Ways to a great single espresso with a single basket

[Philblack]

Being a Silvia owner for years and having spent hours figuring how to achieve a good single shot with a single basket, here's my feedback.

Many literature has been written on how you only can get a good single shot with a double basket. However, with all the techniques and equipment available now, I think we can manage to have a very good single shot without the hassle of wasting coffee or getting caffeine shocks too often !

Equipment:
1. A naked portafilter (no need for presentation)
2. A "La Marzocco" single basket which is the best single basket I ever used
3. A 40 mm tamper especially for the basket (steel or aluminum and not the one shipped with your machine)

Steps:
1. Use a finer setting than usual. As a Rocky grinder owner, I set it to a step down
2. You'll need to pour more than the usual 7g of coffee. Chose between 8-9g
3. Pour the coffee until the narrowed part of the filter basket (the main filter chamber) is full. Take your 40mm tamper and proceed to a light tamp so the rest of the remaining grams will not mess too much on the side of the filter
4. Pour the rest of the coffee in the filter (you may wish to help the coffee go in the center of it with your finger)
5. Proceed to a first 30lbs tamp
6. Use the other side (wood or plastic tab) of your tamper to gently tap the portafilter in order to make the remaining coffee go in the center. Don't tap too much since it could break your puck
7. Proceed to a second 30lbs tamp. Be careful to not over tamp
8. Clean the remaining coffee of your filter
9. You are done.

Make sure everything goes well during the extraction (ie side channeling) referring you to extraction techniques, such as the WDT.

Voila!, you'll achieve a creamy rich taste brown espresso.

One of my friend called it the "LaRoc Shot"; well...why not.

I'd be happy to improve the process. So don't hesitate to add info to this post.

Take care.

Philippe

[another_jim]

You're instructions sound pretty good, although a lot of work.

Did you ever get a good, no channeling shot from the Silvia single basket? I spent an afternoon trying, and I don't think it's possible. This basket could be the reason why singles have been so unpopular among US enthusiasts.

[jesawdy]

As I said in Getting a good shot from Silvia?, I've had some good success with singles on Silvia. My preferred single basket at the moment is a Cimbali, but I have had good results with the Rancilio basket. The LM single basket is on my "want" list next time I have a parts order. Here are my comments from that thread:

I've just had some very nice results pulling singles on the Silvia with a Cimbali single basket and the newly reduced brew pressure. In fact, these single shots have been the BEST EVER that I have pulled on Silvia. I haven't gone back to the Rancilio basket to see if I can get similar results yet. It is very easy to overfill the single basket I use, so I stop way short of where I think I would need to be with a double basket (no where near leveling the coffee at the basket rim), I WDT right in the singles basket (no yogurt cup needed, it's not full enough to spill out), tap the side of the PF sides a few times with my hand to "jostle" level the grinds, tamp, and pull my shot.

With a Rocky, it is usually 2 clicks below my typical double setting.

I think it is more difficult to diagnose naked singles shots, as the colors are different. What I consider the blonding point on a single shot appears lighter in color than a double. The in-cup final color is about the same. And man, it's not much to drink.

Honestly, I don't know why I don't pull singles more often, I think they taste better. I've oft wondered if the taste preference is a result of Jim's findings in SOME ASPECTS OF ESPRESSO EXTRACTION, and I am getting closer to a "proper" extraction on a single versus a double. In fact, when I think about, it seems somewhat illogical that a 7 gram dose brewed in 25-30 seconds would ever taste exactly the same as a 14 gram dose also brewed in 25-30 seconds, even accounting for surface area of the basket, contact area and time, etc.

I haven't put the pencil to it and done any brew ratios on singles that I can recall. I should do that.

[another_jim]

... but I have had good results with the Rancilio basket.

I obviously need to brush up on my barista skills; the flows I got from it always looked like they belonged in some twisted waterpark.

[RapidCoffee]

I've had noticeably worse luck with singles on my QuickMill Vetrano than my Rancilio L7, which I attribute to the E61 grouphead on the Vetrano. Perhaps due to less headspace, the E61 group seems significantly more susceptible to overdosing than the Rancilio group. In particular, it's proved nearly impossible to avoid overdosing single baskets on the Vetrano. Unless I downdose well below the rim of the single basket, the puck hits the showerscreen as I lock in, ruining the pour.

