Nice!!

I thought the Strada's were made by VST, just without the test results of your particular basket?

Moxiechef wrote:This morning I looked at the 21g Strada and 20g VST. They are different sizes.

The 21g Strada would be comparable to the 22g VST (not the 20g). There is no "19g strada" which would be the equivalent to the 20g VST

That makes sense.

Just curious for those using the VSTs, do you typically pull shorter shots as I'd think the finer grind required would lean towards this to avoid the boring or bitter flavours. I'm still trying to master this basket. It seems like the first 5 days post roasts its at its best but after that I find myself going for the EPNW baskets. I typically aim for 18g/25g with a 25-30s pour from flip of the switch.

Brew ratio will primarily determine extraction, so you can pull the same ratio you would with other baskets. At a given brew ratio, you'll get a somewhat higher extraction yield with the VST. People use VSTs to pull both tight and long shots. And they're excellent for either.

Baskets are something I'm exploring more thoroughly lately. My questions/comments derail the original topic a bit, but thought it might be useful to build on it instead of starting a new thread. For the last year or so I have been using the IMS Precision 16/20 basket, switching from the stock ECM doubles to explore the "precision" type products intended to improve/increase extraction... and because I got the basket NIB for like $5 from someone with an extra.

The IMS is definitely more demanding of grind, dose, distribution, etc., and I think I do get more clarity and separation vs the standard baskets. At times, I have found the basket tricky to consistently nail a shot, with most of the "off" shots being what I would describe as more astringent or vegetal, depending on the coffee. Now, I don't know if this is due to my technique, my grinder, that certain coffee, or a combination of factors, but being that I read at least one user post that they felt the IMS baskets tended to produce bitter shots, being that the EP HQ baskets seem to garner positive reviews, and they're only like $6, I ordered a 14g ridgeless HQ basket.

The hole pattern of the HQ baskets are visually quite different; with the hole pattern being biased towards the center of the basket and the perimeter not having any holes, whereas the IMS is pretty consistent across the bottom and seems to have a great number of holes (I didn't count). My first experiences are that the HQ baskets are easy. I consistently get attractive pours, reinforcing my prep technique with the IMS baskets, but the HQ baskets make it seem like you could get those picture perfect pours without trying, comparatively. Taste wise, I don't know that I'm noticing a ton of difference so far, but I still want to do more comparative testing between the two, especially with some coffees light and darker roasted coffees.

So now I'm wondering how you folks approach basket selection. Do you simply use VST's because that seems to be the high standard and they're the best, select a basket based on the coffee and what you're trying to get out of it, or something else? I guess I should get a VST to further explore this, but between the three double basket styles I have, (two of which being the ridgeless style) I'm now curious as to how they may influence or effect shots, and what others are finding.

@Moxiechef Maybe the holes are bigger on the Strada??

I use Strada baskets with LM Shot Brewer, and IMS and Reneka baskets with QM Achille. My favourite is Reneka. http://www.reneka.com/technology-micro-sieve.html

Interesting, I haven't seen those Reneka baskets before. Is there a reason you use certain baskets with certain machines? Is it just what fits or works best with the machine, or is it the case that certain machines, and the way they brew/deliver water will work better with certain basket designs?

I have tested a lot with different pressure profiles on the LM Shot Brewer. I like LM's rich and full espressos. I tested a lot with different basketst, I tasted, and measured the best shots with Strada baskets. Reneka is a very good option with fruity espressos. Since the Reneka has no resistance at all, you have to grind much finer.
I prefer the big Bosco lever with classic blends, espressos with sweet dark aromas. The IMS basket has lower resistance than LM, which is a good choice with Bosco' lever profile.