Everyone loves a good espresso gadget. Maybe this one last thingamabob is going to be final piece of the puzzle that allows me to unlock The God Shot. Probably not, but still, it’s fun to try. (And really isn’t The God Shot the espressos we tasted along the way?) Enter Graph, a new stepped espresso basket that allows your 58mm portafilter to go down to 46mm, with a promise of sweeter, more repeatable results. And it’s live on Kickstarter now.
In the espresso world, both home and cafe, the 58mm basket is pretty much the gold standard. There are other machines that use other, typically smaller diameter basket sizes, but the 58mm is the modus operandi for all commercial and pretty much every high-end and prosumer espresso machine. But does that mean that 58mm is actually better?
For the Graph, created by Cambridge, UK-based coffee equipment designer Cay Franz, it isn’t necessarily about the width of the basket but the depth. By decreasing the diameter and increasing the height of the basket, thus increasing the thickness of the puck while using the same amount of grounds, the resulting shot is said to be sweeter than on a traditional 58mm basket.
And per the Kickstarter, there are additional benefits to the deeper basket. The thicker puck, per Graph, is able to handle a coarser grind and has an overall wider berth in terms of grind size. It also states the basket is less sensitive to tamping and that the pressure range is wider than traditional 58mm, from six bars all the way to nine bars. Overall, it leads to a more forgiving user experience that could lead to a higher frequency of good shots.
And perhaps the biggest factor in whether or not one takes a flyer on a new basket type such as this is that it fits inside any standard 58mm portafilter. No need to buy additional equipment, just swap out the baskets.
Still with over five weeks left in the campaign, the Graph has already reached its £6,000 ($7,493 USD) goal. Still there are rewards aplenty. For £29 ($37 USD), backers can get a complete conversion kit, including a basket, 46mm tamper, and a funnel for clean and efficient grounds transfer. Or, if you’re industrious, you can opt for the £15 ($19 USD) option, which includes a basket and the CAD plans for the tamper and funnel to create your own. Rewards are scheduled to begin shipping out in June.
For more information or to back the campaign, visit the Graph Kickstarter page.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
All media via Graph
