Filter Basket Sizes Explained - The Espresso School

9/8/2020 Filter basket sizes explained | The Espresso School
0

by The Espresso School
Filter basket sizes

explained
 30/01/2018  53 comments  Blog
 barista training, how to, learn
    
Looking for a quick guide to size lter baskets?
You might have come away from our classes learning

that the linchpin to fantastic espresso starts with
de ning a dose of ground coffee to use in your lter
basket regardless of whether you are at home or in the
cafe. Privacidad - Términos
https://www.espressoschool.com.au/blog/filter-baskets-explained/ 1/16
0
The problem with basket sizes is that they come in 
different styles, different diameters and different depths.
Ridged? Ridgeless? Single? Double? Triple?
What’s the deal and what does all of this mean for your
humble caffe latte?
Firstly, let’s break down all the naming conventions.
Ridged vs ridgeless lter baskets

A ridged basket is easy to identify; it is typi ed by an
indentation that runs around the entire circumference of
the lter basket near the top, whilst a ridgeless basket is
devoid of such an indentation.
The ridge serves the purpose of keeping the basket

rmly seated inside the porta lter when knocking out
extracted pucks. The lter basket is held in place by a
metal spring.
L-R: Ridged lter basket, ridgeless lter basket.
A ridgeless basket always has the potential of being

accidentally knocked out of the porta lter. In practice,
this rarely happens if you knock the porta lter dead Privacidad - Términos
centre on the bar of the knock box/tube and come to a 0


dead stop.
Despite this drawback, ridgeless baskets have the

bene t of knocking out pucks out a lot cleaner than their
ridged counterparts. Ridged baskets have a tendency to
accumulate old coffee grinds in the ridge area even after

knocking out pucks.
Your choice of whether you use ridged or ridgeless lter

baskets has no impact on the quality of your espresso.
They serve the same purpose as both have styles pros
and cons.
Single vs double vs triple lter baskets

This naming convention basically refers to how many
shots of espresso you can make; generally, one or two.
Simply put; the bigger the basket, the more espresso you
can make.
A single basket will easily accept between 7-12 grams of

ground coffee and is used to make one espresso. The
basket has a funnel shape and this is paired usually with a
single spouted porta lter.
Privacidad - Términos
Single lter baskets are identi able from their
i f l h
unique funnel shape
0

A double basket will generally be sized between 14
grams and 21 grams. The double basket usually has
straight walls or walls that slightly taper in.
Straight wall vs tapered wall lter basket
A triple basket is the name given to a basket that can

accept more than 21 grams of coffee. Other than this,
there is no real distinction between a double basket and
a triple basket as they are still used to make double
espressos.
Triple lter baskets may not t in your regular porta lter

as they are deeper than your regular double lter basket.
You’ll need a deeper porta lter to accommodate triple
baskets or get yourself a naked porta lter.
Pressurised dual wall lter baskets

The term dual wall refers to a basket with a false bottom.
The wall you see from the top is not the same wall you
see from the bottom.
Dual wall lter baskets are only used in domestic

espresso machines to help people who are using pre-
ground coffee (not good!) to achieve a fake crema by
pressurising the already extracted coffee through a Privacidad - Términos
secondary false wall with a tiny pinhole at the bottom. 0


Dual wall lter baskets are easy to identify and should be
thrown in the trash! Invest in a proper burr grinder for
home and grind your coffee fresh as needed and use
regular (single walled) baskets, you’ll thank me later!
Filter basket diameters

So now that you’ve gotten your head around the fact that
baskets come in ridged and ridgeless versions in a lot of
different capacities, you will nd that lters baskets also
come in different diameters.
The most common basket diameter is 58 mm and is

usually the standard size used in commercial and higher-
end domestic/prosumer espresso machines. Very
occasionally you will encounter 53 mm diameter baskets,
and rarer again, the 57 mm basket.
58mm – the most common size used by most brands
57mm – incredibly rare size used by domestic machines

brands like Lelit and Ascaso
53mm – not as common but used by brands such as La

Spaziale, Dalla Corte, some lever-piston machines, and
some domestic machines
S f t
https://www.espressoschool.com.au/blog/filter-baskets-explained/ f i i lt b k t lik th 5/16
Some manufacturers of precision lter baskets, like the
0
IMS E&B Lab lter baskets we use at The Espresso 
School, are sized ever so slightly larger than 58 mm.
There are many manufacturers of precision lter baskets
including IMS, VST, Pullman and others.
Precision lter baskets have one thing in common:

evenly sized ltration holes. Regular lter baskets
produced using regular manufacturing techniques tend
to produce lter baskets with irregular sizing in diameter
and even worse, partially or fully blocked lter holes.
Whip out a pair of vernier callipers and measure the

internal diameter and buy an appropriately sized tamper
to match. We love and use Pullman tampers at The
Espresso School.
How to determine the size (capacity)

of your lter basket
Oftentimes baskets come without any information
written on it, so you have to gure out what is the optimal
dose for the basket you’re working with.
Here’s a quick 3 step process to determine how much

coffee your basket accepts:
01 Tare off your porta lter on an electronic scale and

