Italian vs. American dosing - Page 6

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
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IamOiman
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#51: Post by IamOiman »

:D the obvious advantage to levers!
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mariobarba
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#52: Post by mariobarba »

another_jim wrote:Notice the precisely made double sided tamper; one side for the double, the other for the single. I'm guessing one of the reasons people here have a hard time with single shots is missing gear, especially single tampers properly matched to the baskets being used.
As someone who has always appreciated the Italian style espresso and have recently tried to perfect pulling a single shot, do you have any recommendations for a tamper to use with a Rancilio single basket? I'm currently using a curved 57mm with mixed results.

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another_jim
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#53: Post by another_jim »

Sorry. I've tried many single baskets; the Rancilio one has always defeated me. I'm sure there's some wizened barista, somewhere in Italy, who can make great shots with it; but nobody I know who's tried it has had much luck either. The LM and Faema singles are much easier, since you can find tampers that fit the inner diameter. The Ranciilio one I never could make work is very shallow in the center, so 7 grams goes to the higher part of the basket, but the step is so sharply angled, that it creates channeling whenever I try it.
Jim Schulman

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mariobarba
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#54: Post by mariobarba »

Darn it! I went with the Rancilio single since I was using the rancilio double and depending on who else is having coffee at any given time was switching back and forth between the two. I figured using baskets from the same manufacturer would facilitate the process once I had the weights dialed in on my Vario. Let's say I do get my hands on a pair of LM or Faema baskets, what diameter tamper would you recommend for those singles?

Thanks ahead of time Jim, your input, as always is as good as gold for me.

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another_jim
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#55: Post by another_jim »

Curved 49 mm, like you see on the cheap plastic ones that came with Italian machines. The pictured one looks like an aluminum version of that style tamper. The super curved 53mm tampers you find mounted on dosers work for both singles and doubles, but only if you do very fine ground 14 and 7 gram doses.
Jim Schulman

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Moka 1 Cup
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#56: Post by Moka 1 Cup »

I have recently switched from a 7g LM+Tidaka to an 8g "The Single" and after a short learning curve I am totally happy with it.
I use distribution and a "curved" JoeFrex calibrated tamper. We are using the same "The Single" at the office as well.
Not that it means anything, just reporting.

What's the best single basket.
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