We’ve recently started to stock an alternative portafilter to the standard one shipped with Handpresso espresso machines. So I thought it would be a good idea to put the new Intense portafilter through its paces.
Intense portafilter - fewer holes
I can immediately see the point of this portafilter for the ESE version of the Handpresso. The biggest problem with ESE pods is that they brew too quickly, resulting in an under-extracted brew. So something that slows the process is going to be beneficial. However with the Domepod (ground coffee) version, I’m not quite sure of the advantage yet, as flow rate can already be controlled by altering the grind size of the coffee.
Anyway, over the weekend I’ve been tested the new Intense portafilter on the ESE version. Later in the week i’ll be testing it on the Domepod.
So I made 10 espressos with each portafilter, measuring both the brew time and the strength (using a TDS meter).
The average brew time using the standard portafilter was 15.2 seconds. Whereas with the Intense portafilter it was 22 seconds. Nearly 7 seconds between the two averages is a substantial difference.
As for strength, predictable the Intense portafilter came out on top. It’s difficult to translate ppm into something meaningful. Simply put, espresso brewed with the Intense portafilter was on average, 24% stronger.
Consistently, the Intense portafilter pulls shots which are longer in duration and are greater in strength. Therefore it does do what it’s designed to do. But does it improve taste? In my opinion yes – the Intense produces a cup with a richer body and slightly more acidity.
One note of caution though; I’ve seen some marketing for the Intense portafilter where it claims to make ristretto. But, when using with ESE pods it still isn’t close to making a ristretto. I was pulling 57ml (2oz) shots in 22 seconds using it, which I’m afraid is still lungo territory. Maybe Handpresso will bring out an ‘Extra Intense’ portafilter next.
Thanks for the post. Quick question though – did you see any affect on the amount of crema produced?
I own a Domepod and as you said I’ve been modifying the extraction time by adjusting the grind. However I can only manage a couple millimeters of a crema, most of which dissipates within a minute if I let the shot sit.
How does it compare to the ESE version? Have you seen an improvement with the new portafilter?
Thanks for your question.
Yes I’ve found that no matter what you try the crema is always thin and very pale. I think the problem with the Handpresso is that it loses pressure too quickly. It should really be staying at the desired pressure all the way through the brew rather then dropping and dropping.
I’ve just done a quick test on the ESE version and both the standard and the Intense portafilter produced roughly the same amount of crema.
Thank you for the info. I was thinking about buying an intense portafilter to increase the amount of crema but I see it will make very little difference.
I’ll try a different blend, perhaps add more robusta, and report back. Sadly there doesn’t seem to be a dedicated online community for Handpresso and most blogs simply repost your reviews
Look forward to hearing back from your experiments.
The important thing to concentrate on though is how good the coffee tastes rather then solely focusing on the crema. James Hoffmann did an interesting video on crema experimenting with skimming the crema off the espresso. Definitely worth a watch.