If you've not read the results of Jim's analysis of baskets - you should.

I've found that I prefer the Elektra double basket (49 mm) to the Cremina double basket. The extra capacity allows for 2 complete pulls before blonding. I still use the Cremina double for ristrettos.

shadowfax wrote:I think the ridgeless double basket is the one that's usually called an "LM" ridgeless (as you say, it's not LM). This one you can get from espresso parts (here), and they also are making an "HQ" version of it now. I got one of those recently but I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet. Regarding the ridgeless triple basket, I do not think it's usually associated with La Marzocco, but rather Synesso. EPNW sells this one (here), as well as an "HQ" version of it (here).

How do you determine if have LM baskets... and not "LM type" baskets? How do you tell the difference?

If you're talking about ridgeless La Marzocco baskets, then you're talking about unicorns, as far as I know. At some point someone mistakenly sold them as LM baskets, but they have never been and are not La Marzocco—hence they call them LM-style ridgeless baskets now. At least, that's my understanding...

Where can I buy the official/correct La Marzocco baskets that are being referred to?

They're the La Marzocco Strada baskets. You can get them directly from La Marzocco USA (you'll have to e-mail/call them to arrange) or, say, Seattle Coffee Gear. They're actually the same as the VST baskets, as far as I know, so you can also get them from VST. Lots of options.

There is a slight difference in the 'naming' convention. La Marzocco calls their Strada double basket a 17g double; the identical VST basket is called an 18g double. The same is the case for the Strada '21g' triple and the VST '22g' triple—they're identical too.

The 17g and 21g Strada baskets are also available from Chris Coffee Service.

Compared to my other double baskets, the 17g Stradas made a big improvement in coffee when using the stock pfs; it works better than the other double baskets, but less so with the naked pf. The 21g basket -- which doesn't fit in a La Cimbali stock pf -- makes for a pretty naked pf pull, but doesn't do particularly well from a taste stand point compared to my Synesso or La Marzocco triples.

I have no explanation as to why the double Stradas work better in the stock than the naked pf, and don't care to publicly guess.

The 17g Strada/stock pf is a great combination for the Casa and my daily driver.

BDL

Any recommendations for the best basket to use with an E61 (Duetto II specifically)? I've been using VST basekets but after reading that study, I think I might focus on a regular basket instead of one with such a specific purpose.

haunce wrote:Any recommendations for the best basket to use with an E61 (Duetto II specifically)? I've been using VST basekets but after reading that study, I think I might focus on a regular basket instead of one with such a specific purpose.

Don't worry about the designers' purposes, just your results. Try a few different basket sizes and designs and see which work best for your particular situation. After all, why not?

BDL