# IMS or VST basket for Classic Pro 2019



## Caffettiera (Jun 23, 2021)

Hello,

I've been reading about baskets and I was wondering if I should upgrade the one that comes with my Classic Pro. It seems that the two brands that come out the most are either ISM or VST.

Should I upgrade? And if so, which one should I go for, as a beginner? Is one brand better than the other?

Thank you 😊


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Whether or not 'upgrading' to ISM or VST baskets leads to better coffee is debatable. VST have a reputation for requiring more attention to barista prep compared to IMS which I think are a bit more forgiving.


----------



## Caffettiera (Jun 23, 2021)

In that case, I shall stick to what I have, no need to complicate my life unnecessarily!

I was watching videos on YouTube and some coffee pros suggested that straight side baskets are better than those with a truncated cone bottom. Is there any actual evidence of that?


----------



## ting_tang (Jul 26, 2020)

Caffettiera said:


> In that case, I shall stick to what I have, no need to complicate my life unnecessarily


 Depends from your goal. Precision baskets force you to grind finer. Finer grind = more extraction = tastier coffee (but not always).



Caffettiera said:


> straight side baskets are better than those with a truncated cone bottom


 I have not read any investigation about, but that makes sense. With a cone bottom you have more (in theory) flow on the sides, which probably gives an uneven extraction. Probably that's why the most consistent single shot baskets are straight side (Decent) or try to reduce the side effect of the cone shape (VST 7g basket).


----------



## Caffettiera (Jun 23, 2021)

ting_tang said:


> Depends from your goal.


 My goal right now is to learn how do dial in a tasty espresso. I think I'll stick to what I have for the moment, so that I don't have too many variables to deal with. When I'm more confident in my barista skills, then I can upgrade to a more precise basket. My motto is always "keep it simple stupid" when I'm learning something new!


----------



## Dusk (Feb 19, 2021)

I won't claim to have noticed a big difference but I switched to an IMS basket (as it was cheaper than VST and supposedly less fussy) but for less than £20 I thought it was worth a punt.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Caffettiera said:


> In that case, I shall stick to what I have, no need to complicate my life unnecessarily!
> 
> I was watching videos on YouTube and some coffee pros suggested that straight side baskets are better than those with a truncated cone bottom. Is there any actual evidence of that?


 Straight sided baskets allow you to use a much tighter fitting tamper - 58.5mm as opposed to stock 58mm which allows, in theory, a more even tamp. But baristas have been turning out excellent espresso with stock 58mm tampers for aeons.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Currently using a tamper that has noticeable gap between its edge and edge of the basket. Just have to take more care when tamping to ensure whole area of the puck is evenly tamped.

That said, just ordered some IMS baskets and a corresponding over-sized tamper to ensure close fit. Make of that what you will😀


----------



## robmack (Apr 2, 2021)

+1 with living with an undersized tamper and a IMS basket. It's a cheap Chinese tamper and measures only 57.8mm. I needed a technique to ensure a well tamped puck with no tendency to channel around the edges of the basket. I'd tamp the centre as normal and then tamp around the edges, ensuring that I scraped the sides to integrate the coffee clinging to the sides of the basket. That resulted in good extraction. I bought a 58.55mm Cafelat tamper and solved that problem.


----------



## Caffettiera (Jun 23, 2021)

In the last couple of weeks I've been learning so many new things about coffee, especially on to make a good coffee. Sometimes you take it for granted when you con in cafe, or at home when you use, as I did, a Nespresso machine. You even think it's easy to make a good shot, but it's really not... Some people call it an art, I prefer calling it a science!


----------

