Brewing triple espressos, basket sizes and profiles - Page 2

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
wirelesstevmc (original poster)
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#11: Post by wirelesstevmc (original poster) »

I'm still researching and deliberating on which (higher dose) basket I will get. It turns out with my stock 18g (BDB) basket I still see grill impressions on only a 17g dose. From what I understand this is a no-no. You definitely should not see any group head grill marks on the top of your puck. I have reduced my pre-infusion from 6s to 5s. Perhaps I will try reducing pre-infusion duration even more as the lower dose pucks are getting a little soggy too.

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cafeIKE
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#12: Post by cafeIKE »

wirelesstevmc wrote:You definitely should not see any group head grill marks on the top of your puck.
Says who?

Rule 0: Ignore Rules 1 to n.

If you haven't read these

Espresso 101: How to Adjust Dose and Grind Setting by Taste
Mano Lite: A Short Guide to Dialing in Espresso SOs and Blends

do so and dial in by taste.

wirelesstevmc (original poster)
Posts: 7
Joined: 2 years ago

#13: Post by wirelesstevmc (original poster) »

Thanks again everyone for all your inputs and suggestions. Last night I had the epiphany that having a very deep filter basket such as the 51 mm Marmot posted was likely not going to give an optimal extraction and more likely would be prone to all kinds of weird channeling. If you are wanting to brew a triple (more than 50-60 ml) using a deeper basket you are likely going to end up with a long brew (>2.5:1). Alternatively as Jeff suggested brew two doubles. I understand why now.

I finally bit the bullet and ordered two VSTs - a 20g and 25g. It will be interesting to see what kind of extraction I can get with the 25g VST in my BDB. Again - this has been super informative. I love this site!

wirelesstevmc (original poster)
Posts: 7
Joined: 2 years ago

#14: Post by wirelesstevmc (original poster) »

My VST baskets (20g & 25g) arrived yesterday and this morning tried a double with the 20g. I was able to dial in the 20g relatively easily with 20g in, 40g out in 24s. This produced a relatively clean and balanced shot even with relatively inexpensive beans. I think my BDB is optimal at higher doses (18g or more). I wrote to Breville inquiring about a higher dose basket and of course they don't support or recommend anything other than their own stock (18g) basket. Big surprise there right :-)

In any event I think I am getting the concept of head room. You definitely benefit from some preinfusion but need an optimal amount of water in the top of the basket. This is why cramming 20g of coffee in their (Breville's) 18g basket is probably not a good or optimal thing to do.

Next week I will try out a long triple (no more than 2.5:1) with the 25g VST basket. That's probably going to take a little more work to dial in. BTW the 20g VST does fit in my stock Breville portafilter. The 25g doesn't but I have an after market bottomless that works.

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baldheadracing
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#15: Post by baldheadracing »

(Yes, it's an April Fool's video)
-"Good quality brings happiness as you use it" - Nobuho Miya, Kamasada

wirelesstevmc (original poster)
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#16: Post by wirelesstevmc (original poster) »

LOL :) Now that would be rich BHR.

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