What Is A VST Portafilter Basket?

vst baskets are designed to work within a 3 – 4 gram range of dose weights and are manufactured in several sizes Most filter baskets are purposely or inadvertently designed with this attributed, but VSTs also have filter holes which match the target coffee mass and particle size to deliver specific results.

What does VST basket mean?

The VST Precision Insert Basket is the essential espresso filter for those in search of the ultimate cup The VST baskets deliver consistent extraction performance over a wide range of concentration with reduced sediment.

Does a VST basket make a difference?

The results drew a stark conclusion: VST baskets produce significantly more consistent results than OEM baskets Here we’ve plotted the data for each shot as a deviation from the target yield. As you can see, there’s a lot more variation in the shots produced with the standard basket when compared to the VST.

What is vst coffee?

Established in 1988, VST inc is a technology development and consulting firm that is well known in the specialty coffee community, especially for their refractometers and precision portafilter baskets.

What size are VST baskets?

VST Precision Filter Baskets in 7, 15, 18, 20, 22 and 25 gram capacities.

Do VST make a 54mm basket?

Designed to fit most 60mm Portafilters (60mm is the Inside Diameter) VST Filters DO NOT fit 49, 53 or 54mm portafilters 25-g, 22-g & 7-g fits all La Marzocco and Most Synesso and Nuova Simonelli models using their standard portafilters. Faema, La Cimbali, Rancilio require a bottomless portafilter.

How many grams is a VST basket?

Experience uniform extractions across all groups for the first time – permanently. The essential espresso filter for those in search of the ultimate cup. Suits most E-61 group heads and any group that measures 60mm in diameter and work with a tamper 58.3mm.

How do I choose a portafilter basket?

  • A single basket will easily accept between 7-12 grams of ground coffee and is used to make one espresso
  • A double basket will generally be sized between 14 grams and 21 grams.

How often should you change portafilter basket?

We recommend cleaning the portafilter every 10 shots At home, however, the demand is far less so there’s no reason to leave it dirty. For convenience, consider cleaning the portafilter right after pulling your shot and before drinking your coffee – just get it out of your way.

Does portafilter basket size matter?

Yes, portafilter size does matter Many espresso machines don’t have much range in diameter, with 58 mm being the standard. But the depth of the basket makes a difference. Deeper baskets allow you to pull more espresso.

Are ims baskets worth it?

The IMS baskets seem to require a grind setting 1 to 1.5 notches finer than the VST for the same results. Taste-wise, people prefer the IMS baskets; they produce more delicacy and sweetness in a cup These differences are only minor and may even be undetectable in milk-based drinks.

Are IMS baskets good?

Taste the Difference: The Results of Our Test Well, taste-wise, there was a general preference for the IMS baskets. These produced a touch more sweetness and a more delicacy in the cup These differences were slight. In fact, they would almost certainly be undetectable in a milk-based drink.

What is the purpose of a bottomless portafilter?

Bottomless portafilters allow the barista to instantly deduce whether proper tamping technique has been achieved If the extraction leans to one side or the other an improper angle was used when tamping.

How do I clean my VST basket?

No problems, no plugged holes, even the VST print on the side of the basket in still there. I hand wash my filter baskets every day with a tiny bit of dish soap and very hot water (to make sure there’s no soapy residue). Never had any issue at all with blocked holes (or soapy off-flavors).

What is IMS basket?

The baskets IMS developed are a high quality basket with precision cut holes that are designed for a balanced delivery in relation to the height and shape of the basket IMS uses a patented process to cut the holes to an exact angle.

What is a precision basket?

Precision filter baskets are a tool to aid in consistency Each basket, as the name suggests, has been precision machined to ensure that each one is produced to extremely fine tolerances.

Can a portafilter wear out?

They will wear out, but in a home environment it will take many, many years In a café where the same basket pulls a couple hundred shots a day they will wear quicker and need replaced every year or so (educated guess). The holes will slowly grow from erosion.

Why are Portafilters pressurized?

The pressurized portafilter exists to ease the brewing process You shouldn’t be that precise with all the variables that non-pressurized portafilters are highly sensitive to. You will get consistent results with the coffee, even if the level of tamping, the coffee grind, and the dose differ between each brew.

Are Portafilters interchangeable?

There is no consensus on whether bigger is better or which proprietary hole pattern is better. The often frustrating thing for home baristas to keep in mind is that most portafilters and filter baskets are not interchangeable between brands.

