Hello,

another newbie question...

My wife and me enjoy the great coffee out of my Millenium and Demoka grinder very much so most of the time i am using the double portafilter to make two shots, but there are times, when i am at home alone.

Previously i just bit the bullet and either drank both shots or dumped one (when the counter was already on 4 or 5 that day ) because i heard, getting great single shots is more difficult and the grinder setting has to be changed.

So, what do you do? Either stay with one type of portafilter like i did until now or use both depending on the situation?

Enjoy the doubles on your own. It's not that much more caffeine in moderation. As you've noted, it only becomes an issue when you've been "juicing" exhuberantly. If the buzz becomes an ongoing issue you can always keep some decaf (gasp!) beans on hand for mitigation.

When I first started with espresso I used the single basket and pulled four or five shots per brewing session. Since discovering "the espressonets" I've switched to the double basket and pulling two or three. Tastier shots more easily achieved and less cleanup. Now the only time I use my single basket is when I get to the end of a bag of beans and don't have enough for a double.

Funny you should ask today.. yesterday I added a chapter to my website on this very subject. I had some leftover grounds and used them to pull a single shot for the first time and used it for a mini-Americano (I called it an "Americanito"). It was delicious!

Ciao Christian,

Nowadays I pull both with single & double baskets -- but it may be easier to get good singles with certain machines (for ex., spring levers and Elektra Semiautomaticas). In my case I enjoy the double ristrettos more. But when I just want a little taste, and prefer not to use up so much coffee, I pull singles.

I alternate between doubles (morning shot) and singles (the rest of the day) without any adjustment to my machine or the grinder. I get singles and doubles in about 26 seconds. If I am switching coffees and have to adjust the grind, it works for both size baskets.

Grinder: Mazzer Mini.
Machine: QM Alexia.

If your Millennium basket is really small like my old pre-Millennium Pavoni, then I would probably just stick with the double basket. But for an E-61 machine, the single is as good as the double.

Bill

Sometimes . . .

Straight doubles in the morning. Straight single at night.

roastaroma wrote:Ciao Christian,

Nowadays I pull both with single & double baskets -- but it may be easier to get good singles with certain machines (for ex., spring levers and Elektra Semiautomaticas). In my case I enjoy the double ristrettos more. But when I just want a little taste, and prefer not to use up so much coffee, I pull singles.

A single pull from my Cremina has become easier. With practice.
I love the taste and clarity I get with a single. For me, the only caveat is that my Penny (espressme) tamper is just a wee bit too large for both my single Cremina and Elektra basket. Got it stuck one day, worked like heck to get it unstuck
I think what makes the single a bit more difficult for those of us lever-ites, is that dose and DISTRIBUTION become even more critical. The pull must be very even.
If I could describe the difference in taste other than clarity, I'd say the cup is more "coffee-like." Meaning, a bit less intense, but to my taste a touch sweeter. More sink shots, though.

I alternate between my baskets (singles, doubles, triples) all the time. My goal isn't getting different shot volumes but rather different tastes. I home-roast and I enjoy experimenting with different extractions from the same beans.

Generally (there are exceptions):-

- Doubles for milk based drinks or Americanos
- Singles to drink straight

The time to pull a shot varies a little between the two, but not enough to make me want to adjust anything.

The only inconvenience, is that with a single group machine is you can't keep 2 portafilters hot and ready to go So there's an immediate excuse for an upgrade if you ever need one.