dutchy101 I’ve been using an 18g VST basket for about 6 months now. I bought an 18-22g IMS at the same time but don’t use it at all
MediumRoastSteam Same as you, my experience with those was brief. VST wins for me!
The comparison should be between equivalent size baskets. There isn’t much point in comparing an 18g dose in an 18g basket from one brand to the same dose in a 20g basket from another brand.
I also find it strange that some say IMS baskets are made for a wider range of doses because they are marked between say 18-22g whereas VST has a narower range because they recommend to use + or - one gram from the basket size. Surely, what determines the capacity of the basket is volume, and this doesn’t change. The range comes from the coffee, roast level and grind, not from the basket being more or less flexible. So, for example, a 16-20g IMS basket will be equivalent in size to an 18g VST basket. I may be wrong here, but if I am, can someone explain how the same size basket from VMS will be able to hold a 2-gram range (17-19 for the 18g basket) but the same sized IMS will hold a 4-gram range (16-20)?
Finally, can anyone who has tried both IMS and VST (of the same size, with the same coffee) share how the baskets changed the coffee? I assume that with other things being the same the differences between VST and IMS would be minute, but I haven’t tried myself so maybe I am missing something?