The QuickMill single basket is even worse than the Rancilio single basket in this regard. Perhaps a 40mm tamper is the secret weapon...


Rancilio single basket on left, QuickMill on right

[DC]

I've found 8g gives about the right headspace for the Rancilio single basket, any more than that and I am overdosed. Rocky 3 to 4 clicks finer than what I use for a double.

The problem for me seems to be the basket's shelf. At this dose there is only a thin layer of coffee on it, which doesn't seem to be enough to get a good seal between coffee and basket. Each shot starts nice and drippy but after a few seconds it turns blonde-gusher on me. After the shot, the puck is gouged on one side where it has lost adhesion and come away from the basket. I tried grinding very fine to compensate, but the same thing happened. I'm also not convinced tamping (at least with a 57/58mm) has much of an effect in this basket other than polishing the surface.

I haven't been able to improve on this, but based on how the shots start, I think if I could they would be ok.

[Philblack]

You're instructions sound pretty good, although a lot of work.

Did you ever get a good, no channeling shot from the Silvia single basket? I spent an afternoon trying, and I don't think it's possible. This basket could be the reason why singles have been so unpopular among US enthusiasts.

Everytime I used the Silvia's, results were poor. Putting aside the fact the coffee flow was always too fast with a correct grinded coffee, never did I arrive having a no channeling shot.
It's very tempting to grind a much finer coffee to force achieving your 25-30s espresso with the Rancilio single basket, but you burn your coffee taste. Isn't it the goal to almost achieve the same taste as with your double shots ?

jesawdy -> As far as the Cimbali single basket, I have to give it another try

The interesting thing with the LM single basket is that there is a real chamber in the filter (a filter in the filter) to hold your 7g of coffee, which is not the case in many other single baskets. When you are done and then take out your portafilter, you can also see if the extraction went well. Indeed, during the latter the coffee will expand. If you did a good job preparing the coffee in the filter (adapting the WDT and tamping well), you'll see the coffee expanded evenly.

[Siglo]

Its nice to see that other have the same problem as I do with the QM single basket. I havent had one shot thats been ok with that basket. Its almost impossible to get the right amount of coffe without getting it hitting the showerscreen. Whats the solution? Get rid of the basket and buy a new one? Or weigh the coffee with a digital scale?

/Siglo

[SLC]

I have also had a lot of difficulty with the Rancilio and QM single basket. I gave up on them. The LM single is outstanding. Very rarely off. Lately I have been using a 12g basket in order to make a single shot. I underdose and that seems to give a perfect amount of headspace.

Mark

[DC]

Mark,

What do you think is the reason for the difference? Is it just the amount of coffee that the LM holds?

[SLC]

Yes, the more grinds the basket holds, the better margin of error allowed. Also the sides of the LM single go vertically down longer than the others, which helps. Therefore a better chamber.


Mark

[mrgnomer]

I've found the same thing with the Vetrano headspace of a single. Won't lock in if overdosed.

For a single what works for me is making sure the dose is even in the basket then Weiss it with a metal skewer and level it off just under the rim with a concave cut piece of plastic I made for singles and tamp fairly hard with a RB Eurocurve. That locks in well and the extraction with a naked pf is pretty good. Sweeter and smoother than a double but less creama.

[sygyzy]

Hi,

I hope this isn't a dumb question, but how do I find out which baskets are compatible with the Silvia portafilter? Or do you need a new portafilter for each third party basket you use?

[HB]

Silvia uses Rancilio's standard 58mm commercial portafilter and will accommodate almost any 58mm basket (i.e., a triple basket will not fit, unless of course the portafilter is bottomless).

[scottyg514]

I agree,
it is very hard to get a good single shot with a Quick Mill single basket.
You have to underdose it for clearance & then the shot pours too quickly.

I just ordered one of Greg Pullmans tampers with LM single & double baskets.
He cuts his tampers to fit the baskets perfectly which should lead to a much better shot I hope.

