What is a bottomless guard with an Italian handle? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the bottomless handle of coffee?

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Bottomless handle has become very popular in recent years, because it makes it easy for us to observe the state of coffee extraction and find defects and mistakes before extraction. Some people also say that the use of bottomless handle extraction can change the taste of coffee, espresso flavor is obvious. But is that really the case?

We've collected some of the pros and cons of online and real user feedback to see if it's appropriate for you to get one to play with.

What is The Naked Portafilter?

What is a bottomless handle?

To put it simply, the bottomless handle is to remove the shunt nozzle and the base at the bottom of the powder bowl, from which you can clearly see the espresso precipitating from the powder bowl and falling into the cup.

At present, the handles of commercial coffee machines mostly use the general specification that can extract two equal amounts of espresso, and a handle with a shunt nozzle is designed to meet the requirements.

Reasons to Remove The Spouts

The reason for removing the shunt nozzle

People list many reasons why they like bottomless handle, we list them, and explore whether this bottomless handle is really as magical as online biography.

NO.1 A Quality Control Check

A kind of quality control inspection

The most common reason to be pointed out is that the use of bottomless handles allows us to better judge the uniformity of extraction, resulting in a tastier, more consistent espresso. The shunt nozzle of the traditional powder bowl hides the flow state and channel effect of the coffee liquid, and the exposed bottomless handle makes these extraction defects fully visible.

On this basis, it will help baristas to achieve more uniform extraction by finding ways to adjust grinding, cloth powder and pressing powder.

The "one column" of bottomless handle is considered to be the standard of high quality extraction, but if the coffee liquid is quickly merged from multiple columns into one column, the quality of concentration can not be completely judged. The fact is that multiple shunts, gradually converging into a column to prove whether the extraction is correct. Because we can only see the outflow of coffee liquid, but not the process of pressed powder extraction directly and clearly, it is not possible to accurately associate the seemingly uneven flow column with the channel effect.

Through some experience, some bottomless handles show a slightly strange flow column during extraction, and espresso tastes good. However, when other variables are the same, there is little difference in taste and extraction rate compared to the more beautiful column in the same coffee extraction-which means that there is no simple and clear relationship between the performance of the column and the quality of the extraction.

But it does not mean that uneven extraction has no signs, such as using a "more economical" household bean grinder to grind beans, and then using a coffee machine for extraction if the flow column is in a state of uneven extraction, the taste of coffee must be bad. However, equipped with high-quality commercial bean grinder, if the same uneven extraction, the taste may be slightly alleviated. However, you can't make a clear assertion about the taste before you taste the coffee.

NO.2 A Higher Fall

Longer stream column

One of the less controversial advantages of bottomless handles is that they enhance the cleanliness of coffee. Especially when using the take-out cup, because the take-out cup is much higher than the porcelain cup, the shunt nozzle of the traditional handle is easy to reach into the inside of the paper cup.

A longer column also helps to break up and remove small bubbles during extraction, especially when using fresher beans.

NO.3 An Improved Crema?

Better grease?

You may have heard that coffee liquid extracted by bottomless handle has more oil and better quality.

We know that Crema will be attached to the channel with a bottom handle during the extraction process, and when you remove these contact areas, the coffee liquid is extracted directly into the cup, which naturally brings great oil.

Of course, you know, it also has something to do with the quality and characteristics of the coffee beans.

NO.4 An Aesthetic Delight

A pleasant sense of beauty

The beauty of the column during extraction is obviously not as important as its taste and aroma, but in the age of beauty, posting a beautiful picture of coffee-well, bottomless handles do bring a unique sense of beauty.

The use of bottomless handles can make extracted coffee not boring (this is also a coffee aesthetics). Enjoy the beauty of the shiny golden brown flow column of espresso, and even this is worth a try.

Does The Naked Portafilter Have any Downsides?

Are there any shortcomings in the bottomless handle?

Bottomless handle is not so invincible, and the low penetration rate is naturally due to its shortcomings. Although it is secondary, it is worth mentioning.

The first disadvantage is that when the coffee liquid falls from a higher height, there will be spatter, resulting in some mess. Especially if your container is too low, especially if the mouth of the cup is too narrow or the cup body is too shallow. If the spatter phenomenon during extraction is very serious, it is also necessary to consider whether there is a problem with the grinding scale and cloth powder of coffee powder.

The second disadvantage is that two cups of single concentrate cannot be produced at the same time.

In a word, the disadvantage of using bottomless handle is not unacceptable, more importantly, it has a lot to try.