This list is great for offering many perspectives on the same issue, so here's my 2 cents. I use the Rancilio bottomless PF from Chris' Coffee that has been mentioned before. I have used it for more than a year, and never use anything else. By watching the shot, I can diagnose bean age, dose/tamp problems, channeling, when to stop the shot, etc.
In there, I use the standard double basket from Expobar that came with the B2. I grind into it, use the Weiss technique (stirring up a bit with a small wire), N/S E/W from Schomer and tamp. The tamp puts the puck top right around the bottom edge of the dose line (the outward ridge in the side of the basket). I get incredible results with this combination. I use 75% decaf and 25% regular, and I have to say that I'm very proud of the shots I can get--decaf is really tough in my opinion. I have never had a problem with side channeling from the ridge line, but I also don't dose higher than that line, since that would tend to put the grind in contact with the screen. If you dose higher, I can see where that ridge might cause problems with channeling. Regarding the spring, if you opt for multiple PF baskets, removing it is a good idea. I tend to rinse the PF after every shot, so a quick wipe with my towel takes care of it, and the basket stays a lot hotter. Because of that, I keep my PF spring in place because I never pull the basket out and don't want it loose when I'm knocking out pucks, etc. This is one of those personal preference things. B Maximus--you mention removing the spring so as "not to disturb side seal", but the basket gets changed before you grind and tamp--so maybe leaving your spring in place would make life easier, i.e. not having a loose basket when you are using the knockbox. As to quantity--I think you mentioned that you could only "stuff" 17g into your basket. I have weighed my grinds after filling and leveling (by volume) and have had as much as 20 or 21 grams on a light roast. If your coffee is only weighing in at 17, you are probably using a very dark roast. This is the reason I gave up on the weighing method--volume gives me a consistently good shot, regardless of the level of roast. I don't have to recalibrate and figure out what weight gives a great shot for each different roast I produce. But here again, personal preference--some guys swear by weight and get great shots, and they are "right" too. As they say in wine, "Drink what you like." For me, the single thing that had the absolute greatest effect on shot quality ever, was adding the Weiss thing into my routine. Just breaking up the clumps and getting a really even distribution changed my shots like night and day. They went from pulling unevenly to emerging all over the PF every time. I can't stress enough how important distribution is. Tamp has wiggle room. Dose is easy to diagnose (coffee won't come out, too fine; coffee floods out, too coarse). Old beans are easy to diagnose (smell stale, coffee is watery off the PF and never clings to itself). But distribution is one you will chase for a while until you find something that works well for you and eliminates uneven extraction and channeling. By the way, I have also had no more channeling of any kind since starting the Weiss thing. Keep after it, you'll get the right combo. The triple basket is probably unnecessary unless you're actually wanting to pull triple shots. I use the one that came with my Rancilio PF to hold my collection of steam tips, and it's quite handy for that! Best of luck, bmc "Faith will move mountains, but you'd better bring a shovel....." > From: Brewtus Maximus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: <[email protected]> > Date: Sun, 7 Dec 2008 17:54:27 -0800 (PST) > To: Brewtus <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Triple basket? > > > David, > > You say: ³That's a ridgeless portafilter?² > > There is no such thing as a ³ridgless portafilter². > > Did you mean ³ridgless basket²? > > The generic triple LaMarzocco-style basket I am talking about has a > pretty shallow ridge close to the top rim thus it is not ridgless. > > If you remove the naked portafilter¹s spring (and this is strongly > suggested) the presence of the ridge becomes irrelevant. > > Happy Holidays! > > Brewtus Maximus > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Brewtus" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
