It's a naked portafilter and it's the DoubleShot Ambergris Espresso flowing through it. And it's beautiful and delicious.

Hold up. Before I tell you what the hell a naked portafilter is, I need (for my own conscience) to mention a couple things. First, I guess my mama did me a disservice in teaching me manners. Wait, here's all I'm asking: When you come in to DoubleShot and ask me to make you a drink, all you need to do is finish your sentence... "please."

Second (and more nitpicky), the use of the word "just" is bothering me. I'm not really sure why. But saying you "just" want the most time-consuming, complicated drink I make is a misuse of the word. Or saying you "just" want a large americano and then when I go to get your money, you remember to tell me that you also want a piece of banana bread. So you didn't "just" want an americano. Even the mention of the word "just" when you "just" want a small coffee puts me off a little. It's "just" coffee? Or you "just" want a cup of coffee, meaning not much work went into that small cup of joe?

"Just" complaining a little. I'm tired.

Anyway, back to the naked portafilter. A portafilter is the thing with the handle that I dose the coffee into from the grinder when I'm making your espresso. Then I tamp the coffee into the portafilter basket and put it into the machine, in a part call the grouphead. Got it? Portafilter, basket, grouphead.

So what's a "naked" portafilter?
Usually a portafilter has a thick, metal bottom with a hole in it. There are usually spouts on the hole, so when the espresso pours out of the basket insert, it goes into the hole and out the spouts. A naked portafilter has the bottom cut out of it, so the bottom of the brew basket is exposed. What's the point of that? To see the extraction of the espresso in its purest form, coming straight out of the coffee, through the tiny holes in the portafilter basket and out in beautiful designs, colors, and texture. It's so amazing that these oils, soluables, and other fats flow in rich red and golden patterns. I like to look at it and take pictures of it so much that I keep making espresso... and drinking espresso. It tastes better because it looks so cool.

So this is what happens inside the portafilter when I'm making your drink. It's what happens behind closed... metal. What we can't usually see. But I like it.