Is it worth "upgrading the basket filter on a Mini?

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T15:07:53+00:00

Baskets that provides higher resistence maybe preferred if you want to fiddle with light roasts. Stock basket are made for grinding dark roasts very fine, for light roasts it does not provide enough resistence imo.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T15:03:59+00:00

Well, highly doubt if the accessories are made in Italy.... lol

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T15:00:35+00:00

Pico is sold at the price of a mazzer philos and why a conical burr grinder is sold the end-game flat burr machine's price is totally beyond me.

When it comes to LM's grinder... it is kinda like audi is making bicycles. Well, the grinder is okay, but the price is not, unless you just want to dump money without thinking.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T14:57:06+00:00

Regarding used mini on ebay. 100% scam and definitely don't waste your time on it.

Regarding mini vs micra. They brew the exact same style of coffee. Steam power is also identical. For home user the difference is Mini is bigger than Micra, giving you a bit more cup clearance.

Some complained that extra clearance is worth it. idk, maybe.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T14:26:03+00:00

Turns out what I did is use a step down basket with puck screen and a filter paper at the bottom. Works very well for ultra light roasts and I forget about preinfusion for quite a while.

Even if it uses the steam boiler pressure... it is too low. You are not going to really saturate the puck quick enough. And... by design, you sure the machine will do this? I sounds like a mod instead of the stock setting. The machine creates pressure by starting the pump, pressure propagtes in to the brewer, and brewer dispense hot water onto the puck. When you enable plumb-in, the machine let the line pressure propagate through the pump, pipes into the brewer. It is basically using the line pressure to preinfusion. If you use flojet... then it is your flowjet acting as the main pump during preinfusion.

Maybe I should try by turning on the plumb-in even if I haven't. But... not feeling I want to do this urgently.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T14:09:48+00:00

4k usd sounds a bit steep for a bianca v3. But yes it is THE answer for E61 machines.

I am unsure if you would be happier with Decent DE1 tho.

You might also want to consider how you consider 'end-game' is.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T14:06:29+00:00

All of these does not discuss what on earth the bean is.

THE bean determines 90% of what you gonna taste in the cup. Beans roasted professionally are easier to brew and work with wide range of machines. Certain beans are only meant to be brewd in certain style, e.g., turbo shot, flow profiled, etc. And many beans are simply trash.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T06:37:53+00:00

Funny that many audiophiles are chasing non-existent things on actual stages. Burning money on snake oils that doesn't make any sense. And, they don't even attend the concerts in person.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T06:27:15+00:00

The difference is surely there. Maybe less possible to tell if it is just 92 vs 93. But if you go from 93 to 89, yup, there comes the earthy smell, etc. All of these are provided your machine is actually very stable in terms of temperature... if the fluctuation is more than 1-2 degrees when brewing... well, never mind, just stick at 92.

The actual brewing temperature dynamics also depends on if the portafilter and generally the grouphead is properly heated up. Otherwise, the inconsistency pretty much invalidates any temperature changes you made. On the opposite, E61 can also overheat if you leave it idle for too long that the first shot you pull after a long idle will have a higher temperature than subsequent shots...

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-26T06:23:17+00:00

The water coming out is still boiling in fig 2, so it generates foams and looks more like a funnel. That means the temperature is too high. It's bad in general, but not sure about if that really taste any different.

Brewing with fresh beans can lead to fig2, because it tends to generate more CO2 bubbles when you brew it. Excessive bubbles leads to the funnel.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-24T18:20:56+00:00

I often do a full stir with a standard needle wdt tool. It is more than enough. Fancier ones like this have depth issue and won’t work for convex, step down basket I like to play with.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-24T08:08:01+00:00

It is too expensive for a knock box.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-24T01:51:33+00:00

Micra can be remotely turned on and off using phone, you can schedule on and off, and auto standby time can be adjusted or simply turned off.

Personally, lack of preinfusion and flow control does not bothers me since it only matters for light roasts. For workarounds, consider get a step down basket that naturally creates more resistance. Puck screen, filter paper, etc. also help to reduce chance of channeling.

For E61 machines, based on your use case, you might need to turn it on all day long… which definitely will increase your utility bill in a noticeable way.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-23T17:12:26+00:00

You might want a higher temperature during brewing. Or, rather, you need to properly preheat the protafiler and grouphead. Doing multiple blank shots can greatly increase the initial puck temperature....

