Best basket for switching between single and double shots

Julian van Daal

Hey Folks,
I am joining Team Londinium (hopefully soon, depending factory Output ), and i am struggling with the question how to best handle the Switch between single and double shots. I also ordered a Double-spouted PF, which comes with, as i see it, the same basket the naked PF holds. Since i guess the 18g isn't enough for roughly 50g Out, i thought about ordering a VST 21g, and maybe also a 18g as Well if i am at it. But i read you have to change the Grind for each VST size, is that true? The Grinder i will be pairing the L-R with is the Elektra Nino, and i am not to keen on changing every day.
What are your experiences with different-sized baskets, any Recommendations?

Thanks in Advance,

Julian

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Frans Goddijn

When you remain in the VST family of baskets, the 18g and 21g will not necessitate much change in grind setting. You could compensate for any change in flow with 0.5-0.8g up/under dose.

I am confident that once you have the set on your kitchen top, you will quickly feel more at ease with these decisions.

Starting off it may be a good idea to first of all get 1-2 kg of excellent beans from a superb roaster and stick to those, so you won't have to deal with a different bean all the time. And also first stick to one basket and only begin juggling between baskets when you find that all the rest is easy and super consistent for you.

Julian van Daal

I have a favorite Bean from my local roaster which i feel really comfortable with on my current Setup (Bezzera BZ99 with Compak K3, so a step Up). I am excited to see what i will be able to get out of with the lever.

So you would recommend the 18/21g Combo from VST? Thanks for the Input!

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Julian van Daal

Hey Frans, makes sense, but sticking to one basket would mean sticking to the naked PF as Well, right? Maybe you're right...

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Frans Goddijn

Julian van Daal post=13357 wrote: So you would recommend the 18/21g Combo from VST?

I have many baskets but I mostly use the 18g VST for my single espressos. Sometimes for a while I will use the 20g VST if I have a little lighter roasts to get the same 'body' in the singe espresso cup.

As an exception, these weeks I am using the VST 15g basket, as I am now deep into an Indonesian 'Mandheling' bean that tastes darker than it is when measured for roast color with a Tonino color measurement device for coffee. So then with a lower dose I get the sae 'oomph' in the cup as I am used to enjoying. An 18g dose was overdoing it a bit for me.

I personally prefer to make two single espressos one after the other if I need two espressos. I never played with a double spout to prepare two espressos at the same time. When I observe others do it, it always seems that the shot landing in one cup is slightly different in volume from the shot in the other cup, on every espresso machine.

John Heckendorn

Julian van Daal post=13355 wrote: Hey Folks,
...I am struggling with the question how to best handle the Switch between single and double shots.

It's unclear what you consider a single shot, but if you mean the traditional type using 8.5-12g of ground beans, IMS makes several excellent baskets that are optimized for singles:
http://www.imsfiltri.com/risultati-ricerca/?competition=0&post_type=i-filtri&comp=fracino&type=gruppo-professionale-tradizionale&Capienza=1-tazza&submit=Search&lang=en

IMS designs its single, double, and triple baskets such that the same grind should work in all three without adjustments between shot sizes, and for the most part, the design works well. There are some other threads on the Londinium forum regarding use of the IMS single baskets on these machines.

Julian van Daal

For me, a single shot has an Output of 20 to 30g in the Cup, more i would count as a double. Of course one way would be to pull one shot after the other with the Londinium or VST 18g filled with 15.8 as per Reiss Suggestion or your own preferred dosage to 27g in the Cup. I am asking only about the difference in approaches when using the Double-spouted PF, e.g. with guests for quicker Service. One concern was the group Volume, if it would hold enough water for two Singles, the other concern was the size of the basket needed for this approach. But i guess i will stick with Frans and try out one basket with the naked PF, first getting to know the new Equipment.

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Matthew Hoffman

I make Italian-size doubles by putting 14g in a VST 15g basket. I make singles by putting 7g of the same coffee, ground at the same setting, into a Strada 7g basket. Works for me.

If I have guests over who like Italian-size drinks, I prepare a 14g basket and pull the shot into two cups with a double-spout portafilter.

[edit: addition] I should add that I always pull at a brew ratio of 1:2/1:2.5. In other words, the liquid espresso weighs between 2 and 2.5 times the weight of the dry coffee in the puck. So a double at my house, pulled from 14g of expresso grinds, will weigh-in somewhere between 28g and 35g. A single from 14g to 17.5g.

Matt

Alan Cohen

I have a basket question. I normally use the Londinium double basket that comes with the bottomless portafilter and dose about 16g. It works for me.

I purchased some Londinium single baskets with my last accessories order and tried using one for the first time last night. I dosed 8g at the same grind level on a Compak F8 and absolutely choked the machine (orig. Londinium 1). I coarsened the grind from 66 (F8) to 76. Still NG. 85 NG, 95NG, at 115 I got a 50 second shot without having to assist the lever. When I tried a 7g dose, the tamper hit the basket bevel and did not reach the grounds bed.

So what is going on? I know single baskets restrict flow, but the smaller dose should compensate for that. Why am I having to change the grind so much to get a single shot?

Reiss Gunson

hi alan

single baskets are always more exacting than larger baskets. if you want to be able to keep the grind setting the same when you move between baskets, which is understandable, i would calibrate it on the single basket and then move up to the double basket, rather than the other way around

let me know how you get on

kind regards

reiss.