# Thoughts on IMS screens and Baskets post Charlie's GB?



## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Well I got the baskets and started using them with the original screen on my fracino classic

First impression is that the baskets do make a difference to flavour. The flavours seem enhanced and the coffee generally has a smoother edge to it. The mouthfeel also feels silkier and slightly more dense (and very pleasing) but oddly the crema seems less copious.

I then fitted the screen today and first impression is that it seemed to accentuate the benefits of the basket.

One question though, is there more than one type of basket? I have the 12/18 and 18/22 baskets and both are marked "competitzione" but they are different shapes. The smaller one has more rounded edges at the bottom of the basket and the bottom of the basket itself is flat whereas the bigger one has straighter edges at the bottom (but still slightly shaped as opposed to the flat sided VST) and the bottom of the basket is convex and not flat.

Can anyone shed any light on that?

How's everyone else getting on?


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

The Sage struggles to accept the one I have 18/22 - I thought I had ordered the 14-20g one : (

Portafilter wont lock. basket too deep for the portafilter bottom : (

Ill wait for a naked pfilter before retrying


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

I'm using the shower screen and basket and have noticed a smoother, less acidic taste, well that's according to my coffee palate which is new to all this!


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## Southpaw (Feb 26, 2012)

Soll said:


> I'm using the shower screen and basket and have noticed a smoother, less acidic taste, well that's according to my coffee palate which is new to all this!


I've only had a couple of doubles from my new screen and basket but I'm not liking the change so far. It's smoother but mine is more acidic, whereas the original pair was perfect for my tastes.


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

From the bits I've gleaned off the IMS website the shape of the different size baskets is to do with keeping everything in proportion in terms of the number of holes, hole sizes etc across the range of baskets. In the competition basket line up there are currently the ones which most of us ordered, ones to fit Gaggia and other machines that have relatively shallow portafilters, and the 53mm ones. The ones aimed at shallower portafilters have different dose ranges for example whereas the standard triple is 18/22 the Gaggia one is 16/22 and are also 68mm overall diameter whereas the others are 70mm. IMS are one of the worlds largest basket and shower screen OEM providers so I guess they do know a thing or 2 about baskets and screens.

I'm definitely preferring my IMS 14/20 to the VST 20g with my current lot of beans, pours seem a lot smoother to the eye and taste smoother and fuller too, and as a side benefit knock out much drier and when broken open seem to be more evenly extracted, I'm not going to be getting rid of my VST baskets as it's nice to have more tools to use to get things the way you prefer them.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Would appreciate trying a 14/20 until I get a naked pfilter


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

out of interest is there an IMS for the Londinium / Bosco group?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

aaronb said:
 

> out of interest is there an IMS for the Londinium / Bosco group?


Yep

check the londinium site , Reiss is raving about them using both of them.

I'm using them as well the 16-20 and the larger one ,


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

Lovely pour. REISS L1 - IMS


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## drude (Apr 22, 2013)

I've not managed to get good results from my IMS basket yet, so have gone back to my VST for now. I'm using a 250g bag of beans so I really need to wait until I have a bigger batch of something on the go as I don't want to use this one up tweaking parameters. I remember it took me a while to get used to the VSTs when I started with them, so I assume it's going to be a similar process.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

drude said:


> I've not managed to get good results from my IMS basket yet, so have gone back to my VST for now. I'm using a 250g bag of beans so I really need to wait until I have a bigger batch...........


Think you need to down dose a bit drude - 250grms is a tad on the high side


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## drude (Apr 22, 2013)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Think you need to down dose a bit drude - 250grms is a tad on the high side


I must admit it was a struggle locking the portafilter in. Tired this morning though so I thought I'd better make a really strong coffee


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

Pete I found that at the same grind as for my VST 20g was fine for the IMS just needed to tamp a little harder after nutating.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

First shot on IMS 14/20g

Chewy, needed to grind coarser for next shot.


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## drude (Apr 22, 2013)

Charliej said:


> Pete I found that at the same grind as for my VST 20g was fine for the IMS just needed to tamp a little harder after nutating.


I normally use an 18g VST, but put no real pressure on when tamping, just the weight of the tamper.

I'm finding my Torr Trapez a little tight in the IMS, and also my Knock Heft. Meanwhile the Reg Barber 58mm is a little small.

Will go back to it next time I order a kilo of beans, I think.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Once I dialled out a couple of micro-settings on my Vario the shot was sweeter and more rounded.

