I currently have IMS Precision baskets, used with my Lelit Elizabeth and soon to grace my Decent. But I’ve started to think about baskets that might further improve the taste of my shots. I mean if I’m going to be dialing in my coffees and brain all over again once my Decent arrives, why not do it once, with the right set of baskets. Why not. 🤑😜🤪 So I had a look at the Sworks site and I saw: Reduced Flow Standard Flow High Flow Citrus Slice Variable Flow - Midbelt Bias Variable Flow - Edge Bias Then I looked at the Wafo site and I saw: SOE Everest SOE Kuroshio SOE Spirit SOE Classic SOE Origin BLEND 4Steps BLEND Checkmate Then I went to Weber and I saw the Unibasket. I thought that upgrading your basket was only about higher flow. Kinda maybe. Confusion reins supreme. 🤔🤷♀️ Can someone enlighten me. Some espresso aficionados have been telling me that their upgrade to a very high flow basket like Sworks, Wafo or Weber was a game changing thing for them. But it’s also wallet changing, especially if you have 2 basket sizes x 2 each = 4 baskets to replace. 🫗 So I cast a wary eye on all of this. What works best for you? Why?

I'd say don't overthink it and use what you have and/or what comes with the Decent to get a solid feel for what the machine can do to start with. Personally I don't buy into the fad with basket/burr swap every other day as all too often people end up chasing their tail trying to gain some sort of consistency. If I want to change flow rate I rely on grind fineness, slight changes in dose weight to offset bean density/roast development. I won't waste time or money throwing at the FOMO items flooding the market currently as I know precisely how to get the end result I'm looking for with what I have onhand.

Sworks, Wafo, Weber Basketorama Confusion

Cuprajake

baskets can make more difference than you think, ive got way to many,

stock bianca, e&b comp, e&b superfine, pullman 876 18g and 22g, wafo check mate and newest is the pesado he basket

ive used the pesado once, and that will be it, gets to a stage where its simply too much faff,,,it doenst fit the pf well, very hard to remove, it locks in terribly even on a silicone gasket, and the pucks hard to knock out, and after first use theres about 3 clogged holes that need a neelde to clean - wtf its too much hassle for what you get,

this is the first dial of my gesha, 5 on the duo 19g

and this is the same bean 22g 10 on the duo in the pullman

and same bean 18g 6 on the duo in the eb super fine

each tasted completely different to the other, ive settled on the pullman for now.

dfk41

I personally think this is just another example of coffeebollocks……..are you seriously telling me, that if you were blind tested 5 shots made in laboratory conditions but with different baskets your taste buds are good enough to discern? There are lots and lots of products in coffee that might make a difference of 0.0000000000000000000001% difference to a shot yet on paper, it is hard to argue against them. Let alone that no one here can make shots under . lab conditions. If your scales are weighing slightly out, your distribution differs slightly, your tamp pressure (I know assisted tamping is the new norm), your pid is minutely out so the water temp is 0.5 degree out then these are all going to conspire………meanwhile the fashionable coffee extras manufacturers continually sell us this crap which is always overpriced……I always look to our host who is without doubt a super taster. He uses stock baskets and an old Reg Barber 58 mm tamper……….yes, 58mm not 58.44444444444444 recurring……..he obviously does not know what he is up to!

JonWoo187

dfk41 Definitely agree… what some like to do trying to absolutely perfect their process is their call, but at the end of the day the most important variable will always be changing by the day, crop to crop, etc. and I put main focus on green selection/roast development to match my very capable setup. Guess I’m somewhat old school as I’ve never once used a scale on the drip tray as I’ll never let a numerical value override my senses. When in tune with your setup you can just about do it with eyes closed and still get a fantastic end result.

I also look at the financial approach as well… For what some pay for an aftermarket basket I can have as much as 20 lbs of a quality green to dial in that will last a few months.

JonWoo187

Guess the point I try to make is you can find the sweet spot with any basket without adding too many variables into the mix. Of course drastic changes in basket design can give a different end result, but better is always subjective. To each their own as I tend to stick with quality OEM as the fit/finish/function simply gets the job done without the workarounds most aftermarket crap requires.

Cuprajake

Agree there are far too many variables but all things being equal. Yes massively and you can taste it.

I’m not one for bs and I call a spade a spade, but with these baskets there is something to it, wether the added faff is worth it. That’s up to the end user

I’m not one for chasing the last 1% but for £20 the Pullman is a great investment

JHCCoffee

Cuprajake I’m not one for chasing the last 1% but for £20 the Pullman is a great investment

Thanks Cuprajake. Great videos!

What is the difference between the IMS Barista Pro Precision and the Pullman baskets?

Why do you prefer the Pullman over the others that you have tried?

JHCCoffee

JonWoo187

Thanks for the grounded advice.

