DaveS Senior Member Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 185 Location: Toronto, Ontario Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Silvia Grinder: Rocky Roaster: I-Roast
Posted Wed Apr 6, 2005, 9:21am Subject: Tamping
I am slowly learning the art of espresso and I have started to look more at how I am tamping. I have read a lot here about the NSEW method and have been looking at the recent stuff from Schomer. I started to actually stick my finger in the coffee in the portafilter to feel how uneven it is before I tamp and realised that there is often huge unevenness in there. I have started now gently pressing the grounds down in the PF with my finger to feel how compacted they are before I tamp and to try to level the playing field before the tamp - often I will find a spot which will almost collapse beneath my finger and will get a little more coffee in it as a result (almost feels like I am leveling off a sand bed before laying a patio now) I do now seem to be getting more consistent shots and the pucks that come out after dont have those suspicious little pin pricks in them that were the source of my problems before I think. Does anybody else mess around to this extent - any tips on tamping I should be aware of?
Posted Wed Apr 6, 2005, 10:14am Subject: Dosing and Tamping
I've noticed the same thing. Especially with a dosing grinder, coffee grounds often drop into the portafilter in clumps. This is troublesome, especially when you read that dosing is often 90% of the problem in pulling bad shots.
Recently I've been experimenting with stirring the grounds around with a dissecting needle to break up clumps and improve the distribution before entering my tamping routine. So far I've been pleased with the results. Attached is a collage that shows distribution before and after stirring, the tamped puck, and the shot.
I'd welcome feedback on this from the pros. Any downside to stirring the grounds before tamping?
Thanks for the, uh, concise response. Are you saying that dosing/distribution is unnecessary? I thought dosing was an important part of the espresso routine. Sweeping the grounds back and forth with your finger in an X pattern to distribute the grounds, as Schomer advocates, is just as much of a PITA. What do you recommend?
It probably depends on your grinder to some degree. I think it probably is helpful if you have a grinder that tends to "clump" the grounds. Some grinders, like the Solis Maestro, are known to do so.
dosing/distribution is very necessary. swishing about with a very small tool is unnecessary, when you have a satisfactory tool attached to your hand already. from a pro perspective, such a small tool would become lost/broken/lost/etc in a short time, requiring baristas to revert to using their finger... so... why not stay with the finger if the tool doesn't do a significantly better job.
almost all the dosing/distribution schemes i've seen in the past few years have been overkill. get a consistent dose of coffee in the basket; spread it around w/o playing with it too much (ever work concrete?); tamp to whatever force feels comfortable; brew.
whatever ritual you develop, the key things are that it works, and that it's consistent.
dosing/distribution is very necessary. swishing about with a very small tool is unnecessary, when you have a satisfactory tool attached to your hand already. from a pro perspective, such a small tool would become lost/broken/lost/etc in a short time, requiring baristas to revert to using their finger... so... why not stay with the finger if the tool doesn't do a significantly better job.
What can I say? I'm a guy! I like tools! The only thing better would be a power tool! (Maybe I can find a power needle at the local tattoo parlor...)
But seriously, that's exactly why I tried it: the needle breaks up clumps of finely ground coffee more effectively than my pudgy fingers. I wouldn't recommend this for a barista in a commercial environment. But for an amateur at home, it's just another piece of kitchen gadgetry.
rileys Said:
almost all the dosing/distribution schemes i've seen in the past few years have been overkill. get a consistent dose of coffee in the basket; spread it around w/o playing with it too much (ever work concrete?); tamp to whatever force feels comfortable; brew. whatever ritual you develop, the key things are that it works, and that it's consistent.
There certainly are lots of approaches. Let's see, I've tried the Schomer distribution scheme (haven't quite got the hang of the Stockfleth maneuver), the Schomer and Staub tamps, and others suggested on this site (overfill and cram under group head, partial fill and light tamp, etc.). No one technique has consistently stood out, hence the continued explorations.
One thing I have noticed: overdosing the basket helps significantly whenever I distribute with my fingers. Maybe it's just the extra coffee, but perhaps I'm also getting a better distribution with a mound of coffee to work down into the basket. This effect seems less pronounced when I stir the grounds.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
![RapidCoffee: DosingCollage.jpg](javascript:ImagePopup("/images/15828/DosingCollage.jpg", 640, 640, "RapidCoffee: DosingCollage.jpg");)
= No New Posts since last visit 