Billet Basket - LSM Group Head - Page 2

A haven dedicated to manual espresso machine aficionados.
macaber8 (original poster)
Posts: 143
Joined: 1 year ago

#11: Post by macaber8 (original poster) »

Derryisreal wrote:It means they cannot speak proper English.
I was a little offended. I understand 58mm is very popular, but not sure LSM is that much of an unusual.

LuckyMark
Posts: 216
Joined: 4 years ago

#12: Post by LuckyMark »

Ray, just to give you another data point, my Izzo Alex Leva appears to have a 53.62 dispersion block when boiler temp is 122 C. I believe the Izzo grouphead is made by a different manufacturer to the newer ACS, NURRI, etc. Good luck on your quest.

macaber8 (original poster)
Posts: 143
Joined: 1 year ago

#13: Post by macaber8 (original poster) replying to LuckyMark »

Thank you!!! I think the first sample is being manufactured right now.

macaber8 (original poster)
Posts: 143
Joined: 1 year ago

#14: Post by macaber8 (original poster) »

It's finally done and shipped out. I should be getting these tomorrow!

This are pictures from Shelton:





I will be sharing videos of shots and some more pictures!!! CANNOT Wait!

LuckyMark
Posts: 216
Joined: 4 years ago

#15: Post by LuckyMark »

Exciting! Which version did you choose? Or the HB way, all three?

macaber8 (original poster)
Posts: 143
Joined: 1 year ago

#16: Post by macaber8 (original poster) replying to LuckyMark »

I have the standard one.

Yes. I might get all 3 in the future but the very next basket might be a small shallow basket for single shots.

LuckyMark
Posts: 216
Joined: 4 years ago

#17: Post by LuckyMark »

I will be very interested to hear your opinion of this basket.

macaber8 (original poster)
Posts: 143
Joined: 1 year ago

#18: Post by macaber8 (original poster) replying to LuckyMark »

I have been playing around with this basket. Here is what I found so far:
It is almost impossible to get a regular perfect shot:

The shot is more or less look like this no matter what I do:



I have a regular basket similar size to the billet basket. I dial in the grind settings for the regular basket. Used the same setting for the billet basket: the shot was a lot faster. The puck was very watery, and the biscuit did not stick together.

So the next reasonable thing to do is to use a finer grind and same amount of coffee. The extraction is more reasonable but uneven. When visiting the puck after the shoot, there are still visible free fluid left in the basket, and the biscuit still wasn't sticking together.

At this point, I upped the dosage by 2 gram (20g - 22g). it was a bit better but the biscuit still wont stick together: the middle is very wet and fall off easily while the sides are very dry and hard to clean out.

This basket fits the group head fine. Comparing to a regular basket, I couldnt turn the portafilter as much when locking in.

The basket did not fit my 55mm tamper from escherlabs. I think it is made exactly 55mm. The basket fit with 54.71mm tamper very nicely: not extremely tight but good.

Here is a video of one of the better shots:

mikel
Posts: 149
Joined: 5 years ago

#19: Post by mikel »

Ooof, looks like serious over-extraction on the sides.
Have you tried it with a paper filter on top, to see if that helps?
I'm wondering if headspace change (basket looks deeper than your other one) and/or inner diameter change is leading to erosion at the sides when the water starts coming in...

User avatar
JB90068
Supporter ❤
Posts: 489
Joined: 3 years ago

#20: Post by JB90068 »

Just curious, are you using a paper filter on the bottom of the basket? With my Unibasket, it is recommended that I first place a paper filter, then the grounds and top it off with a puck screen...

More importantly, how do the shots taste?
Old baristas never die. They just become over extracted.