"With the VST baskets, the puck always seems to disintegrate, which I'm guessing is because of the straight sides?"
This isn't the case for me. The VST pucks are quite... pucky. On Wed, Apr 4, 2012 at 11:16 AM, Ben McCafferty <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey Barry, > Received my new 18 and 20 ridge less baskets, and Pullman tamper. I have to > agree that the tamper is worth the money. I have been using a Thor tamper > for several years now, and I was always pleased with the fit of the tamper > in the basket (it was custom made to my basket), but the bottom of the > tamper is not smooth and I have never been able to create such a beautiful > polished puck before. > > I did notice that I immediately got significant side channeling in the new > baskets. I adjusted the grind finer and finer, at this point almost 3 full > notches finer on my mazer mini. (I'm weighing 20g into the 20g basket for > now). I am now down to maybe one pinhole on side channeling, and nothing > anywhere else. The shots really are noticeably different. > > One question for you, however, is whether or not you are able to knock out a > whole puck from these baskets? I have always been able to use the puck to > know whether or not my grind is correct, by whether the puck comes out > sloppy and wet, damp and firm, or dry and crumbly. With the VST baskets, > the puck always seems to disintegrate, which I'm guessing is because of the > straight sides? > > Thanks again for the heads-up. It's been a long time since I've had a jump > in quality like this. > > Where are you in Seattle? I'm across the sound on Bainbridge/Braindead > Island. > > b > Sent from my 8-track deck > > On Mar 26, 2012, at 17:45, Barry Corliss <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I've been using La Marzocco baskets and portafilters for many years now. > Although I have always had channeling issues with the LM ridged basket, I > preferred the taste to all other baskets I tried. The so called LM > "ridgeless" was never a "real" LM basket and still didn't have the same > taste to me, although there was less channeling. > > I should add that I almost always use Vivace Vita, as I live in the Seattle > area and pick it up fresh and locally. This bean is far more prone to > channeling than many other beans I have tried. I used to home roast, but I > don't have the time for it anymore, although I enjoyed the process and > results. > > A few months ago I got intrigued reading about VST baskets (look on any of > the coffee forums for lots of info), and ordered an 18 gm ridged basket. > Then recently they introduced a ridgeless version and I got one of those. > > http://tinyurl.com/cbss5ou > > I have noticed quite a difference! Just to add more variables into the mix I > bought a VST tamper as well. These expensive tampers are made by Pullman in > Australia, and they are beautiful. They are made larger in diameter than the > standard 58mm tamper, so they cover much closer to the basket edge. I had > been using a Schomer Ergo Tamper for many years, and it was a big switch to > the flat base (his is slightly convex). > > Channeling almost never happens anymore, and the shots are darker and more > intense in flavor. I can also get a much better ristretto with lower volume > and less blonding in a 28 second pull (or longer!). > > This new setup required a drastic change in my grinder (Mini Mazzer) > adjustment to a much finer grind. I like to overfill my baskets, about 20 > grams or so. They are actually designed for this. I am not as precision > oriented as Kitt, and others, weighing each basket, etc. > > Everyone will have a different tale to tell about how they prepare their > espresso, but I can guarantee that you will have a different experience with > the VST products. I am happy with my results. > > Best, > > Barry > > > > ___________________________________ > Barry Corliss > MASTER WORKS CD Mastering > Seattle, WA (206) 282-2274 > http://www.master-works.com > ___________________________________ > > > -- > 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. > > -- > 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. -- [email protected] (646) 244 9910 http://stellar.io/djacobs http://hello.typepad.com -- 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.
