Articles

Pullman Filtration Baskets

PULLMAN FILTRATION BASKETS

Description:

Our focus has always been customer satisfaction, attention to detail and premium quality products and service. We have always matched and machined our tamper bases to fit supplied or purchased filter baskets (precision or otherwise). This service is still high on our list of priorities.

The single largest problem with this however, is the large deviation of internal diameters between and within manufacturers. This has prompted us to take control and produce our own range of ridgeless filter baskets designed for a 58mm group head.

Possibly the biggest piece of mind here is knowing that multiple baskets bought (eg for a 3 group machine) will all be within spec and matched in internal diameter size by us.

A Pullman tamper, perfectly matched to a Pullman filtration basket means more control over the variables affecting espresso extraction and a superior outcome for you, the coffee maker and consumer.

Specifications:

• Guaranteed internal diameter to meet Pullman tamper specification (58.70mm) 
  • Hole diameter of 0.3 +/-0.02mm
  • Polished, no burrs, no scratches, no misshaped holes
  • AISI 304 material which is compliant with Europe Food Contact Directive, FDA and ROHS

To determine if our basket will fit your portafilter, please refer to diagram below for depth measurement.

                                                  

Options:

• 17-19g Straight Wall ridgeless
• 19-22g Straight Wall ridgeless
• 22-25g Straight Wall ridgeless

RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES

For best results we recommend the following with your VST basket:

• a flat-based Pullman tamper machined to fit your VST basket
• a set of Scottie Callaghan's Dosing Tools to ensure precise and repeatable dosing no matter what grind or bean type you use - particularly important as VST baskets are designed to work in a narrow dosage range.

COMMON QUESTIONS - SHOULD I CHOOSE A RIDGED OR RIDGELESS BASKET?

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIDGED AND RIDGELESS BASKETS?

A: Ridged filter baskets have a groove in the side wall which a spring in the portafilter locks in to to help retain the basket in the portafilter. Ridgeless, or unridged baskets, have smooth walls and as a result generally require a stronger spring to ensure they stay in place when knocking out used coffee pucks.

SO DO I NEED A RIDGED OR A RIDGELESS BASKET?

A: THE SHORT ANSWER:

If you use only a double basket, purchase a ridgeless double basket (and a replacement spring if your existing baskets are ridged) If you use a double most of the time and a single basket just occasionally, purchase a ridgeless double basket and a spring, and a single basket. When you want to use the single basket you will need to change the springs in the portafilter, a process which takes about 10 seconds and requires a fingernail or the tip of a knife If you use regularly use both a double and a single basket, purchase a ridged double and a single basket. This will allow you to interchange baskets whenever you like without having to change the spring If you can't decide what to do, purchase replacements of the same style as you presently have, or contact us to discuss your situation further and we will be happy to recommend a combination to suit your needs The long answer / the reasons behind the short answer: The shape of double baskets gives more consistent results than the irregular shape of single baskets, and most coffee experts will recommend the use of a double basket regardless of whether you are making one or two cups of coffee - just stop the machine a bit earlier if you're only making one cup. If you are only intending to use a double basket we would recommend a ridgeless basket as the walls are perfectly smooth and present no anomalies which could introduce channelling. The pucks also knock out cleaner so there's less cleaning up to do after each shot. Since single baskets only come in ridged variants however, if you intend to buy both a double and a single basket and use a single regularly, we would generally recommend the ridged double basket to ensure the single basket can be used without having to change springs each time. The only exception to this would be if you only use the single baskets occasionally, in which case the benefit of the ridgeless basket may outweigh the minor inconvenience of having to change springs when you use the single basket. The safest option to ensure compatibility is to replace your basket with one of the same type. Theoretically a ridgeless basket will give better results, however we have had excellent results from both types. If your machine presently has a ridged basket it's likely the existing spring will not hold a ridgeless basket tightly enough. An alternative is to buy a replacement spring. 

SO WHICH IS BETTER - RIDGED OR RIDGELESS?

A:  WE PREFER RIDGELESS BASKETS FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS:

The diameter of the basket is not always the same above and below the ridge. If the basket is smaller below the ridge, the tamper will bottom out on the ridge making it impossible to apply much tamp pressure to the coffee below the ridge, resulting in an undertamped puck. If the basket is larger below the ridge (as happens with baskets with an inwardly-formed ridge) then a ring of completely untamped coffee will exist around the edge of the basket which the water will immediately find and escape through. The bottom line is that any variation in basket diameter through the majority of the height of the basket will lead to uneven tamping which can greatly affect how evenly the espresso is extracted. With a ridge this situation is more likely to present itself. With no ridge there is a greater chance of the basket being more uniformly circular, presumably because the ridge-pressing process deforms the basket slightly. Depending on the amount of distortion (and we've seen pretty ovoid baskets in our time!), a fitted tamper can be more difficult to achieve which can lead to less than ideal extractions. A ridge potentially creates a weak spot in the puck for peripheral channelling to start. If you're tamping below the ridge this is much less likely to be an issue but some situations result in the finished surface of the puck being above the ridge. Pucks knock out a lot cleaner from a ridgeless basket vs a ridged. A ridged basket often leaves a smattering of puck stuck in the ridge. With a ridgeless basket the basket is normally pretty clean, needing only a wipe before the next shot as opposed to a wash and dry. The only downside we know of is that you need a stronger spring to retain a ridgeless basket, and if you use ridged baskets as well these can be held rather too tightly in place with the stronger spring meaning you need to change springs when you change baskets (unless you have more than one portafilter). Failure to install a suitably strong spring could result in the basket falling out of the portafilter when you knock out used coffee pucks!