Basket dosing amounts

#1: Post by **ludespeedny** » January 11th, 2020, 2:56 pm

How do you know what the correct weight to put in baskets is? I have a Silvia v1/2 and am trying to get the dosing correct with this basket: https://www.espressoparts.com/espresso- ... ter-basket

#2: Post by **RapidCoffee** » January 11th, 2020, 3:05 pm

Great deal on a precision ridgeless basket, but "14g" (classic Italian double dose)? Despite the name, that's really low for this basket. I typically dose ~17g in this basket on my DE1, and you can go even higher. Try different doses (and grinds), and see what tastes best with your coffee and espresso gear.

January 11th, 2020, 3:09 pm

Yeah, I am trying to just use a leveler and have tried 18g in it but doesn't seem like there is enough pressure. I could prob easily do 19g in it, but not sure what others are using in it. I actually got that basket when they had a sale for like $2, but is definitely better than my stock basket.

#4: Post by **Nunas** » January 11th, 2020, 3:13 pm

Yeah, I am trying to just use a leveller and have tried 18g in it but doesn't seem like there is enough pressure.

Try grinding finer if you don't decide to up-dose the basket. In another thread, I too noted that I can easily get 18 grams into a standard doppio basket, and still have plenty of headspace.

#5: Post by **RapidCoffee** » January 11th, 2020, 3:48 pm

Your listed grinder is the Eureka Mignon Filtro, of which SCG states:

The Mignon Filtro's brew-specific design makes it a poor choice for espresso grinding. Grinding for espresso is not recommended.

That may be why you're not getting a fine enough grind for espresso. Overdosing the basket will only take you so far...

January 11th, 2020, 5:01 pm

i am a newbie at grinding, so not sure how fine to grind at the moment, I am bout 3 numbers up from where the burrs chatter, so can go quite a bit finer if needed, but trying to get the dosing correct at this point. From what I can tell this grinder and the Silenzo and some of the others with 50mm burrs all have the same burrs so not sure why it wouldn't be good for espresso, but I'm still keeping an eye out for a mazzer I can fix up

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That being said, maybe I should be more specific in the issue. If I only use 14g in the basket, it seems like there is too much space left if I tamp. I need to put 18g in at least and tamp to even get close to see the screw indentation before brewing. Should I not worry about headspace and do the 14g, or use higher dose to get to the clearance? I can post pics or vids if it helps.

#7: Post by **Nunas** » January 11th, 2020, 5:21 pm

Try this. Set your grinder to the finest grind. Grind 18 grams and put it in your PF with a normal tamp (anywhere from 10 to 30 #). Put it in the machine and pull a shot. If nothing comes out, or only a few drops, that's good. It's called choking. Now, back of a notch on the grinder and pull again. Keep doing this until you can pull a shot in 20 to 30 seconds.

Now, if your machine does not choke on the finest grind, with all but the driest, stalest coffee, then your grinder isn't up to doing espresso.

Clarification about what makes a grinder "espresso-capable". It isn't just whether you can choke a shot. It's whether the grinder can be set in fine enough increments to adjust, as described above. Some grinders have very coarse adjustments. For example, it might choke on the finest, run nearly well enough on the next finest, but then on the third finest it might gush.

#8: Post by **bluesman** » January 11th, 2020, 5:38 pm

An 18 gram dose may leave a lot of headspace or none at all in the same basket, depending on the beans, the grind, and the grinder. Nunas is giving you a good start, but you need to go back another step and find out the brew recipe recommended by the roaster for the beans you're grinding.

Don't worry about headspace - start with the recommended dose for the coffee you're pulling and if it overfills the basket when ground and tamped well, go to a slightly bigger basket. If you're getting great shots with a lot of headspace, leave everything alone and enjoy your coffee!

January 11th, 2020, 6:10 pm

Ok, that makes sense. I just got my shipment of redbird today: https://redbirdcoffee.com/collections/f ... d-espresso
So based on their recommendation it is just aiming for the shot time. So if I put 18gr in, then in 25-33 sec I should be getting 36g out (assuming it is a 1:2 ratio)?

January 11th, 2020, 6:12 pm

That is a good idea. I have choked the machine before, but I think that was due to using an oily bean. So for my grinder should I put it so I hear the chattering of the burrs and just back it off a little bit till I no longer hear it as a starting point?

Nunas wrote:Try this. Set your grinder to the finest grind. Grind 18 grams and put it in your PF with a normal tamp (anywhere from 10 to 30 #). Put it in the machine and pull a shot. If nothing comes out, or only a few drops, that's good. It's called choking. Now, back of a notch on the grinder and pull again. Keep doing this until you can pull a shot in 20 to 30 seconds.

Now, if your machine does not choke on the finest grind, with all but the driest, stalest coffee, then your grinder isn't up to doing espresso.

Clarification about what makes a grinder "espresso-capable". It isn't just whether you can choke a shot. It's whether the grinder can be set in fine enough increments to adjust, as described above. Some grinders have very coarse adjustments. For example, it might choke on the finest, run nearly well enough on the next finest, but then on the third finest it might gush.