Espresso Guides
Nine guides written from the same place: what an open base shows you, and what to change when it shows you something you would rather not see.
14 July 2026
Why is my bottomless portafilter spraying?
Spray means water is channeling through the puck. The three causes, in the order they are worth checking.
22 July 2026
How to clean a portafilter
Daily, weekly and monthly, plus the two places under the basket that nobody looks at.
29 July 2026
Pressurized vs non-pressurized baskets
One small hole decides whether your coffee or your hardware is making the crema.
3 August 2026
Bottomless vs regular portafilter
What changes, what does not, and the three cases where a spouted portafilter is still the better tool.
6 August 2026
How to measure portafilter size
Three places you can put a ruler, three different numbers. Which one to measure and what it leaves out.
8 August 2026
Reading your espresso puck
A wet puck, a crater or a screen imprint each tell you something different about the shot you just pulled.
10 August 2026
Why the first shot of the day runs differently
Cold metal changes the start of an extraction. How to tell a thermal shot from a puck fault before you touch the grinder.
20 August 2026
How to properly use a bottomless portafilter
Distribute, tamp level, lock in without a jolt, then watch from the first drop. The four habits the open base grades on every shot.
3 September 2026
DIY bottomless portafilter
What people attempt when they open up a spouted portafilter, what the part is doing while the shot runs, and which surfaces decide the outcome.