I also tested with a nickel this morning using the 18g VST basket with a flat bottom tamper, fresh Apollo 4.3 beans (roasted 5/31), a Mazzer Mini-E and Anita. A weighed dose of 18.0 grams left the nickel sunk flush with the grounds.



I will say that these are better results (geometrically) than the normal coffee de jour and I look forward to further improvements in the next few days. I still maintain that there exists too many hoops to avoid - at least for me.

TimEggers wrote:Andy (or anyone else) do you notice any significant change in espresso quality when using a curved tamper verses a flat one? I get the impression (from reading around the web) that folks tend to gravitate towards flat tampers when using the VST baskets. Does it really matter?

I think all the other factors that make a good espresso matter a lot more than the tamper shape. Still, I get my best looking bottomless pours by grooming the grounds into a slightly concave shape before tamping them with a concave tamper. Good looks may not always help, but they can't hurt.

Interesting discussion. In my opinion it is difficult to assess how well these baskets work because there are many other variables involved. We can't all test on exactly the same coffee, with the same age and roast date, with the same grinder. Being able to do that much would be huge.

I think the way a shot extracts depends heavily just upon those things, not to mention the machine operator and the machine.

That said, I'd like to try one of the double baskets if I had the extra money.

Not to be cynical, but it seems our fair vendors have found a way to triple the price of filter baskets and quintuple the price of steam tips. Significant improvements, or $200 AC power cords for audiophiles?

Of course, I ordered a couple of VST baskets to try. After all, I have to keep up with the Joneses. But I resisted the Foam Knife steam tip!

Peppersass wrote:Not to be cynical, but it seems our fair vendors have found a way to triple the price of filter baskets and quintuple the price of steam tips. Significant improvements, or $200 AC power cords for audiophiles?

Of course, I ordered a couple of VST baskets to try. After all, I have to keep up with the Joneses. But I resisted the Foam Knife steam tip!

I felt the same way about steam tips, although I don't see steam tips as critical as baskets. The basket OTOH, seems there might be something to gain. With all the variablility amongst stock LM baskets, its about time someone tried to improve on design and consistency. As for whether this will improve my drink, only time will tell but at $25 a basket, its a cheap enough experiment. Then again, if the knife steam tip was $25, I probably would have ordered one!!!!!

I got my 15g basket today and tried it with my Silvia with PID controller. I was able to get things dialed in by the second shot. I ground a little finer but it was a fairly minor adjustment. I'm using a MACAP grinder with a continuously variable adjustment.

The differences between the VST and stock Rancilio basket were quite noticeable. The shot from the VST basket didn't blond as fast. I also noticed that the extraction was evenly distributed between the two shot glasses. In the past, the extraction from the stock basket was always unevenly distributed between the glasses.

The puck was also much smoother than I've seen before. And, there were no signs of channeling.

Of course, the taste is what matters. The shot from the VST basket seemed a little smoother than with the stock basket. I think that's expected due to reduction in channeling and less blonding.

I'm already very pleased with the VST basket. It was much easier to use than I was expecting, based on the comments in this thread. Definitely worth the try.

+1 worth a try.

JonR10 wrote:Deciding not to adjust your grind for the VST is the same as deciding you don't want to learn what the difference is really about.

Jon,

This tip was invaluable to me; I had tightened the grind up to match my previous filter baskets dosing of Organic Epic, and I just wasn't getting it. I had too many halos. I notched it even finer than I thought necessary, and down dosed a bit (18.5g to 17.5) for a 25s pull, no spritzes or halos, with ~25 g of liquid. The result was an amazingly balanced shot.

Does anyone find these baskets a "snugger" fit for their PFs? My chopped PF has a slight gap between the lip of the filter and the PF. Maybe it's just me; this PF is already on my blah list because it's lugs are a different size than my non-chopped one.

Been working with the 15g & 18g VST baskets for nearly a week now. Cannot say they produce better tasting coffee than using my synesso baskets but definitely the baskets are a much better quality than anything else from a materials used and manufacturing sense.

I have reread this post at least 5 times and you guessed it these baskets are causing me problems!!!

Lessons learnt so far:
1. You must grind finer. I'm using a Robur e and with like for like beans I find I have to grind 4 graduations (teeth on wheel) finer than synesso.
2. I haven't been able to dose what people recommend here ie. 15 for 15g basket and 18 for 18 and get decent shots. Currently on 18.5-19.0g for the 15g basket and over 21g for the 18.

I will try grinding a bit finer and leave a concave in the middle as suggested here and see how I go. Currently, I have been gently tapping 2x on the fork while dosing then distributing & levelling to top of basket then tamp with a flat based espro which is a good fit for these baskets. Its not quite working out so far.

Persisting because of the obvious quality of these baskets - I hope it will be worth in in the end.

regards
JohnT

Well I have tried downdosing to the rated capacity of the filter basket and a grind finer than I would think is right, concave in the middle and it kinda works. May need to adjust the grind finer yet but the pour looks real great on the naked, time is good at about 25-30 seconds. The taste is still not quite balanced - too much of the sour notes. The puck comes out gooey rather than solid.

regards
JohnT