Weber Workshops Releases New Portafilter The Buck & 3 Sizes Of Unibasket

On June 16th, 2023, Weber Workshops is releasing the BUCK, its vision of the ideal naked portafilter, in addition to 3 new sizes of Unibasket™. The Unibasket™ is also seeing a substantial price drop across the product line that is sure to lead the mainstream of next-gen espresso baskets. In May of 2022 Weber Workshops released the Unifilter™, a unibody portafilter with the basket integral to the product, which subsequently won awards and spawned a new product category of high-end baskets. The Unibasket™, the “basket only” form of the Unifilter™, was released in December 2022 and quickly became a staple in cutting-edge specialty coffee preparation since. The BUCK and the wide range of Unibasket sizes will now allow any café or home espresso aficionado to combine to their specific dose size and workflow unlike ever before.

The BUCK™ is a naked portafilter crafted from a block of forged, machined, and polished stainless steel. Much like the Unifilter, it is designed to sit flat on a countertop, eliminating the need for the awkward hanging-off-the-edge while-tamping of standard portafilters. Available in 2 styles of handle, both the FKM Rubber and Solid Teak handles have a solid stainless core which gives it the heft and strength to last a lifetime. While optimized for use with any Unibasket™ size, the BUCK will work with all standard 58mm baskets.

As for the Unibasket™, due to its immediate success and high adoption rates around the globe, Weber Workshops decided to go all-in with the product line, simultaneously creating 3 more basket sizes while streamlining the production to drop the price in half. Originally just available in 20g, the Unibasket™ is now available in 16g, 20g, 24g, and an industry-first 28g mega-shot size, all priced at half of the original, at $85.

Unibasket™ Background

The espresso basket, until now, used punched holes in a thin bottom web of material. This was an inexpensive and efficient way to make something that worked just well-enough. However, this manufacturing process limits both the shapes of the side walls (they need draft, which results in slanted walls), and the proximity of the holes to those walls, which is not optimal for even extraction throughout the puck. With the Unibasket™’s manufacturing, the inner walls are kept perfectly vertical, and the holes aren’t “punched” all at once. The same as the Unifilter™, they are laser ablated, one by one, with an even pattern right up to the vertical walls. In other words, a 58mm portafilter basket has a full 58mm “active area” as opposed to a 48mm one (equivalent to over 30% increase in surface area). This improved surface area ratio and maintenance of puck rigidity commonly results in a 2-3% increase in extraction yield (this has been independently reported by several leading coffee experts). Put simply, better design and manufacturing are at work to produce better coffee.

Commercially speaking, a major advantage of Unibasket™ technology is in how quickly a fully-extracted and balanced espresso can be produced. Our testing, in addition to a very in-depth analysis by online coffee guru Lance Hedrick, proved that with an equivalent dose size a Unibasket with its geometry was capable of producing a 22% EY shot in <20 seconds whereas a 19% EY shot on a “standard” basket took closer to 30 seconds. In other words, you get a faster shot time without compromising quality and getting more even extractions. The time savings per shot, combined with the fact that they are built for longevity and do not “blow-out” and require replacing, not only quickly pay off the cost difference but contribute to a much more sustainable product.

 

The Unibasket™ is a portafilter basket created from a single, thick piece of stainless steel. Whereas typical baskets are made from 0.5mm thin stainless steel, the Unibasket™ is forged from a 1.2mm thick blank of stainless steel. The added thickness dramatically improves the rigidity of the puck during extraction by almost eliminating the bowing out of the bottom face, a common cause of puck cracking and channeling during extraction.

Douglas Weber, the Founder and CEO of Weber Workshops, mentioned that: “With both the BUCK and the expansion of the Unibasket product line, we are aiming to define the new standard in portafilter basket technology broadly across the industry. We made strategic investments in the core manufacturing technology of Unibasket to create an inimitable product quality at a very accessible price point. We are now opening this up to wider distribution and direct B2B sales for high-end espresso machines. Much like IMS and VST did many years ago with quality improvements, we’re defining the new standard moving forward.”

The release of the BUCK and the new Unibasket™ line aims to firmly cement this new extraction technology industry-wide. With significantly higher extraction yields, reduced shot times, and improved flavor in the cup, these product innovations are representative of the care and craft that defines the future of specialty coffee in espresso.

Included in the package with each BUCK purchase
• One BUCK portafilter handle.
• One basket retaining spring.
• One pack of 58mm EPF filters.
• [Optional add-on discount] One Unibasket™ of select size.

Included in the package with each Unibasket™ purchase
• One Unibasket™, sized at 16g, 20g, 24g, or 28g.
• One basket retaining spring.
• One Stainless 316 Puck Screen.
• One pack of 58mm EPF filters.

Other product details

Pricing:
$150 FKM Rubber Handle BUCK, $180 Teak Handle BUCK $170 $85 Unibasket (all sizes)
$50 Unibasket when added to BUCK order

Size and Weight:
BUCK: 75mm diameter x 65mm height

Unibasket:
– (16g) 71mm diameter x XX height.
– (20g) 71mm diameter x height. 59g.
– (24g)
– (28g)

Compatibility: BUCK fits all standard 58mm machines including any with an E61 group head. This includes LaMarzocco (except KB-90), Synesso, Slayer, Kees VanDer Westen, Rocket, Lelit, Decent, Flair etc.. Compatibility of Unibasket™ may depend on size of basket and the available depth in the portafilter handle being used. More details on the official Unibasket™ homepage.

Availability: BUCK is available for pre-order now with shipping in September 2023. The Unibasket™ is available NOW in 20g size, with other 3 sizes available for pre-order now with shipping in August 2023.

The products may be viewed in more detail at https://weberworkshops.com/products/BUCK
and https://weberworkshops.com/products/UNIBASKET, respectively. For all press inquiries, please contact Weber Workshops at: press@weberworkshops.com.

About Weber Workshops
Weber Workshops was founded in 2014 by Douglas Weber, an Apple Product Design veteran with a deep passion for design, coffee and kitchenware. Dedicated to breaking the cycle of wasteful consumption, the company creates heirloom-quality instruments by rethinking and reimagining the products used in specialty coffee preparation. In 2021 it won “Product of the Year” with the KEY Grinder at SCAA New Orleans, and in 2022 it won several product awards with the Unifilter™.

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