are going to have a broad discussion down below.
What is a pressurized portafilter?
A pressurized portafilter functions by using a pressurized filter basket. Some people also call it a double-wall or dual-wall basket. They are also known as training wheel accessories.
At first glance, you might confuse them with the regular ones, but if you have a close look, you will notice they generally have a single hole placed at the bottom of the basket. Some of the models might come with extra attachments. In this pressurized, filter coffee uses two screens to pass through this filter.
What is a regular or non-pressurized portafilter?
The non-pressurized baskets come with a huge number of basket holes found at the bottom. The reason is they help to create pressure on the coffee grounds before the extraction. When you are done grinding the coffee fresh, you should lock and tamp it into the portafilter.
Components of A Portafilter
In this section, we will talk about the essential components of a portafilter. Let’s get into details:
Handle
The handle is an important part of your portafilter which, helps you to secure the group head. It’s not a technical part of a portafilter. However, the weight balance and how you feel while grabbing the handle play a great role in ergonomics.
Basket
You will easily recognize the basket as this part holds the actual coffee grinds. It’s filled with holes and found below the water goes over the grinds.
Spout
The spout can be found in some of the portafilters models. There will be one or two spouts depending on whether it’s a single or double version. These portafilters come in handy when it comes to the espresso flowing out in an even manner.
If you want a double espresso shot, then go for the one that comes with two spouts. When a portafilter is missing the spout, then it is called to be a bottomless portafilter.
Spring Clip
The spring clip is the device that holds the basket inside your portafilter by using pressure. If you have the right clip, then taking the basket in and out will become a lot easier for you.
Gauge
You will find some portafilters in the market that comes with a pressure gauge. They are quite essential especially, in commercial machines. This component enables you to have vivid feedback on the pressure of your pump.
Regular vs Bottomless Portafilter: What’s the difference?
Whether you want to have more customers rush into your coffee shop or you just love seeing the pleasing golden liquid pool shining in your cup, the bottom portafilter could be a great choice.
It will offer you an amusing visual of making espresso. This type of portafilters will offer you a great insight into your techniques which can’t be experienced in a regular one.
To be honest, your coffee-making skills are more important than what filter you use, so, yeah, you are the man in charge.
How a pressurized portafilter works
At first, the coffee gets extracted by the water and runs out of the standard first screen into a stocking area situated between the two screens. With the increasing pressure, the coffee gets pushed out over a hole found in the second screen.
The reason is the screen helps to decrease the outlets found in the coffee. When the pressure rise, it creates a formation of something like an artificial crema. As the espressos pass through the second screen, it aerates and falls into the spout.
You will find this type of filter usually in a home more than in a coffee shop. People with lower-end burr grinders will find it very helpful.
Advantages:
- Even any brewing errors, for example, low tamping, won’t stop pressure from creating.
- The superb customer-friendly design allows everyone to use it with ease.
Disadvantages
- The espresso turns out to be not rich in flavor and consistency.
- You will have just a few controls over the extraction procedure.
How a non-pressurized portafilter works
You won’t find the second wall in a non-pressurized portafilter. So, people also recognize it as a single-wall portafilter. The espresso machine takes care of generating all the pressure, so how your espresso will taste depends a lot on the grind size, dosage, and damping consistency.
If you can operate the non-pressurized portafilter properly, it won’t be that hard to extract top-notch shots with rich flavor and fantastic crema. Besides, you will have a fuller body with the extracted espresso.
Advantages:
- Serves you with rich-flavored espresso.
- You will have full control over the procedure.
Disadvantages
- For a beginner, it could be a bit challenging to operate.
Which Portafilter Will be Best for Home Uses
Now, you are quite clear about the basic differences between a pressurized and non-pressurized portafilter. So, now you might be wondering which portafilter will be the best suit for your home.
It may seem logical to have a non-pressurized filter, but it’s not a piece of cake to operate, as you already know. So you got to learn first how to operate it. That’s not the end. When you make espresso using the non-pressurized portafilter, you have to have good-quality and freshly roasted beans.
Your coffee beans will remain fresh for a maximum of three days after opening them. So, if you are looking for a portafilter that will serve you an excellent quality espresso, you should find the one that will give you full control over it.
Also, you know, high-quality beans will ensure high-quality espresso. So, in that case, it appears to be a non-pressurized portafilter that will suit you the best.
However, if you have got a low-end grinder and prefer to have applied pre-ground coffee and are okay with the taste, you may go for a pressurized portafilter. It will ease the brewing procedure. You should go for this one if you don’t mind having full control over the process.
But if you are habituated to having the original taste of espresso, you can’t expect to get the same level of taste from this portafilter. However, when you are craving for getting a shot of rich-quality espresso, you can pay a visit to your nearest coffee shop.
Final Words
As you already know, how valuable role a portafilter plays in making a good cup of espresso. So, if you are willing to have a quality cup of espresso, it seems like going for the bottomless portafilter is a good idea. So bottomless portafilter vs. regular, which one will serve you the best quality? It’s simple as “water under the bridge.” the bottomless one. However, if efficiency matters more to you than having a detailed taste, go for the regular one.