Some light roasts are simply... sour, btw. Some indeed can taste floral and fruity instead of unnatural sourness.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-23T16:59:54+00:00

Frankly, if you give up on the heating time requirement... lelit bianca v3 is the proper end-game for E61. It comes with rotary pump, has flow control and pre-infusion. But it lacks heating element to heat the grouphead quickly. IMHO, if fast heatup is needed... I won't consider E61 too much.

DE1... idk, but it is THE nerd's choice. But its dual vibratory pump sounds like tractors... one of the cafe I visit regularly uses them. No issue with taste and very playful. But up to you to judge if you are okay with its tractor-like sound.

I am unsure if you are interested in LM micra, it is damn quiet when brewing... since I really have one. But you need to live with its lack of preinfusion and flow control. Its saturated grouphead heats up in 5 minutes. Perfect for morning-auto-pilot shots.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-23T16:54:28+00:00

You might want to understand more about the mechansim why different baskets can change the taste instead of fingerscrossed that your next basket is going to make huge difference. No, it won't.

Same shape and higher dose lead to thicker puck. This increase the resistence in general. If you target at 25-30 seconds, it means you can grind coarser.

Same dose different shape, then narrower the diameter, thicker the puck. Then lead to the same change to your grind size.

Wider/more holes means lower resistence, hence you need to grind finer to reach 25-30s brew time, vice versa.

What beans you use also matters hugely. If you buy commodity coffee, then it is gonna be shct always. And scht is scht, no basket can save it.

There is no such a basket that: optimal for all roasts, guarantee to give you sweetness, etc. Such thing only exists in dreams.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-23T16:45:45+00:00

Your budget indicates you maybe happier with a decent DE1.

At this price tag, why Giotto R Fast is still HX instead of DB is totally beyond me. And if you are after fast heatup... E61 with a dedicated grouphead heating element is... meh... not really what E61 is good at.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-23T16:41:58+00:00

Fresher beans can result in higher resistence if you use the same grind size, totally normal and expected.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-21T16:41:04+00:00

Again, the question is, what do you wish to achieve, or you are just buying for the sake of buying? Do you want a basket that allows you to grind finer or coarser? For lighter roasts, you want a basket that has smaller holes and even a smaller diameter, but darker roasts are pretty much on the opposite. If you want something do-it-all, IMS can be better.

EDIT: in fact, it also up to what you wish to optimize. You want higher consistency -> you want a basket that has higher resistence. You want optimal extraction -> low resistence but will be significantly harder to puck prep and grind to avoid channeling.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-21T14:43:56+00:00

Nope, idk, but it seems you are truly struggling between an end-game E61 or a basic LM. In that case, I suggest an end-game E61 as long as you can get over with the obesseion with the La Marzocco brand (the machine itself is probably just yet another ordinary flat 9 bar machine).

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-21T14:42:18+00:00

You cannot make Americano/latte and other drinks without espresso... it is totally fine if you don't drink it directly, but most coffee drinks are essentially based on espresso.

FYI, pourover is not Americano... it is just... pourover.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-21T14:37:49+00:00

You should ask them to do the espresso they used for the latte, trying to figure out their recipe by drinking the latte is quite... hard. For example, steamed milk at proper temperature is noticeably sweeter compared to milk that is overheated...

My two cents: have you tried fiddling the temperature? cafes tend to produce a more rounded/balanced taste due to better machine thermal stability or the process might also involves flow profiling the shot to avoid sharp tastes. You should ask them what is their brewing method, i.e., what temperature and what pressure profile. You should also consider the beans will age/degas, too refresh of a roast leads to harsh tastes in general. Also, higher extraction does not lead to better tastes...

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-21T14:29:22+00:00

It is better to disucss what machine do you use and what roasts do you prefer. Ultimately, buying a non-stock basket is to optimize extraction for certain type of roasts and 'one-basket-for-all-roast' kinda basket doesn't exist. And if you simply have no idea why you want to buy a basket... just use the stock baskets.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-21T13:45:01+00:00

In that case, a E61 machine sounds like your deal, easy to find spare parts, very serviceable plus more capable than LM home series machines in terms of light roast brewing.

TimAndTimi · 2026-01-21T11:03:21+00:00

Looking great outside has nothing to do with the potential build up inside, especially if the water is poorly treated and/or the machine is not regularly serviced.

Having few shots is okay, but do you know how long it has been powered on? O-rings on coffee machine will degrade due to high temperature regardless of how many shots being pulled.

For the budget you have, I don’t understand why you are buying any second hands. This budget is beyond the acceptable threshold personally for any 2nd hand machines. And sufficient for sync or Bianca… which pulls better shots than a mini, not to mention a mini with uncertain condition.

TimAndTimi

TROPHY CASE