Pressurized vs Non-Pressurized Portafilter - Saeco HD8323

[ALTSpencers]

I will have to agree with "lasertombo". I got the same result after the modification on the portafilter--no crema at all. I used a fine ground coffee as well as a heavy tamper of 30 lbs pressure.

[civilen]

@ALTSpencers,

Some tips for non-pressurized portafilter:

1. Grind fresh coffee beans before your shot. You need a good grinder.

2. Keep in mind, you need 14-19grams coffee for 60ml(double), in 24-30secs, with 15kg force tamp.

3. Start your shot just before the thermostat is off (red light on).

Good luck!

[VidovitKnight]

Fantastic video first of all, helped a lot.

What if I used the pregrinded Illy for example ? Is it fine enough for the non-pressurized ?

[civilen]

@VidovitKnight, unfortunately i think, it's not fine enough. You need to put more coffee than usual to get the right time (24-30s). But you can try it!

[jakabge]

When pressurized, the 9-10 bar water rushes through the non-tampered coffee, „stops” before the pressurizer and uses its energy mainly there, not through the entire coffee, thus, making the whole brewing less efficient. With de-pressurized portafilter and tampered coffee, the same pressure is used exactly and only just where it should be: through the entire coffee. Higher brewing efficiency, hence the better and richer aroma. It must be all about physiscs, I think.

[Stefan73L]

What coffee grinder do you use that grinds fine enough to use the portafilter depressurized?

[civilen]

@Stefan73L This is the grinder i removed from my old super automatic espresso machine (ariete 1326). If the flow of the coffee is fast, check the grams (for double espresso 14-19 g).

[yperx8onios]

Thank you for your video!

[popalex79]

amazing!what kind of coffee did you put in?

[civilen]

@popalex79 Hi! I used for the video, Rioba 100% arabica.

[aurorabreeze]

Appreciate your single-handed effort (literally) to show us the difference between both portafilters.

[Edelweisss8]

Hey, nice vid! I think about, if i buy the saeco 8323. Is this machine in your opinion a good one? A good one for this price? ;) How tastes the coffee, and how is the handling of the machine?

Thank you!

Greets

[Saitam911]

Amazing! I have the Saeco Via Veneto and i can get a quite nice micro foam (after several tries), now i think the problem to do some latte art is the crema... will try this and see what happens (i have to get the tamper first!)

[voyager20021]

This is the solution: press the pastic down while pressing the grey rubber gasket from the other side so that grey nozzle clicks into place thru the white plastic needle valve assembly. This was the step that I was not doing correctly the 200 times I did earlier. Once you do this correctly, the white needle valve assembly will be held tight against the portafilter.

[voyager20021]

The spring i am talking about it is the one on the bottom of the plastic piece, not the classic spring in the middle of it.

[voyager20021]

Ok, i depressurized the portafilter, but when i tried to put back the pieces i took out, it seems i can't find the right position, so after screwed back it doesn't snap into position. I believe the spring goes off or it is not in the right position. Do you have some advice on how to put back the pieces and work again like new?

[civilen]

...The benefit of the default pressurized portafilter, is that you can make crema with no efford! This is recommended for inexperienced users and those with no grinder. The pressurized portafilter, creates technically the pressure needed for a good shot. That's way tamping is not recommended. Tamping is needed for non-pressurized systems, because the packed coffee will create the pressure for a good extraction. Test your machine with both ways and make your choice!

[civilen]

Hello jobvink! Yes, Saeco HD8323 and 8325 are almost the same. After testing the machine with these two ways, i decided to keep the non-pressurized portafilter. The shot has better body, richer coffee essence and thick creamy consistency. But you need fresh coffee beans, a good grinder and patience, until you find the fine grind and the tamping pressure needed for a good shot...

[jobvink]

@civilen I've considered the pros and cons and read lots of opinions, including yours, and decided I will not start depressurizing my portafilter untill I am completely sure I use the best beans and the finest grinding method. Depressurizing seems easy enough, but should I be not satisfied, from what I understand reading the comments, lots of trouble awaits me, repressurizing my portafilter. Anyway, thanks a million for all your kindly provided hints & trics, :D! My coffee tastes better already!

[jobvink]

By the way, thanks a million for sharing your most enlightening video. It was a delight to see the machine in action, so that this barista freshman can learn how to properly use it.

By the way, why is tamping not recommended for a pressurized portafiltre? I tought it was recommended to always tamp the coffee with ±20-24 kg of pressure.

[jobvink]

From today on I have the Saeco HD8325, which I believe is quite the same machine as yours, except for a few seem-to-be-more-solid metallic components on mine.

Was the taste result worth de-pressurizing the portafiltre?

Based on your video, I've decided to leave mine the way it was factory delivered (= pressurized). I think my shot will improve with the use of better quality beans. For now I had some left over beans from my old Krups, which has died last month after 8 years of heavy use.