[Philblack]

I agree,
it is very hard to get a good single shot with a Quick Mill single basket.
You have to underdose it for clearance & then the shot pours too quickly.

I just ordered one of Greg Pullmans tampers with LM single & double baskets.
He cuts his tampers to fit the baskets perfectly which should lead to a much better shot I hope.

It's a good thing you got a LM single basket. However with your 58mm tamper you'll still have problems getting a consistent shot. Greg Pullman shows how pressure is not even with a single basket here: http://www.coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1169781510/.

With a 40mm tamper and a single LM basket, it gives you to ability to better tamp: since the single LM basket is designed with a "basket in the basket" idea in mind the 40mm tamper fits exactly the inner basket.

So, if you get the chance, try with a 40mm tamper.

[Kaffee Bitte]

I am going to weigh in on this despite having no experience with the Silvia. If you want better single shot extractions the best route to get there that I have found is to tamp considerably lighter than the recommended 30 lbs with a slightly finer grind than you would use for a double. I have used this light tamp with singles for about a year now on the Astoria 2 group I use at work as well as on my own la pavoni. For the Astoria (using a LM single) I dose 7 grams, then level the coffee and just set the tamper on the coffee using almost no pressure at all. It is mostly just the tamper itself that is providing the tamp. Using this light tamp I usually get crema that is quite a bit darker than the normal single blondish tan, sometimes equalling the crema I expect from a double. Shots pulled using this light tamp rarely blond early in the shot and also rarely do the single end rush.

I highly recommend trying this out for yourself as it has produced some amazing single shots for me since I started using it both at home and at work. I suppose it might not work for a finicky Silvia, but it is certainly worth a try.

[jesawdy]

I am going to weigh in on this despite having no experience with the Silvia. If you want better single shot extractions the best route to get there that I have found is to tamp considerably lighter than the recommended 30 lbs with a slightly finer grind than you would use for a double. I have used this light tamp with singles for about a year now on the Astoria 2 group I use at work as well as on my own la pavoni....

I am curious... do you have much occasion to pull singles on the job or were you just playing about?

The QuickMill single on the Alexia has fared well with 9 grams, and a 50-60% brew ratio.... slightly finer grind with the Rocky. I like the LM single basket, but I definitely need to get a proper tamp, otherwise my results are too varied. I guess I'll try Lynn's approach first... Thanks.

[Kaffee Bitte]

I pull many single shots at work. The majority are certainly doubles but I would say that about one third of the shots I pull in a day are singles. Some people want to have steamed milk more than the coffee and therefore get singles, often in twenty ounce cups! Doesn't qualify as coffee if you ask me but that is what they want, so unfortunately, that is what they get. Many shops don't even have their single baskets in the shop, but the owners of my shop like to drink true singles on occasion, so ours stays. I rather like having the flexibility to only pour three shots for a triple, since it means I waste less coffee if there is not another drink coming right away.

When I get to work most mornings I pull three shots to test how they are pulling. The first is always a single and then a double (usually around 17 grams). I feel like the differences in the pulls of the baskets tend to make for better comparison, when getting the grind in order for the day.

It seems to me that most shops don't bother with the single baskets because they are more of a challenge to get a consistent shot from. I think though that few things in espresso can really raise your skills to a higher level than learning the twists and turns of a single. From what I have seen it is a fairly simple thing for even average skilled baristas to pull off.

[Kaffee Bitte]

Everytime I used the Silvia's, results were poor. Putting aside the fact the coffee flow was always too fast with a correct grinded coffee, never did I arrive having a no channeling shot.
It's very tempting to grind a much finer coffee to force achieving your 25-30s espresso with the Rancilio single basket, but you burn your coffee taste. Isn't it the goal to almost achieve the same taste as with your double shots ?

If you have a way of achieving the same flavor profile as a double I would love to hear it, but I don't think that a single should ever taste the same as a double pull. The smaller dose with greater water volume and different basket style make for a different shot, not better, not worse, just different. And they can be very good in their differences. A good single can bring out flavors in some coffees that are never apparent in a double. Grinding finer isn't always required to get an acceptable pour, but I would recommend it since that will usually assure the greatest chance for success.