If you enjoy drinking espresso at cafés, restaurants, and at home, you should know that having a machine is an expensive but essential endeavor. Compared with other coffee-making methods, espresso comes with perfect taste, aroma, and rich crema on the top of your coffee, which will set the mood for the rest of your day.

You probably did not know that portafilter is where the magic begins. As the water mixes with the ground coffee, the next step is extraction, meaning you will get a custom-made espresso shot you can enjoy in your office or home. 

Still, if you wish to get the best espresso machine, you should consider getting a high-end portafilter compatible with the model.

What is a Portafilter?

The espresso machine comes with a handle that sticks out where the coffee comes. The handle traps and holds ground coffee as the machine extracts the perfect cup you wish to enjoy. As a result, it will guarantee that you will not have anything in the cup except an ideal beverage. 

As the hot water covers coffee grounds, the aroma and flavor will come out, while the filter will prevent grounds from making their way into a cup. The extracted one drops from the bottom of the portafilter and goes through a chute and into your cup. The handle keeps it in place while brewing the perfect beverage for your needs. 

The essential part of a portafilter is a filter basket. Generally, it comes from metal and it features tiny holes so liquid can pass with ease. Therefore, it locks the machine to keep everything in place. Suppose you have a coffee machine; it is a basket that holds the grounds so you use to enjoy a perfect cup.

How to Use It?

The brewing process is not challenging as other options, but you should follow specific steps to ensure everything goes in the perfect direction. You do not have to be a barista to prepare a perfect cup of coffee. Instead, you should follow these steps:

First, you should grind the espresso beans to ensure perfect consistency. Suppose you have a high-end grinder, then you can grind it until you reach a good character. We recommend you to purchase the ground version for preparation, which will provide you peace of mind. However, fresh beans will guarantee better aroma and taste. 

Remember that the water cannot extract the taste and flavor if the coffee is too coarse. On the other hand, if it is too find, the ground will pass through the holes of portafilter (Siebträgermaschine), meaning the taste will not be perfect. 

The main idea is to understand how to be as consistent as possible, which is a matter of practice. It would help if you made a few bad ones understand a perfect consistency. 

As soon as you reach the perfect consistency, it would be best if you understood how to compress it with fresh, ground coffee. If the consistency is too tight or too loose, the result will not be as good as it should be.

We recommend you add the coffee and tamp it properly, and you should attach the portafilter to the head section of a machine. The hot water will enter the coffee and extract the aroma and flavor when you turn on the machine. 

Extracted coffee will dispense from the spout and reach the cup, while the ground will remain in the basket. As a result, you can enjoy a flawless beverage that features perfect crema and aroma. 

Different Portafilter Types

• Pressurized Portafilter

The most common option for low-duty and home machines includes a pressurized portafilter, which will provide perfect results. The most important benefit is that a pressurized chance will handle tamping for you, meaning you do not have to think about the extraction. As a result, you can enjoy a perfect shot that feels professional.

However, if you wish to customize a shot, you should know that a machine with this option has low flexibility compared with other options. Generally, home machines come with pre-set settings most people find convenient. 

It means you cannot change or adjust settings to prepare a specific shot you can get in a café. They are suitable for people who wish to get the standard beverage without thinking in detail about preparation. Therefore, you will achieve a consistent result. 

• Non-Pressurized Portafilter

You will get a semi-automatic machine if you wish to get a non-pressurized portafilter. Although it is more affordable, you will get additional flexibility during preparation. In most cases, they vary in diameter between 49 and 53 mm. 

Therefore, you should know that espresso machines with it are not simple to use as the ones mentioned above. Consequently, you need to understand the coarseness levels and adequate pressure that will help you make the best beverage. 

Most commercial machines use non-pressurized portafilters, and they are more durable than the ones for household use, which is vital to remember.