58mm-49mm Step-Down Basket Alpha Progress Blog
Thanks for everyone's support! For those who didn't have the chance to claim a spot for the Alpha, please use the "notify me" button on the basket page and sign up to the newsletter to be notified when the next version and batch becomes available.
2025.July.3
One point of concern for many people was the rigidity of the bottom of my 58-49mm stepdown basket, and thus it was a feature that I wanted to get right.
After at least a hundred shots with this prototype basket in various machines, with most of them at 9 bar, the bottom seems to not have experienced any permanent deformation. I will note that the surface of the bottom was a bit uneven to start with as a result of manufacturing. However, it is only visible super up-close / with a lot of magnification, was already present before the first espresso shot was brewed, and does not seem to have changed after the shots.
This is a test to see if the basket deformed after use, and I’m trying to think of a way to visualize or measure how much the bottom of the basket may bulge during the shot. If anyone has done it before or can suggest a way to do it, let me know!
2025.July.1
Thanks @were_jamming for spending an afternoon testing the prototype Stepdown basket with me. We ran several tests with a masterfully roasted Ethiopia from @rkicoffeelab. Jiaming is both a baker and a barista but we performed the basket tests in the context of a home barista. With his trusty Wendougee Data S machine we were able to see realtime pressure and flow rate data change as we tried shots with different factors, like doses ranging from 16g-18g, using a mesh or puck screen or without, and different pressure profiles. Personally, this test was where I was able to taste the biggest difference between the stepdown and regular 58mm basket. The stepdown offered a much more rounded and well balanced espresso shot that opened up the stage for the floral and fruity notes to come through. This was also the first test run I had with my accessories for the basket, and I was able to see where future refinements were to be made.
Here are Jiaming’s thoughts:
“We’ve all been there. You’ve got a delicious, maybe pricey bag of coffee. Sure, you could make another pour-over. But the espresso machine is sitting right there, waving at you. The only problem? Dialing in espresso might eat up way too many shots. You risk blowing through half the bag before you ever unlock its full potential.
With the step-down basket, I was pretty happy with my first shot just by guessing the parameters. In a home setup, where it’s tough to constantly monitor and tweak the dial over days or weeks, this basket seems to be more forgiving and accepts a wider margin of error. Which means fewer wasted shots and more saved beans.”
2025.June.27
I did some testing for my 58-49mm Stepdown Basket alpha prototype (no pun intended) at @prototypecoffee.ca. I’m very grateful for Matt, the founder of Prototype Coffee, for taking the time to test the basket with me. Being behind the counter itself, and doing test shots was a super cool and fun experience. We ran a variety of different shot times, grind sizes, and coffee beans, and this was what he had to say about it:
“I was really impressed with the build quality overall; it felt solid and well made. I noticed what seemed to be an increase of complexity and flavour clarity in the coffees from the step-down basket, and I was surprised that there wasn’t very much (if any) loss of body at comparable shot times, despite the coarser grind setting.“
For me personally, doing tests at cafe environments really confirms that a very optimized workflow is essential. I’ve been brainstorming ideas with the people I’ve tested with and I possibly have some interesting products for the commercial environment coming in the future!
2025.June.26
Here’s footage from the first external test with my 58-49 Stepdown basket, which is a first of a series of videos that I’m calling “Basket Testing Chronicles”
Being the first external test only less than 24 hours after I got the basket prototype, my custom tamper and dosing rings hadn’t existed yet, so you can see a very “barebones” workflow as a result.
Here are the thoughts from Mark, owner of Sunny M, as interpreted by me: “Mark found that even 2g less than his usual 18g, the flavour still outperformed his previous day’s dial-ins using the same beans in his usual basket. As a cafe owner serving high end specialty beans, he thinks maintaining or improving cup quality with a lower dose could translate to meaningful cost savings and more customers served over the long term.”
I’m not a qualified coffee taster, but from my own experience I was able to taste a stronger fruitier notes in the shot from my basket when compared side to side with his usual 58mm basket.
I'm very grateful that Mark from Sunny M Specialty Coffee was willing to test the basket with me! If you’re ever in Richmond, stop by their shop and order some top-notch coffee!
2025.June.24
I'm pleased to let everyone know that the initial V0.1 batch of the baskets has officially begun production. With my current prototype of the V0.1 basket, I've done quite a bit of testing with some of Vancouver's finest coffee people and learned quite a bit about its shot results and workflow. I've made a few small tweaks to the basket design which will be reflected in this batch going out to all my Alpha testers, and I'm looking forward to learning lots more from hearing your feedback.
Current rough timeline looks like I'll be able to ship out the baskets to everyone around late August.
Here are some additional photos of the prototype. Remember, details are still subject to change.
2025.June.11
I've just received the first prototype of the basket! (There were some major shipping delays) Here's the first test shot with the basket. I was too excited to get it recorded to share with everyone, so the camera settings/lighting weren't the most optimal.
In this shot: 16.0g Kenya, coarser grind (2 dots coarser than my usual on a Niche Zero) vs my usual 18.0g on a high flow basket. Shot pressure reached 10 bars with a Flair 58, but it seems the bottom of the basket held its shape fine.
More tests and photos and videos to come!
2025.May.21
I'm about to get the first prototype version in about a week from now. I'll be showing some results and footage very soon! This way I'll also be able to make any final adjustments if needed before producing the batch of V0.1 which everyone will be getting.
2025.May.15
I initially wrote that I was planning to explore options for puck expansion mitigation in the future, and that a 49mm mesh screen is recommended but not included. Before the launch I had no idea that there would be overwhelming support for the basket! With it fully sold out, I thought it was due for a little celebration. A spring and mesh screen will be included in everyone's Alpha V0.1 shipments! I will greatly appreciate getting feedback about how these work for everyone.
There were some concerns regarding the inner diameter of the extraction zone of the basket being 49.5mm, mainly that it won't fit a lot of existing tampers. I've expanded this diameter to 49.85mm for the first prototype, and we'll see how it goes!
There were also concerns about the thickness at the bottom of the basket, which might bulge out a lot during the shot, given that it's 304 steel. I will have the thickness at 1.2mm for my first prototype.
2025.May.13
I thank everyone for the amazing enthusiasm and support! I didn't expect to have all 100 spots filled so quickly (13 hours 😲). This blog post will track the progress of the Alpha V0.1 version of the basket. Also, since I've noted that some of the details on the product pages are subject to change, I'll try to leave a changelog of the significant changes here.
Before shipping everyone's baskets out, I'm going to test my own prototype first before placing the order for the batch.