Hello,

I am about 3 months into my Alex Leva and Peak combination. Love the machine but I think I am underachieving. I hate to blame my tools but after using a VST basket and reading further into extraction percentages using extractometers etc I am convinced I need to upgrade my basket. Does anyone know a source for a higher quality portafilter basket available in the correct size for the leva?

Also, the tamp that was included in my purchase from Chris's coffee is too small and I believe it is leading to channeling. Is there a resource for a more appropriate tamp for the OEM Leva basket?

Thanks!

Hi Michael, welcome to HB.

Can you describe what is leading you to believe you are underachieving on the Leva? Armed the Leva and the Peak you already have the gear necessary to make exceptional espresso, no extra gear should be needed.

Are you having trouble making good tasting coffee or are you concerned you are underachieving because you have been reading on threads about VST baskets / refractometers and precision tampers and getting analysis paralysis?

A common trap that members who do a lot of reading on the forums can fall into is too much emphasis on the gear. Refractometers can be a useful tool if used correctly but are a very expensive and poor replacement for taste buds.

VST baskets are not a silver bullet either, mileage seems to vary greatly for those who try them. Some swear by them, some find them impossible to use. I for example find them helpful for the lightest of coffees, mainly because they let you grind finer, but they become less impactful the darker the coffee. In lieu of using a VST you could use other techniques to let you grind finer, such as dropping your dose or slowly ramping pressure by lifting the lever to its catchpoint slowly after preinfusion.

There are quite a few places on ebay or elsewhere you could could buy a precision tamper for your Leva (for much cheaper than any refractometer), but I can definitely tell you from experience as someone who has used ill fitted tampers in the past that the skill of the barista has a much greater effect on puck channeling than a fraction of a millimeter difference in tamper fit. What does your basket prep look like?

There's a precision 55 mm aftermarket basket and tamp discussed here.

Dominico,

Let me first thank you for talking me off the ledge of buying a 900 dollar piece of equipment. Truth be told last night and today I have pulled 3 of the best shots I have pulled yet on the leva. Having said that I am intrigued by the VST / refractometer setup mostly from reading about those who have increased their extraction from 17% to 20% just by making the change to a VST basket. While I agree that tastebuds reign supreme I am curious as to the difference in taste between the supposed 17 and 20% extraction level.

I have found a 54.5mm tamp that I think will solve my problem of grinds along the sides of the basket, see picture. However my next concern (though much less of a concern after the shot I just pulled of the George Howell Daterra) is the volume of coffee in my basket. I think the basket I am using from Chris's is a 22g basket. I usually am in the 19-20g range. Am I leaving too much space at top of the portafilter and does it matter?

And lastly, has there been on any discussion of brew temp on the leva or similar spring lever machines and how to avoid getting too hot?

Thanks for the encouragement!
Michael

No problem. The Alex Leva looks like a cool machine and although I haven't used it, it's no secret that I am partial to levers myself.

As far as the VST's go, as I mentioned I have them and I do enjoy using them for lighter coffees. Lighter coffees are prone to under-extraction and the VST's encouragement of finer grinds is in my opinion one of the great contributors to why people seem to get higher extraction yields out of them. That said I've always found them to make medium-dark - dark roasts taste salty and I prefer to use different baskets when pulling more traditional blends.

As far as the effects of headspace goes it is really dependent on the machine. Some machines are very particular about headspace and some are more forgiving. I find that if I reduce the preinfusion flow rate (the rate that the water flows into the group with the lever in the down position) most lever groups become rather forgiving of the amount of headspace. You will have to experiment.

In general it is a good idea to keep the dose near the basket's suggested dosage, so it might not be a bad idea to get a collection of baskets of various sizes.
18g shots may work best much of the time, but some coffees just plain taste better when down dosed to 14g.
If you would like to try something like VST's, IMS (another make of expensive precision baskets, out of Italy) makes IMS Competizione baskets compatible with the Izzo Alex Leva, for example http://www.imsfiltri.com/en/filtri/b66-2t-h26-m/.
You may have to do a bit of hunting to find a place that sells them in the US.

I'm glad you found a tamper you feel will fit well, it may make your shots more consistent. At the very least it will make tamping less of a hassle.

rosenbma wrote:

I have found a 54.5mm tamp that I think will solve my problem of grinds along the sides of the basket, see picture. However my next concern (though much less of a concern after the shot I just pulled of the George Howell Daterra) is the volume of coffee in my basket. I think the basket I am using from Chris's is a 22g basket. I usually am in the 19-20g range. Am I leaving too much space at top of the portafilter and does it matter?

And lastly, has there been on any discussion of brew temp on the leva or similar spring lever machines and how to avoid getting too hot?

Couple of things...

1. It would be worth measuring how much actual headroom you have by overfilling your basket, then lock/load, and measure from the top of the basket to the indentation made by the shower screen.
2. In terms of temperature control, maybe you've already read through Temperature Management on Dipper Levers