# Bottomless Portafilter - basket issue



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

I have a bottomless portafilter that is giving me an intermittent problem.

When I run water through the basket with no grounds the water goes through without any problems.

However, when I fill the basket and tamp I get little jets of coffee spraying at funny angles and cannot identify where they are coming from (a 1ft area around my machine is sprayed in a fine mist)

Could this be the basket not fitting properly and the water between the grouphead and the puck being forced through any gaps, going around the outside of the basket?

This only happens when there is resistance and not when the water just flows through.

I will try using my backflushing accessory as well to see if any water is squeezed out but I am not confident I will get the same levels of resistance to test with.

Any suggestions?

(p.s - Chris, I will bring the pf to your place next weekend as well to see if you have the same problem)


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## Neo (Jun 24, 2008)

if the flow rate is good, then it might be the sign of uneven distribution.


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

I had exactly this problem with my bottomless. The problem is that the holes in the basket aren't drilled properly. If you have a look at the bottom (shine a light through the other side) there will be holes which have small pieces of metal covering part, and that's what's causing the spray. It was with mine anyway. I went at it with a fine needle, and it got better, but I still have a couple to drill through.

Hope that helps.


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## PhilDaCoffeeGuy (Aug 3, 2008)

Just wondered if you go for a fine grind with a light tamp or courser grind with a serious tamp?


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Fine grind and light tamp was the approach I took but I may have tamped a little too hard for it.

I will be ordering a new basket next week too, in case it is that.

I checked for distribution of water and all seemed fine - I had taken to the basket with a can of compressed air and cleared most of the stubborn grinds out.

I really should have taken before and after photos as the difference it made to my machine and basket was noticeable - now completely grind free!


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## PhilDaCoffeeGuy (Aug 3, 2008)

I usually find that I have this problem if I have not tamped hard enough.

Without getting into another subject all together, I am of the school of courser grind, lots of it, and really packed in.

Whilst here, I have not run a different blend through my machine for quite a while and wonder if the actual difference in beans would make a difference

Maybe someone far more educated than myself could answer?


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

Ah, courser grind and lighter tamping. See, I tamp fairly hard, and use a lot of coffee (about 17-18 grams in a single shot basket), so that might be a problem.


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## chrisweaver_barista (Jun 14, 2008)

I've gotta say, on the gaggia, and the spaz at work, both with naked pf's, fine grind, light tamp seems to channel much more often than a hard tamp. And in my head it makes sense as well. I always like the hard tamp.

We'll certainly have a play at mine!

Chris


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

I love a good hard tamp in the morning.


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## Gwilym (Aug 15, 2008)

To get good shots from our nakeds we had to adjust old practices.

Hardest to unlearn was tapping side of portafilter between tamps.

Better distribution of grounds into the basket from grinder - the way the mazzer throws coffee to the left means a lot of portafilter rotating while dosing (the pie filling Scott Roa goes on about)

Clumping of grinds a causes problems so sharp blades important

Dose as you are grinding helped with clumping issues too

Chris i tamp light but it's an old argument so i will not go over usual


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## acousticcoffee (Aug 9, 2008)

just wondering how you all feel about your nakeds?

Firstly, though they're aesthetically fantastic do they add anything to the cup in terms of flavour or quality?

Secondly, as a training tool do they offer anything you're unable to demonstrate in terms of teaching good extraction that you can't with standard bottoms?


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## chrisweaver_barista (Jun 14, 2008)

Great question Dale!!!

I'm not a huge fan of naked portafilters just to use on a daily basis. They seem to create a thickers, gloopier crema, that I actually feel detracts from the flavour of the espresso. In my opinion crema should look nice, because I don't think it tastes nice. I may be wrong, but doesn't it mainly consists of the coffee oils, the strong part of the shot.

Spouted portafilters in my opinion give a thinner, more compact and almost more honest crema. It's more pleasant to drink. and easy to pour latte art in.

Naked portafilters however are a fantastic training aid. You can directly see the area where your dosing, distribution, or tamping is causing a higher or lower density in the puck and more often than not learn to compensate or solve the issue. Invaluable for fast learning and fault finding. And fantastic to then go back to spouts to see the vast increase in quality.

Chris


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

I spent a good hour with Chris last night and couldn't replicate the problems on his machine.

No problems now I am home either... Very strange.


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## Neo (Jun 24, 2008)

It could be some sort of distribution problems, like you might have poked the puck accidentally without knowing (that I have done a few times -.- ).


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