The number in “58 mm portafilter” is the diameter of the basket the portafilter carries, and it decides which tamper and which baskets will fit your machine. Three numbers come up across the machines and accessories below: 51, 54 and 58 mm.
The awkward part is that several makers never print the number at all.
What each machine we cover publishes
| Machine | Portafilter size published | Tamper in the box |
|---|---|---|
| Gaggia Classic E24 | 58 mm | yes, per the manual |
| Sage the Bambino Plus | 54 mm | yes, 54 mm |
| Sage the Barista Express | 54 mm | yes, 54 mm, integrated |
| Sage the Barista Pro | 54 mm | yes, 54 mm, integrated |
| Sage the Barista Touch | 54 mm | yes, 54 mm, integrated |
| De’Longhi Dedica Style EC685.M | not published | yes, size not published |
| Ninja Luxe Café Premier | not published | yes, the Assisted Tamper |
| De’Longhi Magnifica Evo | no portafilter | not applicable |
| De’Longhi Rivelia | no portafilter | not applicable |
| Philips Series 3300 LatteGo | no portafilter | not applicable |
Four of the seven espresso machines publish a size. Two do not. Three are bean to cup machines, where the coffee is ground, dosed and tamped inside the machine, so the question does not arise.
The Gaggia Classic is 58 mm, and that is the point of it
Gaggia’s UK distributor states the reason for the size on its page on why buy a Gaggia Classic: “It features a 58mm portafilter – the same size used in commercial espresso machines, allowing for better coffee extraction.”
That is a sales claim and a useful fact at the same time: the machine takes the same diameter of basket as a cafe machine. The Classic also arrives with a tamper, which the Classic E24 manual calls “the dedicated tamper” in the brewing steps and lists among the parts.
Sage is 54 mm across the range
All four Sage machines we list use a 54 mm stainless steel portafilter and a 54 mm tamper. On the Barista Express, Barista Pro and Barista Touch the tamper is stored in the machine itself, described in the manuals as an “Integrated removable 54mm tamper”. The Bambino Plus supplies a separate 54 mm one.
So if you own any Sage espresso machine on this site, 54 mm is the number to buy to. A 58 mm tamper will not go in, and a 51 mm one will leave a rim of untamped coffee.
De’Longhi and Ninja do not publish it
De’Longhi’s UK product page for the Dedica Style EC685.M does not state a portafilter diameter, and neither does Ninja’s page or manual for the Luxe Café Premier. Both supply a tamper, so the number rarely matters on day one. It matters the day you want a better basket.
For De’Longhi there is a way to find it anyway, from the company’s own accessories. Its black wood espresso tamper, DLSC080, is listed with a “Base diameter: 51mm”, and the page says it is “Specifically designed to fit all De’Longhi portafilters but will also accommodate other brands that use the same diameter, like Smeg or Casabrews”. De’Longhi’s own bottomless portafilter, DLSC085, is likewise 51 mm and stated to be “Compatible with all De’Longhi La Specialista and De’Longhi Dedica Maestro models”.
Read that carefully before you buy. The tamper page claims a fit across all De’Longhi portafilters, while the portafilter page names only two model families. If you own an EC685.M, measure the basket you already have before ordering.
Smeg, which De’Longhi names on that tamper page, does publish the number. Its 50’s style espresso coffee machine lists “Filter holder Diameter 51 mm” in its specifications, alongside a 1.1 L water container and a 15 bar pump.
What the size changes when you go shopping
Tampers are the obvious one. Buy to the basket diameter, not to the machine brand.
Baskets are the one that changes the coffee. Sage supplies two kinds at 54 mm and says which is for what in the Barista Pro manual: single wall baskets “should be used when grinding fresh whole coffee beans”, while dual wall baskets “should be used when using pre-ground coffee” because “they regulate the pressure and help to optimise the extraction regardless of the grind, dose and tamp pressure or freshness”. Sage also publishes the doses those baskets are built for: “1 CUP basket = approx. 8–11g” and “2 CUP basket = approx. 16–19g”. Those weights are a 54 mm answer. A 58 mm double basket holds more.
Grinders are the one people forget. Sage’s Smart Grinder Pro ships with two portafilter cradles, listed as “Portafilter Cradle–Small 50-54mm” and “Portafilter Cradle–Large 58mm”, which is a maker telling you where the dividing line sits. If you are pairing a grinder with a machine, check it holds your portafilter before you check anything else.
