Portafilters / Group Handles
Portafilters, also known as group handles, are the handles in which coffee is made. Commonly they were chrome plated brass, however lately telfon internals or stainless steel has become a popular option. We have tested these options and believe the speciality industry will move towards stainless portafilters as a standard in the common years.
Portafilters are brand specific (however some will fit multiple brands), and to an extent differing brands will use different filter baskets. Single refers to a portafilter with a single spout and basket, and double refers to a portafilter with a double spout and basket.
Portafilters without the bottom sections are called naked or bottomless and personally we are a big fan of these. Bottomless portafilters allow for a more natural flavour profile due to the reduction in surface are being touched by the espresso, and also allows for negative characteristics such as channeling to be clearly visible. For this reason bottomless portafilters have become a common training tool and used extensively in speciality espresso bars. However on a busy environment this does reduce speed as espresso can't be split so this increases workload to the barista.