Espresso Single Shot Filter Baskets

Most likely, if you own a home espresso machine, you have a single shot filter basket. And chances are, especially if you live in North America, you don’t use it. Learn about the origin of single shot filter baskets, how to use them, and why most people don't bother.

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[drazenbabich]

Italian espresso follower here. I use both stock baskets, 8g single and 16g double. It is far more easier to dial in for the double than single shot, true, but you will know you mastered your espresso prep once you get the single to extract properly. Many try and fail and don't bother ever again and move to 18, 20 and 22g baskets for their doubles and tripples.
The single basket shape is also very important, mine is just like yours in the video and that is the most optimal single shot basket these days. The straight walled "La Marzocco Strada" style basket is much more problematic and even La Marzocco themselves switched from that basket they've been using for decades to the more traditional 'Faema' style single basket. Dose 7-8g, grind 1 notch finer than for the double and tamp properly, meaing with full required and recommended force to compress the puck. Many young players use levelers/spinners for pseudo tamping claiming they "don't need to tamp"...no wonder they're struggling with pulling singles.
Single shots arent black magic, they are actually relatively easy to pull once you follow well known and proven barista workflow and techniques, meaning - the simpler and fewer steps the better.
One just needs to watch the Italian barista at work, pulling a single after single shot with great consistency and minimal steps.

[hsxenon]

I've successfully dialed in my single basket using the following steps for a backwards dial-in:

1. Have your grinder dialed in for double (17g in, 34g out, in 25s in my case)
2. Fill your single basket more than you would think, and work your way down to the ideal dose
3. Dial-in your dose based on shot time (I was chasing 30 seconds to compensate for weak extraction. So your dose is the variable, ratio, grind and time are constants)

I ended up with 11g in, 22g out in 29 s, keeping the grind the same to minimize purging waste between shots. It was just as good as any of my double shots. I can't measure the extraction yield, but taste is what I'm after. Cheers!

[jomnomnom]

Thanks!
Sceptical about encouraging people to throw away the second espresso though. If you absolutely must use a double shot for a single espresso, you could always let it cool down and freeze it in an ice cube tray to have it ready for iced coffee, tiramisu, cookies, energy oat-bars etc.

[andreasgilgenberg]

I use the Single Shot Basket from La Marzocco "LM1", it works wonderful and it is easy to tamp, because it is cylindrical.
You can use a 41mm Tamper. I have to adjust the grinder only a little bit, to have the same result like from the double shot basket.

[Squilliam-Fancyson]

I use the IMS Barista Pro 8/10g filter basket for single shots. It has a hemispherical form with bigger hole count than typical single shot baskets. Works great even slightly overfilled(10, 5-11g) and I can keep my double basket grind setting. Still I can not replicate the taste of double filter extraction, but it's not that far off.

[drazenbabich]

7% maybe in US. But the rest of the World, especially Europe, Asia, Australia, NZ...all still pull 'Italian' single shots alongside their doubles, and they do this sucessfully.
And that's one of the main reasons coffee machine makers still do and will continue to include single portafilters with their machines.

[bernardoregal]

Depending on the coffee and it’s freshness level, I use between 6.9 and 7.3 gr for 14 gr of coffee on a 1:2 ratio in ~30sec. Dialing depends on the coffee, but it the same grinding level I use for doubles. I center the coffee grounds in the basket and slam the portafilter on the table twice to simulate the effect of tamping, the tamper itself is of little use because it reaches the bottom of the basket and doesn’t add much pressure. It takes practice to get good singles, and I like singles to reduce my amount of caffeine consumption during the day… and still drink 6 cups

[kristinasmith]

Very interesting. I am new to the espresso machines and did not understand why it was easier for me to reach the desired options with double shots and not acquire them with a single shot. However, in Europe it is indeed usual to pull single shots. I would only drink a double espresso if I had a horrible night and I would never throw away the second shot. That is just wasteful, which I doubt anyone does in Europe

[greeder]

I have no problem. The machines dispersion screen tamps when you lock it in. I use a thin dispersion screen over my ground coffee to keep the machines screen clean. I have a light dimmer mod so I dial the pressure to get 25-30 seconds. I use about 6 bar pressure to get the time right.

