Field Trip: La Marzocco & the Strada Basket

[ezuniga612]

Kat, I just got my VST baskets in today and can report they definitely work GREAT with E-61 machines. I have the Rocket from SCG. I have a double and triple VST, but I can't imagine anyone using bigger than a double. These Marzocco/VST baskets are gorgeous and the size used in specialty/3rd wave shops. Even though the double says 18grams, shops (and me) are easily dosing 20g (pretty standard now). Looks like the double will fit any 58mm portafilter, but I use bottomless so it's a super easy fit.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ezuniga612 Thanks for sharing!! We still need to do our own practical testing here with our baskets -- maybe we'll do that next week :) - Kat

[joeldamianicigan]

Pod shots are weak compared to a grind - true. I would be the only person using the espresso machine, really and don't know how many drinks I would be making per day. Sometimes individually wrapped ESE pods work once in awhile, in that they stay fresher than beans and eliminate the mess.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@joeldamianicigan Agreed, they definitely are convenient & mess free. If you find a basket you can use on the E61 machine, let us know. There are no adaptations available for them (right now, you're limited to the NS, La Spaziale and a few other commercial machines as an option or lower end machines). We do have plans to do more side by side testing, including the adaptation of the Silvia, Spaziale, NS machines we have. - Kat

[joeldamianicigan]

That's too bad. As I was saying in a previous post, I get ESE pod shots from a barrista at a local auto dealership each week. Her machine is a commercial espresso machine but don't believe the grouphead is E61. From what I read online the ESE basket is compatible with all E61 machines. Have you tried this before? What adaptation is available for the Giotto or Izzo if you want to pull ESE pods?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@joeldamianicigan Some commercial machines (such as the Nuova Simonellis) have special pod adaptations to enable baristas to use pods. We don't have a basket specific to pods that works in the Rocket or the Izzo. Feel free to experiment, but I think you'll see what I'm saying the first time you pull a watery, tea-like pod shot ;) - Kat

[joeldamianicigan]

Whoops. Just realized I posted a comment in the wrong spot. Anyway, is there an ESE Pod basket that fits the newer E61 grouphead machines delivering optimal pod shots?? I'm looking into the Izzo Alex Duetto ii and the Rocket Giotto Evoluzione but I want to make sure they can pull pod shots...

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@joeldamianicigan No; at least one we do not carry. The only higher end machines that offer pod functionality require adaptation (because you have to change the way the water is delivered & the pressure so it doesn't just shoot around the sides) and not just a special basket. Other machines that do pods well are lower end and use pressurization (namely the Saeco semi autos) which allow for saturation of the ESE puck and a good shot. - Kat

[ezuniga612]

Hi, Kat. Are you guys carrying the VST baskets? Also, it would be awesome if SCG ordered a Foam Knife 1 steam tip (the ones that everyone in specialty is talking about) and see if they fit on home machines you carry like Rocket (maybe a video, too?). No online retailer that carries the steam tip has been willing to test them on non-commercial machines. But, you should! Thanks.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ezuniga612 We will be (hopefully!) :) I will look into the tip you're talking about and see if it's feasible for us to source/test/etc. - Kat

[klarinetta]

Always learning something new from your videos guys ;)

Thank you so much

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@klarinetta Glad you enjoyed it! :) - Kat

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@mrJustin2678 I know, we shoot them in HD but I don't have the time to process them in HD...such is life; I gotta be able to multitask. :D - Kat

[Higgins2001]

All of this seems very silly, designed to cater to the CG/HB crowd. I'd wager that basket hole sizes are still quite consistent, and this additional precision is far overshadowed by natural variations across the entire process - heck, no one tamps within +/- 5% every time. If there's one peeve I have, it's graphs that don't label their axes! This makes the histogram meaningless, and the seemingly large numbers are just stretched to make a point. Jack's speech sounded like marketing fluff

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Higgins2001 To be fair, this is designed to cater to large scale, high volume cafes, not home brewers or the home brewing geeks :) This kind of consistency matters more in those applications than just you and a couple of other folks making coffee at your house. - Kat

[photopuppet]

@SeattleCoffeeGear I think this is a really good development and hopefully we'll see better consistency at cafes as a result. I think whoever can now develop a tamping system to go along with this that you can dial in and get consistent repeatable tamps from will be onto a money maker. :)

[PiercedCub32]

@photopuppet I agree! I wish i could just make the "baristas" at my local cafe sit down and watch all of these videos! LOL Nothing annoys me more than when they barely tamp, or unevenly tamp using the tamper on the grinder. I want to be like put some muscle into that damn thing and stop pulling me sour shots! ;o)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@photopuppet LM does make a grinder that tamps as it grinds, called the Swift, so there is some consistency there, as well. It's a nice chunk o' change, though ;) - Kat

[ktFoxtail]

Very imformative! I was wondering for 2 weeks now whether to purchase one. It seems this more for cafes that use multiple portafilters, not so much for home use where you will only need one basket. Though im curious how this would compare, taste wise to my current basket..

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ktFoxtail We are planning to do some rough, practical side-by-side tests to see if most home folks would notice a big difference, so we'll see later if it's something that is worth the investment if you're not a pro. - Kat

[joeldamianicigan]

I would imagine you can get a triple shot basket for an Alex Duetto ii or a Rocket Giotto machine...

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@joeldamianicigan Yes, they are making them for single double and triple I believe - Kat

[winelover215]

So technical. Just go to that SB place. Now that's some good espresso! (JK) :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@winelover215 Ha ;) - Kat

[skoredreng]

Nanotechnology FTW! btw.. i love the looks of a brewing maching with a bottomless portafilter! but i never tryed a shot from one.. ;/

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@skoredreng It's my favorite! Well, probably mostly because I dig triple shots :D - Kat