Just curious: What do you currently use?

And joshing around: Is the Niche Duo that so many Niche Zero owners on this site have rushed to buy a high cost FOMO item? Hmmm

In the end, everyone has a different budget range for espresso equipment. For me, I need to be judicious with my espresso equipment dollars. This being said I am always open to game/journey changing espresso items, especially if I can make existing equipment available to others and (in the process) partially recoop my cost. And … as I am a senior citizen I do wish to enjoy these opportunities while I am able to.

JonWoo187

JHCCoffee Silvia Pro, Helor 106 for majority of daily use, Cimbali Jr. electric for occasional use to churn through a dozen or more doubles… My dialing in is having as many as 5 different coffees that are 1-9 days post roast and I sometimes use 2-3 different coffees daily and dial each in with the hand grinder. That gives me plenty of variability…

I don’t buy into the Niche thing… not into single dosing any electric grinder and could never tolerate the childish/weak design. No doubt there’s the ridiculous FOMO with lots of items on the market and to each their own of course, but I know I’m not missing out on anything.

tompoland

JHCCoffee i was sent a weber unibasket to review by a CS member. Blind taste tested vs the Decent basket.

Unfortunately ($$$) I could pick it and I preferred it.

More flavor seperation. Not a game changer for me personally, just one of those 5 percenters that start to add up.

So to answer your question, the weber is my daily driver when it comes to baskets.

JHCCoffee

And … going back to the beginning of this post, any insights into the differences between these various types of Wafo, Sworks, etc baskets and their respective benefits or lack there of will be useful information for all, especially if you have tried any of them.

There is alot of variation in basket design out there and it would be helpful for me and others to understand what works best and why?

Cuprajake

for sure there has always been a snobbery in coffee, ive seen people with eg1 for pour over. everyone has a budget,

ive been lucky,

re the duo vs zero night and day, i dont like the zero, im flat through and through

the baskets, shape, holes, hole size etc.

but also its down to the coffee you use, theres just so many ways you can do it, theres not right or wrong.

mathof2

JHCCoffee Some espresso aficionados have been telling me that their upgrade to a very high flow basket like Sworks, Wafo or Weber was a game changing thing for them. But it’s also wallet changing, especially if you have 2 basket sizes x 2 each = 4 baskets to replace. 🫗 So I cast a wary eye on all of this.

What works best for you? Why?

My experience is mainly with VST baskets. A few months ago, I bought a Weber Unifilter and a WAFO Blend basket. I found that light espresso pulled with the Unifilter is appreciably sweeter than with the VST. Medium and dark roasts, however, taste better with the VST. (I haven’t found any benefit from employing the WAFO Blend.)

Cuprajake

mathof2

same the blend basket is just that very blended, i picked it up cheap with my used force tamper, so not as fussed about it,

the unifilter would be along the lines of the pesado wouldnt it?

Ernie1

whinmoor85

Ernie1 😂

OldGregg

Ernie1 This made me lol, thank you!

mathof2

Cuprajake the unifilter would be along the lines of the pesado wouldnt it?

I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about the Pesado.

Verion

I sometimes think about upgrading from the stock ACS Minima baskets I have, but then I get distracted buying green coffee beans to roast.

Between IMS, VST, E&B Lab… it’s all lost on me. I like my from factory setup. Maybe I’m old school.

Cuprajake

the ims/eb comps are a good all round upgrade

and they were on sale at blue cafe eu, for silly cheap

gobucks

I have the Pesado, and I like it. It’s very reasonably priced (i paid like $75 including shipping to US, actually it’s cheaper now cuz it’s $65 including free shipping), and definitely boosts flow rate, so you can grind finer. You need good puck prep, though, and if you use a bottomless portafilter, it’s gonna look like ugly rainfall instead of a nice single stream. I also like that the options are simple - a 17-19g medium, and a 19-21 large. Weber’s basket at $85 also seems reasonable. Do you NEED one? Definitely not. But it will let u grind a fair amount finer, so it will yield a different extraction. Considering you just shelled out for a Decent, I’m guessing that it’s not a huge deal if you spend $65 on a Pesado and don’t like it, but potentially wasting $200+ might be another story lol.

TBH, I think Wafo and Sworks are making huge mistakes offering so many options. It strikes me as being too lazy to actually do testing to figure out what works best. For every person who actually wants to spend $1000+ on having the perfect basket for every situation (assuming that the various hole patterns even yield the desired effects), there are dozens more that, if they are willing to shell out for an expensive basket, just want one that works well for a variety of situations. This game could work if the baskets were $50 and you could buy several to play around with. At $200+, they’re potentially losing a lot of customers who get analysis paralysis cuz they can’t bear the thought of wasting $200 on the wrong basket.

Dan070857

OldGregg