[markallan]

This is exactly what I was looking for!

[StefanKamer]

I've spent the majority of my espresso journey using doubles and while I've gotten great shots over time, whenever i wanted that classic northern italian shot, i was simply unable to achieve it with a double. For that, a single simply works best for me. I don't have an explanation for it. However, while i encountered similar issues in getting the time right, i found out theres a 3rd way to extend the shot time. Tamp multiple times. The more times you tamp, the longer the shot time is. This has been document by lance hedrick on the effect this has. It's been an absolute revelation for me. Now I do 10g in, 20g out, with 4 tamps and get it out in 25 seconds in a single basket and it's absolutely spectacular. The puck prep is also fairly simple. I use a blind shaker and just wdt very lightly the top layer so its a bit more even, then tamp 4 times with a leveled tamper. Thats it. No puck screen (speeds up shot time), no RDT, nada. Happy as can be with it now

[FrankBtc]

In Italy, coffee is mainly consumed in a single dose of 7 grams.
The coffee is very roasted, practically black, there is no difference in grinding with a double dose.

[malekpallie]

Thank you for this video! If anything, it makes me feel better that I cant get a great single pull, since a seasoned pro has trouble too. 👍🏽

[lexkleren]

I mostly do 7g single shots with a 49mm spring lever. The narrower basket compared to a 58mm really helps. Still, it's more difficult than the double but at least you don't throw away coffee. For a double I use 12g in the double basket without changing grind size.

[coolvi]

I do mostly single shots myself, 3 to 5 a day, so I have been experimenting a lot since I got my machine. Now I am able to do 7.5g in ~22.5g out in 23s for a single shot, 15g in ~45g out in about the same time, using the Gaggia Classic Pro's stock baskets and tamp as normal resulting in similar tasting shots. The difference is the distribution methods. When doing singles, I have to use my auto-depth leveller (only used for single-shots) and spin it 20+ times fast, to a point where then lifting it out of the basket basically sees the entire puck sticking to the bottom of the distributor! Doubles are much more forgiving with half a dozen revolutions of the ARO Orbit.

[noelleahy]

I've pulled over 10, 000 single shots on my 25yo Pavoni lever machine and recently got a ECM Sync. My wife and I like different coffee and she preffers a single. Anyway.... it took me 5 minutes and 4 goes to get the ECM single basket to deliver her a good coffee. Secret was to grind 3 steps finer on my Niche grinder and use 10gms as opposed to 18gms and 3 steps coaser for the double basket.... so optimising a combination of grind and dose can deliver for those singles out

[iconindexsymbol]

When I do singles, I aim for the same flow rate as a double, generally around 1ml/s, and let the shot time shorten compared to a double. If I try to match shot times by decreasing flow rate, it always comes out very bitter. Dose is determined by volume to have the same 2mm of headspace as needed for double shots.

[rogervandepoel]

the Single I use for ESE coffee pods. This makes it very easy for me to make a different type of coffee for my guests. Especially after a dinner, a decaf is requested. Because I work from home, it's handy to quickly make a nice espresso without having to interrupt my work for a long time. ESE is a great alternative for me. Although making coffee can become quite a ritual, it spoils the atmosphere when I start grinding and messing around with the espresso machine after a delicious meal... The ESE-coffee is fine, especially with a grappa or cognac and you you can continue to entertain the guests. that may not be the way the espresso geek would like it to be, but works perfectly for me. So yes I use the Single (Gaggia Classic Pro)

[RastaMonn]

At 1:46 time...Everyone's face when he says, "or dump it" 🫣🫢

[anthonytham]

I use single because its home espresso machine and im addicted to drink 4 to 6 cup 200cc. Just enjoying the single shot cup and cannot wait to preparing the next cup again. Plus, less caffeine 😂