Is a precision basket worth it?

Looking at taste, the precision basket was a clear winner Thinking back to when I made the switch a few years ago, there was a huge improvement in taste. Surprisingly, the TDS and EY was lower for the precision basket. The final output to input ratio was 1.25 for the regular basket and 1.24 for the precision.

How much coffee do you put in a portafilter?

Fill the portafilter basket loosely with ground coffee and level off the basket using the side of your pinky finger to discard any excess coffee grounds. For a single shot of espresso use 6 to 7 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) of ground espresso. For a double shot of espresso use 12 to 14 grams (1 tablespoon) of ground espresso.

What is a pressurized basket?

A pressurized basket has a false bottom, so it’s also known as a dual-wall basket From the top, it has a grid of holes like any other filter basket. But from the bottom, there’s just a single hole. This design pressurizes the extracted espresso as it exits through one hole.

How do you calibrate a VST refractometer?

To calibrate the VST Refractometer Lab 1,2 or 3, add 0.5g of deionised water to the crystal, then simply press menu twice. Press enter when prompted to ‘set zero’ and the device will again read pure water as zero TDS.

How does a portafilter work?

A portafilter is a component of an espresso machine. It’s the spoon-like device that holds the ground coffee. You attach the portafilter to the group head of the espresso machine, where the hot water comes into contact with the ground beans and extracts espresso.

How are Portafilters measured?

Step 1: Use machine calipers or a steel measuring tape with 1/32 inch divisions to carefully measure the distance inside the filter basket directly across the centerline (the diameter) Step 4: Subtract at least 0.75 mm from the portafilter basket diameter measurement.

What is a VST in music?

Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is an audio plug-in software interface that integrates software synthesizers and effects units into digital audio workstations VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware in software.

Do VST baskets fit in Breville?

VST 15 and 18 mm filter baskets fit the standard, spouted Breville portafilter perfectly.

Are breville baskets precision?

Pesado 20g Precision Filter Baskets – Breville 54mm PESADO has worked closely with IMS to create a basket with a strong focus on precision and consistency.

How do I know what size portafilter to buy?

  • Measure the portafilter across the diameter (the centerline).
  • Change your reading to a decimal unit
  • Convert the inches to millimeters by multiplying by 25.4 (2.33 x 25.4 = 59.18 mm)
  • Get a tamper that’s 0.75 mm smaller by subtracting (59.18 – 0.75 = 58.43 mm)

When should you use a dual wall filter?

Single-wall filters are best when you have a decent grinder; double-wall filters help increase pressure and can help you make decent espresso when using a cheaper grinder or pre-ground coffee Single wall filters give the best results.

How many grams of coffee go into a 51mm basket?

The Nonpressurized (Bottomless) Portafilter Basket fits most standard 51mm espresso portafilters. The basket accommodates 15-19 grams of coffee.

What type of portafilter is best?

Commercial style portafilters are the optimal style portafilter for achieving the right tamp and the right pressure. For more on creating optimal pressure and brewing the perfect espresso, check out BeverageFactory.com’s “How to Brew” section!.

Is 58mm portafilter better than 54mm?

Let’s see what the main distinctions with the traditional 58mm portafilter are. During extraction with a 9 bar pressure, the 54mm portafilter weighs about 30kg less on the coffee cake compared to the 58mm With the same dose of coffee, the 54mm portafilter ensures a taller coffee cake.

Is a wider portafilter better?

We can see that the larger portafilter is subject to a higher force of extraction with the same pressure. What this amounts to in practice is very much dependent on your setup. However it should tend towards better consistency in extraction.

Can you put less coffee in portafilter?

The smaller the portafilter, the less flexibility you have over how much coffee you us in it Even though you can change out the filter basket inside the portafilter to increase the basket depth, you can only add so much depth before the shots start to pull weird.

How long do portafilter baskets last?

In a busy commercial environment it is common to replace the portafilter baskets every 6 months or at a minimum annually If you are not sure which portafilter basket is best for your cafe, give our commercial experts a call for a short consultation.

What is a double filter basket?

Single Cup & Double Cup Pressurised Filters. Pressurised Baskets (sometimes referred to as double wall baskets) consist of a standard mesh base followed by another ‘wall’ which has generally one small hole in which the extraction is forced through.