by another_jim on Fri Dec 26, 2008 6:24 pm
An Italian bar will make singles when it's slow, doubles if there's a line and the available groups are running out. The shots flow, look and taste pretty much identical, and are done with one and two thwacks of the doser, respectively. So it is possible to select baskets, coffee blends, and doses and shot times that makes the choice of single and double completely transparent.
I have no idea what is sacrificed, in terms of extraction and blend possibilities, to ensure singles and doubles stay coordinated in this Italian bar way. However, to say that one is in general more difficult than the other is refuted by this basic Italian drill.
The dosing drill taught by Schomer, which has became the de facto standard in anglophone countries, has people filling and finger swiping deep, nearly cylindrical double baskets like the LM, Synesso, Faema or Cimbali doubles. This is not a style that will work unchanged with a single basket. Dosing and grind need to be changed, and the taste of the shots will probably also be different. This makes single shots impossible for anglophone bars. However, given the rarity of straight shot orders of any sort, or of single shot orders in milk, using only the double basket in this setting makes perfect sense.
I think these discussions would be a lot easier to follow if people distinguish sharply between commercially feasible practices, and what becomes possible when there's no customer line or bottom line. We please only ourselves and like minded friends when making espresso at home, and can try out things that will never scale up to bar use.
