# Filter Baskets and bottomless PF's



## profspudhed (Mar 18, 2011)

I just got a new gaggia classic, it replaces a dead cubika which replaced a dead carezza (being a bit of a hoarder i still have both) now i know the cubika was a different machine but if im right the carezza shared a lot of parts with the classic. my new classic came with pressurized filter baskets and i dont like them at all. so while the cubika was a different machine would it be possible for me to use the basket from the carezza on my classic to tide me over until i get a proper non pressurized basket for it. or is it worth spending a little more and getting a bottomless portafilter? also any other potential tweaks or tips for a new classic owner are most welcome, but most important of all in the short term can i use that carezza basket safely, dont want to screw up my new and first genuinely good machine but i want rid of that pressurized horror asap


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

Did you see the new Classic owners sticky?


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## profspudhed (Mar 18, 2011)

yeah ive had a read through, the main thing i wanted to know is if the non pressurized basket from my old carezza would work to replace the nasty pressurized one that came with it (it wont be permanent, just while i wait for one to be delivered) but before i go orderering one i was wondering if a bottomless portafilter would be worth the extra, especially as my budget for this week after buying a few bags of beans is about £30, so i can either afford a bottomless pf or a rancilio arm and a non pressurized basket

please disregard this post ive got my answer in another thread thanks all


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

If you get the naked PF from HappyDonkey it comes with a double non-presurised basket. It's not a great one but it will get you going until you can afford a VST. To be honest, if you drink a lot of milky drinks it might be worth going for the steam arm first and maybe trying to pick up a 2nd hand PF from EBay or something?


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## profspudhed (Mar 18, 2011)

dont you worry about that i already jot the order in for the arm but a second ago from myespresso, i was dabbling with getting the basket from them too but it didnt mention if it was non pressurized or not so i skipped it and will grab one from somewhere im a bit more sure of, i only paid £20 for the arm so i have no prob paying up to a tenner for the basket, what are these VST's?


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

They're baskets which are manufactured very precisely. http://www.coffeehit.co.uk/la-marzocco-strada-basket-17g/p863

You can get a standard double basket for about £3 from somewhere like CoffeeHit or HappyDonkey but I've personally found the cheap ones to be no good.

Do a search on here. I'm sure the VST's have been talked about a lot.

Where did you get the steam arm from for £20?


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## profspudhed (Mar 18, 2011)

it was from http://www.myespresso.co.uk £15 plus £5 for postage, seemed to be the cheapest i could find anywhere, just ordered a cheap filter basket from coffee hit too but i will be looking into those VST ones, as long as they do one to fit the gaggia and ideally is a bit smaller, 17g seems a bit large to me, id be ore comfortable with a 15g i think.

while were talking portafilter related stuff and you have one according to your sig are bottomless PF's worth getting?

EDIT

seems im wrong according to something ive just read the larger 18g basket is the same size as the standard gaggia double so i guess thats the size i should be looking at, looks like i found my next upgrade, i may have to get some new burrs for the grinder soon too, im no expert so im not sure they need replacing but im sure it couldnt but


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

Yes, the 18g is basically a double. with the 15g as a single and the 22g as a triple. They're just designed to take the optimal amount of coffee.

The naked PF's basically look really cool and help you to improve your technique because you can see if you're getting an uneven extraction if you tamped too hard on one side or are getting really bad channelling. I really like mine. I suppose it's probably not going to make a noticeable difference to you extraction (maybe a tin y bit more crema) but it's one of those things that makes you go, "ahhhhhhhhhhh" every time you use it









There are some really nice pics on this site http://blog.ministrygrounds.com.au/blog/vst-filter-basket-guide/


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## profspudhed (Mar 18, 2011)

ah not something i need to rush to get then but ill certainly be looking into those filter baskets but for now ill just make do with my standard non pressurized filter, it still makes a pretty damn fine shot


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