Espresso Guides
Six 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.