01. Tare off your porta lter on an electronic scale and
0
dose to a lightly heaped mound. 
02. Evenly distribute the grinds by gently using your
index nger to sweep the grinds across the whole
basket surface (without pushing down into the
basket) to ll in areas where there is not enough

coffee. Any excess can be scraped off.
03. Weigh the result and repeat a few times. This should
give you a pretty good idea as to whether you’re
dealing with an 18 gram or a 22g basket.
You can safely increase or decrease your dose by 1 gram

for the basket you just sized without issue.
For example, after repeating the exercise three times the

scale reads 17.4 grams, 18.2 grams and 19.0 grams. You
can be fairly con dent you’re dealing with an 18 gram
basket. This means you can dose between 17 and 19
grams in the basket without too many problems.
It’s all about ratios!

Whether you’re using a 7-gram single basket, or a 24-
gram triple basket, the goal is the same; to extract the
right amount of avour from the ground coffee.
Think of ratios as a scaling recipe. Brewing espresso at 0


the same ratio with bigger baskets, and therefore more
dose will yield more espresso in your cup.
In our introductory barista course, we recommend

starting at a brewing ratio of 1 to 2 and working your way
up and down from there.
If you want a less intense espresso, increase the ratio,

e.g. 1 to 2.2. If you want a more intense espresso,
decrease the ratio, e.g. 1 to 1.8.
So let’s say we own a 14-gram double basket and are

dosing 14 grams in. At a brew ratio of 1:2 your total yield
should be 28 grams of liquid espresso in your cup(s). Split
equally, they would produce two espressos weighing 14
grams each.
If we decide to use a bigger 20-gram double basket to

make our doubles at the same ratio of 1 to 2, our total
yield would now be 40 grams. Again, this 40 gram yield
can be split equally into two cups and would produce two
espressos weighing 20 grams each.
The difference in basket sizes and total espresso yields is

clear. Brewing at the same ratio using more coffee leads
to more espresso in your cup and vice versa.
How much espresso is in your cup will have a direct 0


impact on nal drink concentration when adding
steamed milk.
So how strong do you want your milk

drinks to be?
The difference in yield between the espressos produced
by the different baskets is considerable. Both are
considered double espressos, yet the difference of 6
grams in yield means that 43% more espresso is being
produced simply by using the bigger basket (and dose)
and brewing to the same ratio.
How much espresso in your cup has a direct impact on

milk beverage strength, whether it is a caffe latte,
cappuccino or at white.
Assuming a xed cup size, more espresso (i.e. more yield)

will produce a stronger tasting drink when topped up
with steamed milk. So whether you choose to use an 18
gram basket or 22 gram basket generally hinges on your
cup size.
If you’re using 150 mL cups, an 18 gram dose might

produce a drink with the perfect balance between the

9/8/2020
p p
Filter basket sizes explained | The Espresso School
0
espresso and milk. However, using a 22 gram dose might 
produce a milk drink that is no longer harmoniously
balanced.
Conversely, an 18 gram basket (and dose) paired with a

larger 220 mL cup might produce an incredibly milky and
weak drink.
If you’re a cafe you should choose your basket size wisely

to match your cup sizes so all your milk drinks are
perfectly balanced.
Phew!
Seriously, who knew lter baskets could be so
complicated?! That’s probably more than you ever
wanted to know about lter baskets and hopefully, I’ve
demysti ed espresso lter baskets for you. If you have
any questions, please hit us up in the comments below!
 Cold calling cafes Flat white vs Latte Showdown! 
About The Espresso School

9/8/2020
About The Espresso School
Filter basket sizes explained | The Espresso School
The Espresso School is a specialty coffee school delivering Australia's


most progressive barista courses in Melbourne.
53 Comments
 Older Comments
Bill
Jun 06, 2020
Hi. I have krups xp320830 15bar auto pressure.

First problem I have is that I can’t ll the basket with 17-18 grams
of coffee, at double lter. My lters are 50mm I think.
Now I just ll the basket with coffee till the MAX and stop the
machine at 60 ml for double shot and 30 ml for single shot. The
taste is drinkable but there is something that I don’t like.. I work
at a coffee shop I make 600 coffees per day.. I know how to use
a professional espresso machine and this auto pressure machine
and the small baskets really gets in my nerves.. Can anyone help
me out?
Reply
The Espresso School Privacidad - Términos
Jun 08 2020
Jun 08, 2020
Hi Bill, 0

Don’t force the issue with dose. If your basket only takes 14
grams, put that much in.
In regards to avour, get rid of the dual wall lter baskets.

