Lelit Bottomless Portafilter Plus Series 58 mm – bottomless portafilter with black handle
Polished metal, a black handle, and underneath nothing but the basket. What usually disappears into the spout runs out into the light here.
This is the simple version among Lelit's bottomless portafilters: the classic black handle, just as it comes from the factory on the 58 mm machines, and a portafilter with no bottom. No wood, no special shape – instead, exactly the picture the coffee draws as it runs through.
That picture is the real function. In the first few seconds, liquid gathers across the whole surface of the basket, drips, comes together and becomes a single stream. If one spot turns pale earlier, the water has found a faster path there – usually because the ground coffee was sitting unevenly in the basket. The open bottom doesn't improve anything on its own. It makes visible what was invisible before, and the improvement comes from what you then change in grind size, distribution and dose.
Then there's the physics behind it: pressure shapes the aromatic time window, because different ones among the more than 800 compounds in coffee dissolve at different moments. That's why we measure extraction by weight ratio, for us usually below 1:2 – ground fine from 14.5 grams upwards – and never by time alone. Espresso is complex, but it's not rocket science. Our opinion is one of many.
At a glance
| Version |
Bottomless, no spout |
| Handle |
Classic black handle |
| Diameter |
58 mm |
| Group head |
LELIT58 |
| In the box |
Portafilter with basket |
| Compatible machines |
Lelit MaraX, MaraX3, Bianca, Elizabeth, Elizabeth3, Victoria, Victoria3, Kate |
| Origin |
Lelit, Italy |
Who it's made for
For everyone with a Lelit machine with a LELIT58 group who wants an open view of the extraction without buying a wooden handle for it. For everyone who'd like a second portafilter alongside the standard one. And for everyone who simply wants to see what happens between basket and cup.
The black handle isn't a lesser route, just a different one. No budget is just a beginning – a bottomless portafilter shows the same picture at any price.
Matching machines are in the Lelit espresso machines collection, other versions in the Portafilters and bottomless portafilters collection.
What goes with it
What you see in the open basket already takes shape as you fill it. For everyone who wants a WDT tool and tamper that are affordable and precise: the Normcore barista tools with WDT tool and Spring-Loaded Tamper. If you want more, go for the Moonraker and tamper from Weber Workshops.
And because the choice of basket fundamentally changes the aroma profile, the precision baskets and filter baskets collection is worth a look: a different hole pattern shifts flow and aroma more clearly than most other adjustments. Which machine suits you in the first place is something our comparison and advice tool helps you sort out.
Frequently asked questions
Which Lelit machines does this portafilter fit?
All Lelit machines with the LELIT58 group: MaraX and MaraX3, Bianca, Elizabeth and Elizabeth3, Victoria and Victoria3, and Kate. Anna and Anita work with the LELIT57 group – it doesn't fit there.
What sets it apart from the model with the zebrano wood handle?
The handle. Here it's the classic black handle, there a zebrano wood handle with its own grain. It changes nothing about the portafilter itself or the group.
Is a basket included?
Yes, the portafilter comes with a basket. If you'd like to work with other doses, add further basket sizes separately – that noticeably changes the aroma profile.
What does a bottomless portafilter do for you day to day?
Visibility. You can see whether the coffee runs through evenly or whether a faster path forms somewhere. It shows more, it doesn't automatically make anything better – the picture is the feedback from which you adjust grind size and distribution.
Can I see the product before buying?
Our showrooms in Bern (Gerberngasse 44) and Zurich (Hagenholzstrasse 50b) show a wide selection, but not our entire range – the display changes. Drop us a quick line at [email protected] before your visit, and we will check whether the product you have in mind is currently there. Delivery to Switzerland and Liechtenstein takes 2 to 5 working days.
From the roastery
An open basket is easiest to read with a bean that runs calmly and evenly. Cozy Chocolate and Nutty Delight bring body, caramel and chocolate and give a very readable picture. If you're looking for maximum body without any acidity, go for Very Nutty. And for everyone looking for a fruity experience, Wild Peach is ready – lively, a discovery on the side. That's our recommendation, one of many; any other bean works just as well.
