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THE SINGLE SHOT COMES BACK IN VOGUE THERE WAS A POCKET of curious baristas gathered around Sauro Dall'Aglio at almost all times during the HOST trade show in Milan, Italy this October. Working at the Unic stand, Sauro was bringing single shots back into fashion, and people wanted to know about it. The former Italian Barista Champion has long been curious about the bad rap given to the single shot: Why are they so darn hard to make? A curious barista, Sauro took on the challenge of deciphering the mystery, and the result is the SIC, a single-shot filter that may completely change your mind about single espresso shots. At press time, the filters had only been made for the Stella di Caffé Unic machines, but they are in the process of being manufactured for many espresso machine brands. We asked Sauro about the process of creating the filter, why he wanted to take on the single shot challenge, and what the reaction has been. Sarah Allen: How did you get the idea for this? Sauro Dall'Aglio: The idea came to me a few years ago when nobody wanted to prepare a single shot because [they would often result in] poor extraction and lack of taste. Of course, for specific drinks, one, two, or three shots makes a big difference, taste-wise and money-wise. I could see the problem with the single filter due to the internal ridge obstructing the right tamping of the cake, leaving it in pieces after knocking it into a box at the end of the process. As we know, this is synonymous with channeling and bad extraction. I found this was a challenging task that not many people wanted to face. Sarah: How did you develop it? Sauro: I put together the idea for the shape, making sure that the taste could be similar to [a double shot]. IMS Filtri manufactured the basket. LF Spare Parts believed in the project and is distributing them. Sarah: Why is this something that is necessary for baristas today? Sauro: I believe we are using and losing too much coffee through the process of pulling shots, and sometimes we don't achieve the goal of a good espresso anyway. I think that sometimes we are so used to getting a good bag of coffee that we forget what's behind it. This filter can help people to enjoy their high-end single origin or blend for longer, and also to taste a different kind of flavor due to new proportion options. You shouldn't expect the same boldness [that you would get from] a double shot, of course, but more of a round, smooth espresso. —Sarah Allen www.baristamagazine.com 23