Interesting topic.

Personally, I think maybe "we"(using we as a general term for basically anyone into home espresso who has, at one time or another, passed along some advice to a new comer) don't give the single basket a fair shake.

Very often, if you read "help me make espresso" threads, on this site or others, somewhere in the thread you will see the advice to ditch the single basket, and go straight for the double basket.

Ill admit, this isn't ALL bad advice.. I DO think its easier to make a good shot using the double basket.. but I dont think it's nearly as hard as some people make it seem, to pull single shots.

I for one have used the single basket a good deal.. I still do today. Really depends on the coffee. A blend from Klatch is not something Ill use at 7-9grams, they're making blends and pulling them at 20+grams in their shops. But, something with brighter flavors, or something that Im having trouble with in the double basket, GENERALLY, will work out in the single. And a good single shot is just as good as a good double shot. That I am sure of.


Eric- So, Chris has changed the design on the new Quickmills?

The subject should be "Want a different espresso on an E61, Try a single basket". Single or double, both are good and both are different but I would hesitate to call one better than the other.

Different, yes - but I don't agree that much with singles being different taste profile from doubles.

After reading Jim's review of Dalla Corte I decided to learn to make proper singles - that is, same tasting as my doubles. And with help of circumstances, which was getting the third basket for Caravel, and devoting myself to drinking singles on Vivaldi regularly for two months, I learned.

It's a different cup of coffee, a single espresso then a double espresso, but it's not about taste being different - the drink is different, the experience is different.

I found that the main difference with single is the body. Single basket tend to be less thick in an E61..
AS a matter of taste, I don't think there's much difference between the two, but I prefer single.
Even when the roaster says that they put 20g in the basket, it can be as good in a single basket.

I like to use a double basket but with a lesser dose than normal. It is like a single but in a double basket. In the single baskets the puck gets watery meanwhile in the double basket it looks drier (and screen cleaner).

Cheers

Low dose in a double won't be the same as a normal single. The conical design of the single and the space between the gasket affect the shot.