Looked similar but with a little more volume.

No difference in taste to VST at this stage.

Pour looked nicer in naked pf though.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> Yep
> 
> check the londinium site , Reiss is raving about them using both of them.
> 
> I'm using them as well the 16-20 and the larger one ,


Sorry meant the shower screen, but interesting that the basket works well too.

I'm still using the stock basket, find it quite forgiving but a bit tough on very light roasts.


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## jakeapeters (May 20, 2013)

I'm a bit divided on these. I really like the shower screen - I think it definitely improves the distribution of water, and is much easier to clean.

But I hate the basket (18/22). It mutes the acidity somewhat compared to a VST (which is fine, but I happen to love acidity in coffee) and I've found I need to updose to ~21g to fill it enough to distribute evenly, the basket'a massive compared to an 18g VST. I think the pours look nicer from the VST too, but that's probably just my technique (as I'm struggling to level the dose properly).


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## Jason1wood (Jun 1, 2012)

I'm using the basket and it's a massive improvement to my stock basket on the naked PF on my Fracino Classic. The stock basket sprayed all over, the new basket is a lovely pour and the taste is spot on. Still yet to fit the screen.


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## frankil (Jan 20, 2012)

> I'm a bit divided on these. I really like the shower screen - I think it definitely improves the distribution of water, and is much easier to clean.
> 
> But I hate the basket (18/22). It mutes the acidity somewhat compared to a VST (which is fine, but I happen to love acidity in coffee) and I've found I need to updose to ~21g to fill it enough to distribute evenly, the basket'a massive compared to an 18g VST. I think the pours look nicer from the VST too, but that's probably just my technique (as I'm struggling to level the dose properly).


I agree with you in relation to the shower screen. It does improve water distribution, I really like it. I am a little disappointed with the basket, it may be my own fault though. I ordered 14-20g one. At the moment I use 15g VST. I used the same dose as with VST (15g) and I could not tamp it properly due to the curved sides. The tamper (58.3mm MadebyKnock) could not go deeper. The dosage was to small. I thought that with this basket I will be able to use a wider range of coffee doses (between 14-20g). Unfortunately the lower dosage did not work properly. I can think of two solutions: either increase the dose or use a smaller tamper. I will try next week and see what happens. For now I will revert to VST.


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## CoffeeJohnny (Feb 28, 2011)

For me I'm finding with the basket it requires a finer grind than the VST and as such it's advisable IMO not to get too close if you've forgotten to adjust the grind as that espresso is pretty hot


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## rmcgandara (Feb 12, 2013)

guys I kinda came late to this party. what are these IMS basket/integrated shower screens? I mean what do they do? is there a blog post, newspaper article that kinda explains the benefit? need to get up to speed on this malarkey!


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## kikapu (Nov 18, 2012)

The one thing I have found with the 14/20g basket is you do seem to get better shots and pours if you are at the top of the range ie 20g the lower dose 18g etc more often than not the puck was much wetter and the pour wasn't as even not too much difference in taste to me but certainly will be using higher dose in these from now on.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

kikapu said:


> The one thing I have found with the 14/20g basket is you do seem to get better shots and pours if you are at the top of the range ie 20g the lower dose 18g etc more often than not the puck was much wetter and the pour wasn't as even not too much difference in taste to me but certainly will be using higher dose in these from now on.


I can't see how you would quickly prep and distribute 14 g in these .

Like you 16 gram is like a sausage roll up the m1 ! Lost in the cake Tin

Still playing with big doses for theses .


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## totallywired (Jun 25, 2011)

I'm finding a much smoother shot visually from these screens and baskets. Very easy to clean and taste of shot is bang on. Well worth it imo. Big thanks to Charlie for organising the group buy.


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## tribs (Feb 21, 2012)

There is no doubt the IMS screens are totally awesome.

With the basket, I got a fluke with my first shot, which was excellent, but have struggled with consistency since. I'm feeling the 18/22g works better at the higher dosage allowing a coarser grind and less fussy distribution. The curved bottom compared to the flat of the VST basket, which I have become accustomed to, means there is slightly more resistance in the centre and I tend to get 3 tails for most of the shot.

I need to get my VST back and do some comparisons.


