Portafilter baskets wear out Ideally, you replace all three every 12-14 months* to keep your coffee tasting clean and fresh. In the cafè environment, especially high volume cafès, the portafilter basket is typically replaced during a PM (overnight) service every month to six months, depending on the cafè.
In a busy commercial environment it is common to replace the portafilter baskets every 6 months or at a minimum annually. If you are not sure which portafilter basket is best for your cafe, give our commercial experts a call for a short consultation.
If you notice a portafilter is visibly damaged or doesn't seem to sit properly in the group head, it's possible that the portafilter has to be replaced.
Take the time to perform a regular flush of the portafilter after every shot. At the end of the day, remove the portafilter and take the filter basket out to wash them separately. Use hot water, mild detergent, and a scrub brush to remove any trace of coffee buildup or espresso oil.
I noticed that Coffee Parts recommend VST Baskets be replaced every 2 years when used in a domestic environment and each year for cafe use under 300 coffees per day.
If the hole is jagged, sharp, and uneven it's far more likely that a particle of coffee will get stuck on those edges. If the hole is smooth and perfectly circular there's far less risk of obstruction. This microscopic detail is the difference between a mediocre basket and a world-class one.
Your portafilter handle shouldn't need too much beyond the occasional wipe down with a damp cloth- don't ever place a portafilter handle in a dishwasher!
Leaving spent coffee in the filterholder will not only make you extremely unpopular with the next user of the espresso machine, leaving spent coffee in the filterholder accelerates the builtup of coffee oils and grime inside the coffee group and filterholder of your machine resulting in more regular cleaning.
Give a few light taps on the side of the portafilter to ensure that there is an even bed of coffee throughout the portafilter. Once even, a quick tap on your tamping mat and you are ready to go. Even better, use a distribution tool like the Wedge from Saint Anthony.
The simple answer is one extraction per portafilter filling. So depending on whether you use the smaller one-shot or larger double-shot insert, you get one or two shots per button press and after that, the grounds are considered spent.
One of the advantages of bottomless filter holders is that they are easier to clean than standard ones: because there is no solid bottom, it is easier to remove coffee residue from the filter holder.
If that is working, take your basket out of the portafilter and see if you can see light through the holes. If you don't see any light coming through, we'd recommend giving the portafilter a good deep clean as it is most likely clogged. If you do see light, try pulling a shot but don't put any grounds in the basket.
A pressurized portafilter must still be tamped, although the tamp doesn't have to be absolutely even. Packing down the grounds provides some initial resistance, and ensures that they don't float around when the basket fills with water.
It is important that you always reach the recommended extraction time of 25-30 seconds for a well-extracted espresso shot. Always taste every extraction and take notes if this is your first time and you are experimenting with your coffee.
Getting too much extraction from the coffee grounds can make the espresso taste bitter. So, during the espresso tamp, the goal is to apply a sufficient amount of pressure with the tamper, but not excessive pressure.
We can see this happening if we don't tamp the coffee at all. You'll see holes in the bed of used coffee, the espresso will flow more quickly & it will probably taste pretty nasty too. So, our goal here isn't to press down hard, it's more about providing a compact surface to make sure the water does its job properly.
After regular use, you'll start to notice the build-up of coffee residue in the portafilter and filter basket. We recommend removing the filter basket and washing it with a scouring brush and light detergent in hot water as part of your cleaning routine.
Wet or soupy espresso pucks can indicate an issue with your extraction process. While some moisture is expected after brewing, an adequately extracted espresso puck should be relatively firm and hold its shape. A soupy or excessively wet puck can result from channeling, improper grind size, or an uneven tamp.
If you use low-quality coffee, you can over-tamp espresso. The risk is minimal when you use top-quality grinds. If you tamp low-quality coffee grounds too hard, your espresso becomes over-extracted and thus extremely bitter.
Common reasons for a wet espresso puck include; too little espresso in the portafilter, wrong grind size, uneven distribution of grounds, and air pockets due to improper tamping.
If you're making multiple coffees one after another, reusing the portafilter is probably acceptable. However if you're leaving the coffee machine alone, it's best to at least rinse out the portafilter before you (or the next person) comes to use it.
Dirty portafilters and baskets can also cause coffee to taste ashy and bitter if not cleaned properly. You should regularly clean these parts during service.
If your coffee puck is stuck to the portafilter, it's usually because of a tamping issue that needs fixing. The issue could range from filling the portafilter with a lot of coffee or a lack of cleaning and moisture in the air.