I have what I believe is an original Olympia single basket (came with my used Cremina) and a unknown DBL. (my brother got it for me a couple +years ago and doesn't remember where) My standard 49mm Reg. Barber fits nicely in the single with just enough play but the dbl. is a little too loose. I mainly use the dbl. and was thinking about getting a custom tamper for a better fit. Before I did that I was wondering if there were any other dbl. basket choices and which one is the best to go with. Or should I try to find an (or 2) OEM Olympia dbl. if possible. I will be using it on my bottomless from Richard with my Cremina and Maximatic. thanks, Ed

Hi Ed,

Filter baskets are made to a rather wide tolerance so the differences you note are normal. I have two different size (in terms of height) Olympia double baskets and I believe there may be more. The same seems to be true for single baskets. Inside diameters vary as well. There are custom tamper sizes if you want hem.

It is not easy to find OEM Olympia baskets, and/or they are rather expensive. The 49 mm baskets made for the Elektra Micro casa a leva fit and work in Olympia machines. They are more widely available and not so expensive.

Your new Coffex looks great.

KS

thanks Carl I'm really liking the Coffex. It is such a simple machine that can produce some excellent results. Which of the baskets that will fit is the deepest (largest capacity) and should I consider that factor. Ed

Howdy ed,
I will echo Karls comment- The Coffex is truly a great find.A beautiful machine! I have its sister, a Maximatic- the same year as yours but not quite as perfect. Mine also came with the original box and foam inserts! They are so close in detail that I almost think they just changed names.. from one to the other? Your wiring shots of the top, down to the wire color are identical to mine.

I have a newd from Richard and some Cremina PF that I have used on my MAX( I just rebuilt it!) I have used the original Oly dbl basket and the Elektra basket in both PF with no problem.

The Elektra basket is the deepest and largest basket of all three of the baskets I know fit. The old La PAvoni 49mm basket, the Elktra Microcasa aLeva and the original of course. (Also 49mm baskets for the Bezzera Family Club lever also fit. But they are probably more rare to find.)

The rims of the Elektra and LP need to be worked on a bit as they flare a tad more that the original Oly basket. Not hard but that always depends on who is doing the work.....

Also for what its worth - I currently have my PStat set to a max pressure of 1.0 bar. Kicks on at .85bar. I have to grind a bit more coarsely than I use for the Cremina( a 1985).

What a nice avatar shot to boot!

\Enjoy!

Greg... I did have to sand down the outside edge of the rim a bit because it was catching in the group. So the dbl I have might be an Elektra .

Hi Ed,

While Greg and others report a need to modify the Elektra 49mm baskets to use in a Cremina I have not had that experience. I use my Elektra baskets as they came in my Cremina. I have had the reverse problem. Some Cremina baskets do not seem to work in the Elektra. Some Cremina baskets protrude too far above the top of the Elektra pf and this seems to encourage the pf backing out of the group if one has ground too finely or otherwise has too much pressure / too slow a shot.

I do notice that the Elektra double basket fits very snugly in both the Elektra pf and in the Cremina pf and has to be pried out. I do not use the spring clip to hold the basket in place. The Cremina baskets can be lifted out with fingers alone and need no leverage.



In my experience the greatest problem with the Elektra double basket is that it encourages over-dosing due to its capacity. I get better shots from both the Micro casa a leva and the Cremina if I use smaller doses rather than higher.

KS

KarlSchneider wrote:Hi Ed,

While Greg and others report a need to modify the Elektra 49mm baskets to use in a Cremina I have not had that experience.
KS

Karls point is a valid one- it just seems they "hang" in the group upon removal to dump the puck. I was probably unclear on my motivation....

I absolutely agree the tendency to over overdose since the basket is bigger is too easy to do....

Karl Thanks for the picture. Interesting that the Elektra double is so much deeper than the Oly and the Oly single is so much larger than the Elektra single. I have the Elektra dbl. and the Oly single, so with a little smaller dose in it will the added head room have an effect? I have not tried the Oly single in the Maxi yet. Which dbl. do you tend to use and why? Does your choice change between the Cremina and the Maxi.? thanks, Ed
PS I'm finding that the two Olys are a nice compliment to each other and that they together take up the same footprint as an average pump. What a nice pairing!
PS2 What basket came with the early Livietta 49mm? was it an OEM oly?

farmroast wrote:Karl Thanks for the picture. Interesting that the Elektra double is so much deeper than the Oly and the Oly single is so much larger than the Elektra single. I have the Elektra dbl. and the Oly single, so with a little smaller dose in it will the added head room have an effect? I have not tried the Oly single in the Maxi yet. Which dbl. do you tend to use and why? Does your choice change between the Cremina and the Maxi.? thanks, Ed
PS I'm finding that the two Olys are a nice compliment to each other and that they together take up the same footprint as an average pump. What a nice pairing!
PS2 What basket came with the early Livietta 49mm? was it an OEM oly?

Hi Ed,

I have two Olympia doubles that I use (and one that I do not) and two Elektra doubles that I use. I use all four daily and interchangeably. I dose and tamp into a basket removed from the pf. 95% of these are done in the Microcasa a leva to make Americanos. These are double pulls. The Microcasa a leva makes far better Americanos for my taste.

For espresso I use a single basket and a single pull. I have two Elektra singles and two Olympias. I use these interchangeably as well. I use the Microcasa a leva 55/45 vs. the Cremina for espresso depending on the coffee I have roasted.

As long as the baskets fit i use them. The only close call is in the Microcasa a leva and some doubles in Cremina baskets since they are shallower.

Unfortunately I have no experience with a Maximatic/Coffex/Livetta. Your two machine setup is really appealing. I think my two-group Microcasa a leva/Cremina is the ultimate home machine.

KS

Thanks Karl and well said.