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

Love the shower screen. Not managed to get a single shot I enjoyed out of the basket yet so I'll be heading back to VST for the time being. I'll try again on my next batch of beans.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Do I need to change gasket at same time as fitting screen? Or only if I damage it?


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> Do I need to change gasket at same time as fitting screen? Or only if I damage it?


I believe that the gasket only needs changing if it goes really hard or perishes. It's probably good practice to change more regularly than that. Certainly give it a good wash.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Good to know - want to fit it but don't have a spare gasket just now. Get on that tonight.


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> Good to know - want to fit it but don't have a spare gasket just now. Get on that tonight.


They're pretty inexpensive, I think there are a couple of different thickness gaskets 8, 8.5, 9mm so it's worth double checking what you have on there at the moment before ordering. I think the standard e61 is 8mm.


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## GS11 (Feb 20, 2013)

Shower screen seems well made and is easier to clean. So far I've not noticed any improvement in shot quality.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

I would say the IMS screen has pros and cons, certainly on the sage.

pro - water falls more like a shower than before

- It looks cool

cons -it actually holds more coffee grounds in the centre after flushing compared to the Sage stock one

- it cost me money but haven't seen a dramatic improvement in taste or flowrate**

** really really hope Sage hurry with these naked portafilters, hate not being able to see under the bonnet!!! To be fair I havent done a side-by-side with the same coffee (yet)

As for the baskets , it would be nice if my 18/22 fitted in the Sage portafilter. Sadly I either need to wait for a naked portafilter or borrow Spences 14/20.


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

GS11 said:


> Shower screen seems well made and is easier to clean. So far I've not noticed any improvement in shot quality.


I agree totally (and it looks nice







)


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

What are people dosing in the 14/20 btw . Am finding that 16g is lost in the bucket .


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## kikapu (Nov 18, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> What are people dosing in the 14/20 btw . Am finding that 16g is lost in the bucket .


Minimum 18g but when I over dosed it 20g+ the shot, pour and puck after looked much better. Think I should have got the next size down if I wanted a lower dose.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Im thinking 19-20g in the 14/20

21-22g in the 18/22


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

kikapu said:


> Minimum 18g but when I over dosed it 20g+ the shot, pour and puck after looked much better. Think I should have got the next size down if I wanted a lower dose.


Yep with you there

it would never be good for 14g


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## tribs (Feb 21, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> Good to know - want to fit it but don't have a spare gasket just now. Get on that tonight.


I could not remove my gasket without destroying it. It might be worth holding off until you can get a spare.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Got the gasket off my Oscar without damaging it before but heard the e61 is a different beast.


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

jeebsy said:


> Got the gasket off my Oscar without damaging it before but heard the e61 is a different beast.


My E61 gasket comes out with the shower screen. 2 little pulls with a spoon


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

The group seal on my Expo was still the original one when I sold it!!!


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## GS11 (Feb 20, 2013)

jeebsy said:


> Got the gasket off my Oscar without damaging it before but heard the e61 is a different beast.


Seal in the brewtus was well stuck. Used a long flat bladed screwdriver to lever out the old screen and the seal came with it. All in good nick and re-useable.


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## tribs (Feb 21, 2012)

I lubricated the new one in the hope it'll just pull out.

The old one (which I don't believe was that old) wouldn't budge. I had to pierce the rubber and lever it out. I destroyed the shower cup also


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

just worked out why mine comes out easy. the shower screen has a ridge that fits under the gasket


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## frankil (Jan 20, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> Yep with you there
> 
> it would never be good for 14g


Cheers folks. I will take this into account when I will have some time to play with the 14/20g basket. I am not used to such high dosage (18g+) so it may be interesting...


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Whipped it out no problem.....bit crusty inside though. Shower screen came off easy too.


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## kikapu (Nov 18, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> Whipped it out no problem.....bit crusty inside though. Shower screen came off easy too.


I am going to ignore jeebsy's hygiene issues!!









Used the 14/20g basket this morning and dosed 20g in all three shots pulled they were probably the best back to back looking shots (bottomless portafilter) I have ever pulled! (not really saying much!!) Just dosed straight into pf light nutation to redistribute and medium tamp. No splatter all over the cup nice dark colour pour central and hit the tasting notes lovely espresso and americano (for journey to work).

I have never used standard baskets so dont know if these or the vst are better but certainly the ims give a nice shot with less issue s than the vst for me.

Also I think I have been getting more flavours in line with tasting notes since using these but that maybe a coincidence


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