Billet baskets with holes that actually go all the way to the edge!

Traditional baskets are economically mass produced by stamping thin sheets of metal which require a large radius at the bottom edge. The thin material combined with high pressure extractions place the holes away from the outer edge for stress/deformation issues. They also have curved bottoms because it would deform permanently after the first few uses anyways as the material work hardens.

In my design, I set out on a no compromise approach with holes all the way to the edge - not just close enough! If this was done on standard 300 series stainless steel, it would deform and eventually crack. Rather than simply making the basket thicker and heavier*, I use 17-4 stainless steel, a martensitic precipitation hardened material that is traditionally reserved for turbine blades, food processing equipment, gears/shafts or rocket engines which require high strength, hardness and corrosion resistance. To put this in numbers, the tensile yield stress of hardened 17-4 can be >190,000 psi whereas 316 is only ~35,000 psi. Stainless steel grinder burrs have a hardness rating of ~50 HRC. 17-4 can be hardened to >43 HRC while 316 is so soft, it doesn't even register on the HRC scale. Another important difference is that while 17-4 has excellent corrosion resistance, it's magnetic! Something that is important to the home barista. Not only will your magnetic accessories like funnels and my PorcuPress continue to work, they will now work even better.

Why am I telling you this? Because if you followed me this far, you might find this interesting as I am trying to bring my aerospace experience to the world of coffee! You probably also want to know where all your money is going...

*Increasing thickness adds unwanted thermal mass and increases the likelihood of clogging

The manufacturing process is long and extensive. It starts with a nearly 1kg solid block of 17-4 (which the raw material alone cost more than a high end stamped basket) and hogged away in the hardened state leaving just ~45g behind - the metal removed is recycled into raw material. Due to the complex processes involved, these baskets have an unconventional flat lip and take many hours to produce each one.

Measurements:

*New shower screen is required to use with the Picopresso

Depth:

*Actual volume capacity will vary with grind size, roast level, humidity, etc

Hole Count:

Thickness: 0.75mm

49mm Availability:

55mm Availability:

58mm Availability:

Pattern Tasting Notes*

Reduced/Standard/High Flow: Uniform round hole patterns in three different hole packing densities arranged in a Fibonacci spiral. Reduced Flow has a lower number of holes matching high end stamped baskets but reaches out to the edge as expected. This aims for a more typical flavour profile without having to grind very fine. Standard Flow features the same hole spacing as stamped baskets but packs a lot more holes since they go all the way to the edge. Both are great for milk drinks and traditional espresso for a more blended taste profile while seeing an extraction bump. High Flow gets interesting as the hole count increases drastically and typically have an even higher extraction bump. I use this for milk drinks too without fail but shines with light roasts and long ratio pulls. Expect increased acidity and clarity.

Citrus Slice: It looks like a cut of citrus! Testing this one with friends, we found increased acidity over the high flow pattern that was clean, clear and fruit forward.

Variable Flow - Midbelt/Edge Bias: Different regions of the puck produce different levels of perceived acidity/sweetness/bitterness/etc. We found that different coffees and roast levels greatly alter the results of these baskets (compared to the standard/high flow as an example comparison) but generally speaking - Midbelt Bias rounds out the peak acidity just taking the edge off of coffees that seem to attack your taste buds as well as taming astringency. Edge Bias increased bandwidth on acidity without spiking higher.

*Based on my personal testing

Paper filters are not required but available here if you prefer to use them

TLDR:

• Highest strength to weight rating. Baskets flex under pressure - they all do. However, the Billet Basket is 0.75mm thick and is the ONLY basket on the market properly engineered to NOT deform permanently (9 bar). Other baskets even >1.2mm thick will deform permanently - yet they are heavy with a large thermal mass. The thicker the basket, the larger the holes need to be to tame clogging. Large holes lead to gritty cups and localized extractions
• Highly magnetic
• Highest hole coverage area of any basket (i.e. 57.5mm coverage for the 58mm size)
• Due to the straight side wall, these baskets will be a tighter fit going into your portafilter. You can loosen the grip by relieving the bends on the portafilter spring
• In order to maximize hole coverage, your portafilter should be straight through design. Do not use portafilters with a lip at the bottom which reduce in diameter (typically cast brass portafilters)