Does anyone here actually pull single shots? I’ve tried in the past using a single basket, but I always found them harder to dial in. These days, if I want a single, I just pull a double with a double spouted portafilter and split it with my wife.
by Rami_2075
33 Comments
Nice thick Neapolitan cup.
I pull single shots all the time, with my stock single basket that came with my ECM machine.
I use medium-dark and dark roasts, that I roast myself at home .
Usually 8-9g in and whatever looks right out (usually less than 20ml but I don’t use a scale)
I love them and I completely ditched double shots
Sure, I pull single shots in the late afternoon or evening on my Pontevecchio spring lever. It’s got a smaller basket and after some tinkering it seems like 8g is a good amount of grounds for the fineness I’m using. This machine is ridiculously easy to use, so the shots usually come out better than good even if everything’s not perfectly dialed in.
Yes. And they are harder to dial-in. But once your pride is satisfied that you’ve done, you don’t have to torture yourself with the bottomless lol.I got my grind sizes, and weights figured out for the different beans I use, and put the bottomless away. That way if my puck prep is less than stellar, I don’t have to pay for it.
I’ve switched to single dose mid-spring this year, and am riding that train. The Breville 54mm single basket needs minimum of 10-10.5g so you can tamp, otherwise you’re hitting the bevel.
I need to know where you got that cup!
I have the Yoloyo 41mm funnel and tamper. Makes perfect single shots.
Just curious why you want the single shot? Do you want less caffeine or is the extra ~15 milliliters of a double shot too much to drink sometimes?
I swap back and forth regularly between doubles into one cup, doubles split, and singles.
7.0g into the 7g La Marzocco basket (and using the LM single tamper) works well for me. I typically don’t need to change any settings when switching from a double basket.
Single shots when I’m at the end of my beans and that’s all I have, without having to open a new bag for just 7g. 🙂 Surprisingly, they (single-shots) have worked out for me.
I drink mostly single shots.
Either with a VST LM1 basket (LM1 strada) with 8g of coffee. But you need a 41mm funnel and a 41mm tamper.
Or with the original QM single basket. I put 11g in there and use a convex tamper.
I usually do 11 gram shots, which I would count as a single. But I use 22 gram basket and split it into 2 cups.
As a barista, I can tell you that this is exactly what we do at specialty cafes too because single shot baskets are way too annoying to deal with. Whenever an order calls for a single shot (like for a cappuccino) it’s standard practice to pull a full double shot and simply use half of it, either through splitting it by weight or just using one side of a dual spout portafilter if you’re not using bottomless portafilters.
This silliness is also the reason why many specialty cafes don’t serve single espresso shots or even cappuccinos. It’s usually wasteful and/or really annoying
I never want a single shot although tbh at this point I don’t even remember what that means, it’s all weight in weight out but pretty sure I’m pulling doubles. Sexy cup though.
I love pulling a single shot (8g) on my Londinium L1 in the afternoon but rarely do it, mainly because I do not like the trouble of cleaning my single-shot basket. Unlike my double baskets (14-15g), it does not knock out cleanly so I have to go to the sink to rinse it out. I still prefer single over double, though, and in a thick Neapolitan cup is better than anything else!
I am absolutely struggling to get a good shot from my single on Breville Barista Pro. They’re okay, but no where near as good as a double shot.
make sure you have a wife, that is the proper way.
I dose with 10g for a single shot spouted basket and grind finer. It gets served with milk so I’m not prioritizing perfection for it taste-wise. I aim to hit the numbers ahead of time for the person who drinks it.
I didn’t try the single shot until I was comfortable with the double shot.
I have the LM Single Shot Basket. I almost only drink single shots… the weird thing is my single shots almost always taste way better than my double shots. And they are also way better than single shots from a ims single basket
I like more than one sip of coffee so single shots aren’t for me
I’ve never bothered. Seems like the same amount of work for half the output, plus I’ve heard that singles are harder to dial in for lighter roasts due to the shallower puck depth.
I’ll drink a couple of doubles in the morning and then switch to decaf in the afternoon.
I found a perfect combo with IMS rounded edge basket as double and a IMS singlebasket. The single basically has the same flow and shot time like the double. The dose is not perfectly 50%. I dose 18.2 for a double and 9.5 for the single.
Same here – the double is also always better and if I only want a single I normally find someone for the second
If I want the absolute best shot possible, I’ll pull 1 or 2 ristrettos. About 16 seconds instead of 28. More concentrated and sweeter.
What’s the point of a single shot?
Every day. Double for espresso in bed on the weekends.
Your wife drinks espresso?
I use a pavoni, so my doubles could be considered singles by some, I pull 30g from 12g of ground coffee
I use a 46mm step down basket for 11g single shots. If I keep the dose down, it pulls similarly to a 21g 58mm.
Yes, I do pull singles, and it’s a struggle. They never have the same crema, which could be a matter of volume of beans or something. I still like having more coffee breaks without overcaffeinating.
I don’t but this is the perfect use case for these stepdown baskets imo
Using Mara X and stock single shot basket and Normcore Puck screen
8g – watery
8.5g watery
9g watery
9.5g – no luck
10g – going to try tomorrow
My standard is a single shot latte. This is to limit my caffeine intake.
It is a mental trick. 2 single shots has the same caffeine as 1 double. So I get to drink TWO single cups a day, rather than only one double.
You just have to be careful and precise when dialing in. Then after you dial it in, you just have to be consistent.
Example, when dosing.
I dose 8g for a single. If I dose 8.8g, or 0.8g more, that is 10%.
Whereas if I do a 16g double, and dose 16.8g, that 0.8g over is only 5%.
So your measurements have to be more precise. IOW less sloppy.
Same thing happens in the pull.
If you do a 20g single, but pull 22g, that is 10% over.
If you do a 40g double, but pull 42g, that is 5% over.
Loooove proper single shots.
Half a double doesn’t count. A proper single tastes different. Milder, rounder. You can still pick out the notes but the amplitude’s turned down and the scratch and fuzz gives way to a nice clean, warm, brioche-y finish.
Tamping is a proper pain. I totally cheat by using [this](https://www.quandocoffeegear.com/shop/single-basket-extension). Dead simple and you can use your preferred 58mm self leveling tamper of choice. You need a [good single dose basket](https://www.amazon.com/IMS-Competitive-Precision-Filter-Basket/dp/B076TQZN2K), however, with a proper shoulder and well. [This](https://www.espressoparts.com/products/standard-single-portafilter-basket-7gr) is a good one too. Avoid the shallow concave “bowl” type baskets. Those suck because the puck is silly thin at the edges and gets pulverized by water dispersion.
Stupid dial in tricks: once I’ve dialed in the grind for a 16g shot (in a regular 16g basket), I can use the same (or very close) grind for half that (8g) in a single shot basket. Try it, it’s fun.
I have pulled the odd single shot but will tend to split. Instead. I sometimes add the 1/2 to my full shot flat white for a turbo boost.