IMS Precision 16-18g Filter Basket compatible with Delonghi La Specialista, DL2TH26E

This is a "2-1/2 shot" basket; if you want the "2 shot" then the 22 is the one to get. However, a bit more coffee never hurt, right?You DO need a decent grinder that can produce a good, even grind. The factory basket, if you remove the pressurization piece (it can be disassembled and removed) is a maybe 1-1/2 or 1-3/4 shot basket, so this (or the 22) is a definite improvement as the factory basket produces shots that IMHO are a bit thin in a double espresso cup. With this basket you can pull full double shots and get what you expect. This basket WILL fit in the factory portafilter with the plastic insert -- you will have to finagle the retaining spring a bit to hold the basket in place so knocking the puck out doesn't dislodge it (unless you toss both basket and puck in the sink to cool before dumping) but that's not a big deal. You DO NOT need a bottomless portafilter for this one; the taper is sufficient at the bottom to clear the factory plastic insert.Between either of these baskets, a decent tamper (the plastic one it comes with is garbage) to get a consistent tamp, a good roast (fresh please!) and even an inexpensive -- but burr -- grinder that can produce a consistent grind these machines will return very-acceptable shots with a decent amount of crema.Its not a Quickmill Vetrano but it also doesn't cost like one. A definite and worthwhile upgrade considering the modest price; I use one of these inexpensive Delonghi's as my "travel" machine (along with a grinder) and like it plenty for what it is.Recommended.

Something that experienced espresso makers repeat is that the grinder is more important than the espresso machine, and you can get good results with a good grinder and a less expensive espresso machine. It was time to upgrade our coffee grinder, so I retired our Capresso Infinity and ordered a Eureka Mignon Silenzio, I don't regret that purchase at all. This filter basket is a perfect fit in our Breville Cafe Roma espresso machine. I had the itch to try my hand at "real" espresso, so I needed a non-pressurized basket, which our machine did not come with.Based on my reading as well as my experience with two cheaper baskets (one for $1 from AliExpress which was terrible, and one for $10 from Amazon- better, but I still couldn't get shots dialed in because the holes were too big), I began looking for a precision filter. I finally contacted IMS in Italy and was referred to a representative in the US who alerted me to the upcoming offering through Amazon. There are other 51mm filters out there, but the Cafe Roma needs the ones with the flat flange like this one. It's specified as a 16-18 gram basket, but 16 grams seems to fill it to the top. This filter dropped into the porta-filter with no changes required, and it holds in there like the factory one did. I have to say I'm thrilled with how delicious our morning cappuccinos are. I tried some coffees from a local roaster and it's amazing how much flavor we are now getting in our cup, and it's easy to distinguish the Costa Rican coffee from the Brazilian or the Guatemalan. So, is the improvement all due to the filter? No, I'd credit the grinder first, followed by good coffee, followed by the filter basket. I paid 35 for this basket, which is a lot more than the generic baskets go for, but given that we are super happy with our espresso now, and therefore I have no urge to upgrade our espresso machine- that's a huge savings!If you have not gotten yourself a good espresso grinder, do that first. If you're good to go in that department, give one of these a try, they are good and will improve the quality and consistency of your espresso shots.

Solid item but unfortunately did not fit my actual espresso maker. For the basket fine, the rim was too wide for my espresso machine. Chalk this up to maybe poor measuring on my part.

The basket is of very good quality and it fits delonghi ecp 3420 very well. It probably fits well all delonghi models, but i have only that one to attest to. It makes a tasty espresso with good crema. The holes are round and uniform. They retain the coffee grounds even at crazy fine settings. I know it from experience.The only downside is that the basket walls begin to narrow down about 5-7mm from the bottom. The tamper wedges into the basket when using less than 13g of coffee. I wish the walls were parallel a bit further down towards the bottom in order to allow for 10-13g shots. On the top side, the limit is about 14-15g. above that the coffee puck begins to touch the shower screen after extraction.

This devices seems to be a very nice quality build but this is ruined by the tapering of the basket near the top that make it too snug for 51 mm tampers. The tamper actually moves nicely through the middle half but gets stuck at the top. This is bad in general because even if it were slightly larger and didn’t actually get stuck it still risks suctioning the puck out of the screen.Potentially fixable by hammering a correct diameter hard object into the top while the metal has been heated and then letting it cool with the pegged object left inside or a pipe stretcher.Consider increasing the aperture of the top of the basket so that it matches the mid section. If there’s a structural reason for the convex walls then consider slightly increasing the entire aperture. Tested using Ikape and Normcore 51 mm tampers on a 51 mm 3 cup basket.

Works perfectly

I have two versions of this basket, the 22 and 26 (14g and 18g-ish versions), and both are excellent quality. Paired with a Normcore bottomless filter, yields an eye-candy presentation of espresso flow. I noticed a significant improvement in the quality and consistency of the finished shot

Excellent. Tho in fact, the lip is indeed bigger than most 51mm baskets, so It took a dremel and an abrasive point to remove, carefully, a 1-2mm radius around, so my normal tools fitted with it. Otherwise, material is excellent, and it does indeed channel all to the mid. Great shots and repeatability with this basket.