Brooklyn Coffee
MapBlog
Home
All shopsMap
CompareHenrique's PicksBlogGlossaryFAQ

One coffee shop worth your Saturday

One Brooklyn coffee shop worth your Saturday, every month. No spam, no ads.

Neighborhoods

  • Williamsburg
  • Bushwick
  • Greenpoint
  • DUMBO
  • Crown Heights
  • Bed-Stuy
  • Park Slope
  • Fort Greene
  • Prospect Heights
  • Carroll Gardens
  • Cobble Hill
  • Brooklyn Heights
  • Clinton Hill
  • Downtown Brooklyn
  • Boerum Hill
  • Gowanus
  • Red Hook
  • South Slope
  • Windsor Terrace
  • Prospect-Lefferts Gardens
  • Flatbush
  • Sunset Park
  • Bay Ridge

Brooklyn Coffee

Curated coffee shops in Brooklyn, scored by what matters. No paid placements — just honest recommendations.

Explore

  • Browse all shops
  • Laptop-friendly shops
  • Specialty coffee
  • Late-night coffee
  • Coffee shops for groups
  • Interactive map
  • Gear picks
  • Henrique's Corner
  • Blog

Info

  • Frequently asked
  • Coffee glossary
  • Contact

Suggest a shop on any detail page.

Data may be imperfect — suggest fixes on each shop page.
  1. Home/
  2. Glossary/
  3. Group Head

Gear & equipment

Group Head

The brewing assembly on the front of an espresso machine where the portafilter locks in — water enters the puck through the group head's shower screen.

  • Availability: Common

The group head is the temperature-controlled portal between the boiler and the puck. Its shower screen disperses the brew water across the basket; its temperature stability (PID-controlled on modern machines) directly affects shot quality. Commercial Brooklyn bars usually run two- or three-group machines so multiple drinks can be pulled in parallel during morning rushes. The 'group' is also slang for the unit — 'pulled three on group two.'

Related terms

  • Portafilter
  • Espresso Machine
  • Espresso
  • Pre-infusion
Back to the glossaryBrowse Brooklyn shopsRead the FAQ