# BE Bottomless Portafilter Issues



## Boabie (May 13, 2020)

So I recently got a Pullman bottomless portafilter and it's uncovered my shortcomings in all their glory. Sorry for the brain dump but here goes...

Beans are square mile red brick roasted on 30th April. I'm using an 18g dose aiming for 36g out and I've tried a range of grind settings from 7 up to 11.

I weigh the beans out and grind, I've tried various methods:

- Dosing in to the portafilter using a yogurt pot funnel and stirring with a toothpick or a screw grabber tool

- Dosing in to a cup and stirring

- Dosing in to the portafilter and banging on the side with my palm

I then use a motta 53mm distribution tool and tamp with a motta 53mm tamper, I'm tamping as hard as I reasonably can.

I simultaneously press the double cup button and start a timer

I kill the extraction when I get to my desired yield

In all cases I end up with tiny spurts to greater or lesser extent. A finer grind usually results in less spurting but a much longer pour. Coarser settings tend to look fast, blonde quickly and have side channeling.

With the spouted portafilter this is manifesting itself as erratic uneven flow part way through the shot from each spout.

One thing I've noticed is the pressure gauge is always right along at the end of the espresso range. When I run the cleaning cycle it's really messy, sprays everywhere (spouted portafilter btw). Is this normal? Could this indicate an issue with the machine?

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## facboy (Dec 13, 2019)

Go for finer with less spurting and longer pour. This made my coffee a lot better (still learning), have you timed the shot? I found it surprising how long 30 seconds seems when you're watching the shot extract.

I nearly always get a bit of spurting, have not got the consistency nailed there. I found the best consistency using the Motta distribution tool only (no WDT, minimal tapping, no tamp). But I am experimenting again.


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## Boabie (May 13, 2020)

facboy said:


> Go for finer with less spurting and longer pour. This made my coffee a lot better (still learning), have you timed the shot? I found it surprising how long 30 seconds seems when you're watching the shot extract.
> 
> I nearly always get a bit of spurting, have not got the consistency nailed there. I found the best consistency using the Motta distribution tool only (no WDT, minimal tapping, no tamp). But I am experimenting again.


 Yeah I always run a timer from when I hit double cup button. Finer grind settings were in mid 40s. I'll try to find a happy medium.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Are you using the BE as well? If so, is your cleaning cycle really messy? I need to drape towels over the machine to stop it soaking my counter. I'm sure it didn't do this when I first got it.


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## facboy (Dec 13, 2019)

No I have a Bambino Plus. My cleaning disc has no hole in it though, the only water comes out of the steam wand.


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## -Mac (Aug 22, 2019)

Don't be concerned about long shot times if it still tastes good.


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