RDS Distribution Collar by robschwieb

Last crawled date: 2 years, 12 months ago

Anyone who has fallen into the rabbit hole of espresso knows how critical even distribution is. There are plenty of methods already in place (WSD, NSEW, nutation, finger swipe, Stockfleth move, dark arts, etc.) but are all dependent on how well the barista performs them.
Many will argue, "well that's what makes a good barista!" and I would agree. However, the mythical espresso dance is the first thing I do each morning and in my uncaffeinated, groggy state, I'm not exactly up to World Barista Championship performance levels...
All that to say, the home barista who only makes a couple shots each day is prone to inconsistencies due to a lack of repetition. The last thing you want at 6am is espresso spraying all over you and your countertop because you forgot eye of newt in the blood sacrifice portion of your distribution routine.
This collar eliminates some of that hassle. Yes, there are others like it already on the market for sale but I didn't feel like spending ridiculous amounts of money on one.
I wanted to design one that had stepless depth adjustment, able to be changed on the fly without any additional tools.
This is the design I ended up with.
It's designed around an E61 58mm portafilter basket. The Espresso Parts HQ 14g Double to be exact. The four I own measure ~58.95mm ID. This collar has an OD of 58.90mm.