Both 53.3mm and 53.5mm puck screens are made for the 54mm Sage and Breville basket, and both fit. A 53.3mm screen leaves a little more clearance at the edge, so it drops in and lifts out slightly more easily. A 53.5mm screen covers the coffee a little closer to the basket wall. The difference is 0.2mm, about the thickness of two sheets of printer paper, and it matters far less than the thickness of the screen and the dose you put under it.
What does not fit is a true 54mm screen. Below: why, how the two sizes compare, and what to change when you add either one.
Why a 54mm Sage takes a screen smaller than 54mm
The 54mm figure is the portafilter, not the inside of the basket. The screen sits on the coffee inside the basket, and the basket wall is a fraction narrower than the portafilter it sits in. A screen cut to a full 54mm catches on the rim and sits above the coffee instead of on it. That is why screens for this range are sold at 53.3mm or 53.5mm.
53.3mm, 53.5mm and 54mm compared
| Screen size | Fits a 54mm Sage basket? | What it is like to use |
|---|---|---|
| 53.3mm | Yes | A little more room around the edge. Easy to drop in and to lift out after the shot. |
| 53.5mm | Yes | Covers the coffee slightly closer to the wall. Still drops in cleanly. This is the size we sell. |
| 54mm | No | Catches on the basket rim and sits above the coffee. |
| 58mm | No | Made for the Dual Boiler and Oracle range, a different portafilter size. |
If you already own a 53.3mm screen and it works, there is no reason to replace it with a 53.5mm one. The shot will not taste different because of 0.2mm.
What matters more than the diameter
Thickness, because of headspace
The screen sits in the gap between the tamped coffee and the shower screen. A thicker screen takes more of that gap. About 1.7mm stays flat under nine bars of pressure, and a thin screen can dish in the middle over time. Whatever the thickness, give the coffee room to swell.
The dose
Start with your usual dose minus about half a gram. If you see the imprint of the shower screen or its central screw on the spent puck, take off another half gram. If the shot then runs faster than before, grind one step finer. Our puck screen guide walks through this adjustment.
The basket you use
A puck screen only changes the shot on a single wall basket. On a dual wall (pressurised) basket, the pressure comes from one small hole under the coffee, so spreading the water on top changes almost nothing. The basket guide shows how to tell them apart.
Which machines this applies to
Every Sage and Breville machine with a 54mm portafilter: Barista Express, Barista Express Impress, Barista Pro, Barista Touch, Barista Touch Impress, Bambino, Bambino Plus, Infuser and Duo Temp Pro. It does not apply to the Dual Boiler or the Oracle range, including the Oracle Jet, which take 58mm. The size guide lists every model code.
Questions we get asked
Does a puck screen work on the Barista Express Impress?
Yes. The Impress tamps the coffee for you, and you lay the screen on top afterwards, the same as on any other machine. The headspace rule still applies: if the puck shows an imprint, reduce the dose a little.
Will it stop my espresso spraying sideways?
Not on its own. Sideways spray comes from uneven coffee in the basket, and water still finds the soft path under a screen. Stir the grounds before tamping first. Our channelling guide explains each spray pattern.
The parts, if you want them
- 53.5mm puck screen, 1.7mm thick, for the whole 54mm Sage and Breville range
- Bottomless portafilter and puck screen together, cheaper than buying them separately
Free delivery in the United Kingdom. If a part does not fit the machine listed on its page, the return is free and we pay the postage. How returns work. Not sure? Email contact@cremalab.co.uk with your model code and we will answer within one working day.