# Help pulling a single



## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

Hi I'm improving at making my self double shot espressos but I can't make a single shot for my wife's lattes

I've read about difficulties with single baskets ( which I don't own) - unusual tamping / filling techniques.

But 1/2 filling my current 18g generic basket produces watery shots.

Should I buy a vst 7g ?( and where can I get reasonable priced 58.35 tampers)?

Or a just pull her a double shot and just use half of it in her latte

Thanks


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Asgross said:


> Or a just pull her a double shot and just use half of it in her latte
> 
> Thanks


This


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

If you've got a twinspout or spot one for your machine that could also be an option. Otherwise as above.

Definitely not a half filled basket.


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

Give her a double shot and tell her it's a single


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## Asgross (Jun 14, 2015)

I think I'd rather pour her half and drink the balance myself


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

If you're using a pump machine then you will struggle to get good shots from single baskets.

Stick with pouring a double, splitting into 2 cups.

Double baskets are designed for doubles (usually in the 18g range but this varies by manufacturer)

If you use too little coffee the puck cannot expand against the shower screen and the water cannot be evenly distributed through it.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

I echo the above - for me it was initially overcoming the idea that some precious coffee was going down the sink, although since it contains the end of the shot (via a lever), it make it more bearable. I just remove the cup when it reaches the right weight (in my wife's case, for a flat white).


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Asgross said:


> Should I buy a vst 7g ?( and where can I get reasonable priced 58.35 tampers)?


That's what I do when I want to make a single. Bear in mi d a VST single basket is "a basket within a basket", so a 58.35 tamper will simply not do the job, at all. For that, you will need a 40.7mm tamper.

The great thing about that is that you don't need to change the grind if you normally use a VST for your doubles. Also, it will take 7-8g of coffee, a true single.

Photo illustrating VST baskets (7g and 15g) and respective suitable tampers.


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## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

pessutojr said:


> That's what I do when I want to make a single. Bear in mi d a VST single basket is "a basket within a basket", so a 58.35 tamper will simply not do the job, at all. For that, you will need a 40.7mm tamper.
> 
> The great thing about that is that you don't need to change the grind if you normally use a VST for your doubles. Also, it will take 7-8g of coffee, a true single.
> 
> Photo illustrating VST baskets (7g and 15g) and respective suitable tampers.


Do you really get an adequate shot without changing settings?


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Kyle548 said:


> Do you really get an adequate shot without changing settings?


It works for me. Tastes great in the cup, and I don't see any visual clues that my extraction is bad using a bottomless portafilter.

From what I've been learning and experiencing, the most important things are distribution and levelling. Get those two right shot quality / consistency improves dramatically. In my opinion that is.


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## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

VST must have done some magic figuring out how to get that to work.

What basket do you usually use, the 15?


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Kyle548 said:


> VST must have done some magic figuring out how to get that to work.
> 
> What basket do you usually use, the 15?


I use the 15g for doubles and the 7g for singles. In fact, I did exactly that when I had guests around yesterday: Some wanted doubles, some wanted singles.

As far as I know, that's the whole point of the VST baskets. They are precision filters, and are made to a much higher standard than the stock filters. The idea being is that, providing the dose weight is kept to the denomination of the basket, for the same grind size, the extraction parameters remains the same. In other words, what you get in the cup is the same, just of different quantities depending on the basket you use.

There is no magic, just a lot of research and development.

There is a lot of information and peoples opinions on VST baskets on many forums, including this one.


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