# Spouted vs. Bottomless



## Deidre (Aug 13, 2019)

I use a bottomless portafilter for the aesthetic but also to keep an eye on quality of the shot. I read where very skilled espresso makers here in the forum favour a single spouted portafilter over a bottomless. I am wondering why... are there advantages to the spout? Please enlighten me.?


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I think when you are pretty confident in your shot prep, you do not need a naked to confirm things. originally, they were just used on an ad hoc basis by baristas to check the consistency. If you use a single, then that can also hide inconsistencies caused by bad prep that might show up on a double (uneven flow) or a naked


----------



## Mr Binks (Mar 21, 2019)

Some people swear that the naked portafilter also makes a difference because the shot drops straight into the glass without being disturbed by traveling through a spout thus preserving the Crema. As Crema doesn't really add anything from a flavour perspective this can only really be down to aesthetics.


----------



## Border_all (Dec 19, 2019)

One advantage of naked for me is the additional height for putting my cup directly under as it won't fit if i use standard portafilter


----------



## Deidre (Aug 13, 2019)

It just seems to me that all the pluses go with bottomless (including cleanup!).?‍♀? Certainly, if someone was having trouble with channelling, spirts or uneven shots, I can easily see the reason behind using a spout, need be, but there are experienced espresso folks who can prep a great puck, & they still opt for single spouts every time. Why? Just habit, maybe? From the days before bottomless, as dfk41 alluded to?

Hmmmm.... Curiouser & curioser!?


----------



## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

All the aforementioned pluses - but the main one being the clean-ness - no spouts to clean, or left to taint the next shot. I love to watch the even spread of first drops show under the basket, release the lever and then see the coming together ☺ It's all part of the enjoyment of the coffee making ritual ?


----------



## Agentb (Feb 11, 2017)

and tis also a lot easier to swap a basket out, but for me is the good/bad prep indicator.

And it it looks cool. ?

edit: The only downside is it might be a little lower temp in the cup but by the time it leaves the basket, all the chemistry has finished.


----------



## mathof (Mar 24, 2012)

There's also the matter of taste. This YouTube coffee influencer finds he prefers coffee that comes out of spouts:


----------



## Deidre (Aug 13, 2019)

Interesting that he finds an improvement in taste from spouted. Hmmmm, I wonder if that result would hold true with any type of roast, too, light or dark??

I feel very handicapped when using a spouted portafilter; especially because I can't tell when to end my preinfusion if I can't see the sweat across the screen!?‍♀


----------



## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Ability to clean it by running under the tap on both sides and scrubbing the basket is the biggest selling point to me!


----------



## mctrials23 (May 8, 2017)

It's pretty isn't it. And let's be honest, that's why we all do it.


----------



## Deidre (Aug 13, 2019)

mctrials23 said:


> It's pretty isn't it. And let's be honest, that's why we all do it.


 Definitely!

And I can't figure out why some of the very skilled still prefer the spouted ones?‍♀. Myself, I don't get a better taste on the few occasions I've experimented with a single spout.?‍♀☺


----------



## mctrials23 (May 8, 2017)

I get the occasional bean that I just can't seem to dial in to get a nice pour on a naked PF but those are usually super light roasts. Sometimes I use a spouted PF for those but I damn well try to get a nice pour from a bottomless PF first.


----------



## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

I always used to use a naked PF, I even ground the bottom of my sage to create one. 
Now I've gone back to spouted, there's something sexy about espresso dripping out of those spouts. 
Plus by dispersing the Crema a bit I've found it tastes better to me!


----------

