The black basket and unique holes make this one super aesthetic piece of coffee gear. But what's more important than the look is how it functions. The paper filter and puck make a very noticeable difference in taste. The espresso that comes out is much cleaner and sweeter. But the downside is that the espresso tends to spray all over. Not "espresso rain" like the Weber Workshop Unibasket. But sometimes it's wild sprays. Makes for a really messy, but delicious experience. Read more

My Normcore 58mm Precision High Extraction Basket arrived without any issues. It was securely packed and came with a pack of 200 espresso filter papers, and a black puck screen. First Impression: This basket is a stunning piece of engineering! It’s the mother of all HE baskets. Not only does it have thousands of precisely placed holes, but those holes are more elongated/larger than most other HE baskets (even my other normcore HE basket.) This promises a more flavorful extraction, along with a significant boost in flow rate. The basket is simply beautiful with its rich matte black color, which is rare to see and is what initially caught my eye. The basket also fits perfectly in my 58mm bottomless portafilter. The included paper filters and matching puck screen are thoughtful add-ons that enhance the overall Normcore experience. Performance: Be prepared to rethink your espresso routine. This basket demands a much finer grind (bordering on Turkish,) a heavier tamp, and shorter extraction time. While the initial learning curve may be steep, the reward is a richer, more complex cup with a chocolatey depth that's hard to achieve with my traditional baskets. I had to go even finer on my grind to continue to pull a balanced shot at around 15-20 seconds than what I was doing with its sister HE basket (see pic of hole size difference between the two HE Normcore baskets.) I also found that the filter is highly necessary when using this basket. Normally I can go without using one for my other HR basket, but I simply have to with this basket. Final Thoughts: Overall, this basket is a game-changer for serious coffee enthusiasts. Its unique elongated hole design and sensitive performance elevate the espresso experience to new heights. Normcore is and will forever be a heavy hitter in the espresso world. You cannot go wrong with any of their high-quality products. Read more

Overall fairly pleased with this basket, but it's not without flaws in my setup. I have a Calphalon IQ and this basket takes some extra torque to get to full lock the basket against the gasket. Also this basket is now semi-permanently seated into my portafilter as it seems to be just a few micrometers too big for the filter and now will not pop out. Will need some tools to get it out. Extraction is solid from the basket, but the stream coming out doesn't settle into a single stream like my old basket...it remains as 3-5 separate streams throughout the duration of the extraction process. That said, it doesn't seem to effect the espresso quality from what I can tell....but for some reason just doesn't feel as satisfying. I've been using this for about a month now....trying to figure out if I should make the effort to switch back to my old filter. For now sticking with the Normacore....I do like the looks of it. Read more

Out of the box, this filter basket looks great. The black coating is sleek, and the hole pattern looks very uniform. The holes themselves are a pill shape unlike the typical dot/circle shape. The holes are also arranged in a spiral pattern. It includes a stack of filter paper, and a puck screen. For the first espresso pull with this basket, I used the same grind setting I had dialed for my existing vst basket. The pull ended up taking about the same time as my previous basket, and it tasted great. The first thing I noticed during the pull was when observing the pull via my espresso shot mirror, it was very difficult to tell when it started to come out of the filter basket due to the black basket blending the dark colored coffee that comes out initially. It wasn't until later in the pull when the coffee color was lighter in color that you can't really see it. The black basket really makes it difficult to observe the shot with a bottomless portafilter. It's probably more suited to just be used in a spouted portafilter. The other thing that was obvious right after pulling the first shot was when I was cleaning the basket. When you put it up to the light when it was first opened out of the box, you can see the lovely pattern and holes all being uniformly cut. After just one shot (i didn't use the paper filter), and my usual quick rinse of the basket, I could see fine grinds were stuck in a bunch of spots. This was a clear difference compared to my vst basket with the normal circle holes, which cleans quite well and leaves no clogged holes. Perhaps the oblong pill shaped holes just give the fines much more space to get stuck. It's also very difficult to even get the grinds out of the holes, so you're left with old grounds stuck in the filter, and also smaller holes that are potentially restricting flow a bit more than it did on its very first espresso pull. Perhaps it is why they included the paper filter. Despite the inability to thoroughly clean the basket without resorting to using some intense pressurized water or air, the basket did a good job producing tasty espresso. Read more

Coating is my only concern regarding longevity and will showing signs of wear, especially around the spring. Otherwise great oval basket that fits my 58mm filters, is easy to clean, and has even flow. Read more

I don’t like hard to use difference grinder size Read more