You get more channeling if you grind fine??? Then you're burrs or alignment are messed up. If you grind fine enough so the shot chokes, then back off a bit, you shouldn't get channeling; you should get a trickle. Also, as a rule, the finer the grind, the softer tasting the shot. What you describe doesn't make sense unless there's something off with the burr.

I'm not fan of narrow range dose baskets, but I use and like the IMS 12 to 18 basket. It is basically like a standard basket, including having a slight curve at the bottom, except it requires finer grinds throughout the dosing range.

I also have baskets that have more flow resistance (require coarser grinds for given dose), which I use with the Strega, since it is very punchy machine. Maybe they will work for you -- EPNW sells them under the name "microfine" They are very conical and have a smaller hole area at the bottom.

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the information. Sometimes I wonder myself why I keep experimenting, as the OEM basket is satisfactory (except for the ridge and for the fact that I can't tamp deep enough, as I hit the lower narrow part). I guess it is curiosity and desire to upgrade for its own sake.

I have tried several baskets. I have a few LM baskets as well. I've settled on mainly using a generic, no brand 20g basket with an 18g dose on most coffees. I'm not pulling super light roast very often though. For the amount of talk and sales of the precision baskets you'd think everyone was pulling shots of Nordic light.

Exactly! Everyone seems to be pushing them from Hoffman through WLL, Clive, all the vendors really, it is as if you are supposed to throw the basket that came with the machine and immediately "upgrade".
It would be tolerable if the "upgrade" didn't improve anything, but it often changes things for the worse!
Anyway, I am done ranting

Milligan wrote:I've settled on mainly using a generic, no brand 20g basket with an 18g dose on most coffees.

Should be fine.

Excellent video, thanks! I actually liked the Profitec (ECM) basket best under the microscope.

another_jim wrote:You get more channeling if you grind fine??? Then you're burrs or alignment are messed up. If you grind fine enough so the shot chokes, then back off a bit, you shouldn't get channeling; you should get a trickle. Also, as a rule, the finer the grind, the softer tasting the shot. What you describe doesn't make sense unless there's something off with the burr.

I'm not fan of narrow range dose baskets, but I use and like the IMS 12 to 18 basket. It is basically like a standard basket, including having a slight curve at the bottom, except it requires finer grinds throughout the dosing range.

I also have baskets that have more flow resistance (require coarser grinds for given dose), which I use with the Strega, since it is very punchy machine. Maybe they will work for you -- EPNW sells them under the name "microfine" They are very conical and have a smaller hole area at the bottom.

Channeling as you grind finer is an expected phenomenon. The finer you grind, the higher the likelihood that any unevenness in the puck's density leads to volume of grounds so compact they choke the shot accompanied by ever so slightly less compacted volumes of grounds where more water goes through. When you see barely a trickle, unless the colour everywhere is extremely uniform and the flow is perfectly centered, it is likely that there is some channeling somewhere.

On the contrary by grinding coarse, minute differences in puck density matter less because the overall lesser density of the puck still lets water go through even the more compacted areas.

Thanks David, I was thinking the same thing!

The raggedyness of the OEM baskets wear away fairly quickly.
Coffee grounds are highly irregular, some of which will jam the most perfect hole whereas a raggedly hole will allow the coffee out.

Baskets differ but are only better if they more closely match the dose, grind, age, roast, bean, pressure, etc. In many cases they make things MUCH worse

Spot on about screen height, although the most clearance works for almost any prep. As head space is reduced, things can get finicky.

random grinds + constant holes = random results.
random grinds + random holes = even more random results.
if random.= 5, and constant = 1..
i'll take my 1 out of 5*1 chances of getting good coffee (sometimes) instead of 1 out 5*5 chances (high likelyness of constantly poor coffee).

interesting point i found while playing with basket is that i can get very similar tastes on my bdbstock and vst basket as long as i keep grind size, headspace and pull same ratio at same flow rate. of course this needs different basket size to work, and basket size isnt standard across manufacturer anyways.