I pretty much split between an 18g Strada, an EPNW HQ 18g, and a Faema 14g double.

My current favorite is the LM single basket (58mm Brewtus 2 machine) it's the only single shot portafilter basket that I can pull more shots successfully from than not.

My second is the standard 14 gram double. I decided to follow Mr. Fox's advice and stopped overdosing. The shots have been getting more consistent since after some practice in careful dosing and tamping. I currently use the VST 15 for 14 gram shots but I don't notice much difference in shot quality when compared to my ridgeless, LM double, or standard Brewtus double filter baskets.

I suppose if I worked a busy coffee bar with multigroup machines where portafilters are frequently rotated, the standardized consistancy of the VST's size and number of holes in the basket would make a big difference by allowing all groups, grinder settings, doses, and tamping forces etc.. to be roughly the same (variable elimination.)

As a home user with one 58mm machine, other than grinding a tad finer, I don't notice much difference with the VST.

A standarized basket does enable sharing tips over the internet such as dosing, pressure adjustments, as well as other ideas without worrying about basket variability affecting the results.

Just a thought

Just ordered ridged and ridgeless La Marzocco double. Looking forward to trying them both out.

Several here have mentioned a "Faema 14g double" or the like. Is there a part number and/or a supplier that you can recommend?

I'm somewhat hesitant to just walk into my local espresso repair shop and trust that they'll do more than just grab the first double basket they find on their shelves.

Caveat : Favorite basket may have many inputs :

• Roast
• Extraction
• Dose
• Group
• Grinder
• Hand
• ...

cafeIKE wrote:Hand

Wait, what's hand for?

Wait, what's hand for?

You didn't know that you could order left-handed baskets?

tekomino wrote:Wait, what's hand for?

Mano

I've been camped on my LM Triple for probably a year or more and using primarily Barefoot beans with the triple basket. This morning, out of curiousity, I dumped my dose and weighed it: 21 grams. And typically I'll do a full 2 ounce at 25 seconds from the 21 gram triple basket. I've been liking it, but I bought a bag of Ecco Cafe this last round and thought perhaps I'll give the double a try again (with an 18 gram dose).

I think my taste-buds became accustomed to the 21 gram triple. Now I'm searching for the right balance of flavors. It really does depend on the beans too. I'm getting a good amount of sweet-fruitiness from the 18 grams, but not much on the heavy low-end yet. It seems like if I up the temp the flavor thins out a bit, which is not exactly what I'm looking for. I still want to get a good 1.75 - 2 ounces out, so we'll see if I end up back on the triple or not.

It was mentioned by others to match the bean with the basket. So, if the bean is slightly darker roast, toastier, nuttier, then I would imagine you can go for a lower dose in a double basket. If the bean is lighter roast and brighter, you might go for a larger dose in a triple basket. I'm not making a statement for anyone to follow, especially considering I've been camped on lighter roasted coffee such as Barefoot for years now. I'm just wondering if people experience this.