They’re not good especially if you’re grinding fresh.
David
Reply
Martin
Jun 13, 2020
I like a cappuccino without too much milk. So at home I press the

button a second time. This gives a second shot of expresso
although weaker, and ultimately allows less full cream milk, but
still with a nice creamy top.
Is this unusual?
Reply
The Espresso School

Jun 22, 2020
Hi Martin,
Espresso should be brewed as one continuous shot. Either

program the machine to deliver more water or brew manually.
David
Reply
Third Wave Espresso

Jul 30, 2020
Greetings!, Privacidad - Términos
I had a question regarding porta lter basket size and brew

0
recipes: 
A roaster of coffee I like recommends a dose of 19-21 grams of
coffee (19.5 grams to be exact) with a 1.5 ounce yield of liquid
espresso brewed in 23-28 seconds.
My porta lter cannot hold 19-21 grams of coffee (only 13-15
grams).
How do I replicate the roasters recipe above (19.5 grams of
coffee, 23-28 seconds yielding 1.5 ounces of liquid espresso)
with my smaller porta lter basket size that holds 13-15 grams (a
14 gram basket to be exact)?
Thank you!
Reply
The Espresso School

Aug 05, 2020
Good question
Just scale your recipe up or down based on your basket size

constraint.
In your case, the 19.5 grams in and 1.5 ounces out would scale
down to 14 grams in, 1.07 ounces out.
Please note volume is a terrible way to communicate recipes for

espresso. This is due to the fact that for the same mass of
espresso, volumes can be drastically different based on how
fresh the beans are. Ask the roasting company for grams in and
grams out.
Reply
Marthijs
Jul 31, 2020
Ive got a Breville Duo setup. Grinder set to ne grind (12) and
extracts a perfect espresso (30ml) with a single shot lter 0

basket.

Same grind setting, double basket with same tamp and it under
extracts!!! No matter how hard I tamp I can’t get the extraction
like the single basket. Why is this?
Reply
The Espresso School

Aug 05, 2020
You’ll need to grind ner for the single shot. Do not change your
tamp pressure to slow the shot down – this is not reproducible
Reply
Andreas
Aug 08, 2020
Hi,
I got a 14g La Marzocco basket, but if I put 14g of coffee inside, it

´s quite empty, the loose coffe powder before tampering is not
lling up the basket and the tamper is going quite deep into the
basket. So I decided to do 16g into the basket. It´s still not lling
up the basket, but at least after tampering level looks quite good.
Is it a normal behavior that a basket takes more than is written
onto the basket? Should I rather ll the basket fully with loose
coffee powder and then measure the weight? If so, why is the
basket labeled with 14g?
Reply
The Espresso School

Aug 08, 2020
Very normal for baskets to be understated for size, usually by a

gram or two. So your experience is not uncommon. Stick with 15 Privacidad - Términos
6
to 16 gram doses with your 14 gram basket.
0
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9/8/2020 Filter basket sizes explained | The Espresso School

by The Espresso School

Filter basket sizes

Looking for a quick guide to size lter baskets?

You might have come away from our classes learning

Ridged? Ridgeless? Single? Double? Triple?

Firstly, let’s break down all the naming conventions.

Ridged vs ridgeless lter baskets

The ridge serves the purpose of keeping the basket

L-R: Ridged lter basket, ridgeless lter basket.

A ridgeless basket always has the potential of being

centre on the bar of the knock box/tube and come to a 0

Despite this drawback, ridgeless baskets have the

accumulate old coffee grinds in the ridge area even after

Your choice of whether you use ridged or ridgeless lter

Single vs double vs triple lter baskets

A single basket will easily accept between 7-12 grams of

Straight wall vs tapered wall lter basket

A triple basket is the name given to a basket that can

Triple lter baskets may not t in your regular porta lter

Pressurised dual wall lter baskets

Dual wall lter baskets are only used in domestic

secondary false wall with a tiny pinhole at the bottom. 0

Filter basket diameters

The most common basket diameter is 58 mm and is

58mm – the most common size used by most brands

57mm – incredibly rare size used by domestic machines

53mm – not as common but used by brands such as La

Precision lter baskets have one thing in common:

Whip out a pair of vernier callipers and measure the

How to determine the size (capacity)

Here’s a quick 3 step process to determine how much

01 Tare off your porta lter on an electronic scale and

basket) to ll in areas where there is not enough

You can safely increase or decrease your dose by 1 gram

For example, after repeating the exercise three times the

It’s all about ratios!

Think of ratios as a scaling recipe. Brewing espresso at 0

In our introductory barista course, we recommend

up and down from there.

If you want a less intense espresso, increase the ratio,

So let’s say we own a 14-gram double basket and are

If we decide to use a bigger 20-gram double basket to

The difference in basket sizes and total espresso yields is

How much espresso is in your cup will have a direct 0

So how strong do you want your milk

How much espresso in your cup has a direct impact on

Assuming a xed cup size, more espresso (i.e. more yield)

If you’re using 150 mL cups, an 18 gram dose might

produce a drink with the perfect balance between the

Conversely, an 18 gram basket (and dose) paired with a

If you’re a cafe you should choose your basket size wisely

 Cold calling cafes Flat white vs Latte Showdown! 

About The Espresso School

The Espresso School is a specialty coffee school delivering Australia's

Hi. I have krups xp320830 15bar auto pressure.

The Espresso School Privacidad - Términos

In regards to avour, get rid of the dual wall lter baskets.