Friendly Senior Member Joined: 20 Dec 2010 Posts: 121 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu Dec 23, 2010, 9:19am Subject: tell me about tampers!
I was watching a video on the E61 (niiice!) and the guy at idrinkcoffee.com was using a tamper. now I get the premise, press the beans together, but his tamper wasn't solid. it had flex that he pressed into, like it was spring loaded or something. please ejumicate me! :-D
Friendly Senior Member Joined: 20 Dec 2010 Posts: 121 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu Dec 23, 2010, 12:41pm Subject: Re: tell me about tampers!
okay then, so they work. good to know. brings up another matter then. their different diameters. Are they for different portaholder sizes, or is something else in play regarding this?
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 5,427 Location: Berkeley, CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -... Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -... Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup Drip: CCD, Chemex Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Thu Dec 23, 2010, 5:45pm Subject: Re: tell me about tampers!
Cameron, baskets come in different sizes to fit different sizes of portafilters . . . most E61-type groups use a portafilter basket with a 58mm diameter. Thus, you would need a 58mm tamper. Tampers vary in size to fit the basket -- from 45mm up to 60mm . . .
But remember, it's the least important part of making espresso . . .
Some people tamp to 30 psi; some to 20 or 15; some to 10 or 5; and some don't tamp at all . . . . just be consistent!
Friendly Senior Member Joined: 20 Dec 2010 Posts: 121 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri Dec 24, 2010, 12:58pm Subject: Re: tell me about tampers!
may I ask how tamping affects espresso? no doubt it introduces more nuances then can be mentioned, but primarily, what's the reasoning behind it? what started people to tamp their grind before pulling the shot?
Posted Fri Dec 24, 2010, 1:09pm Subject: Re: tell me about tampers!
Tamping is just compaction. Under certain conditions, it can provide a more uniform density throughout the puck, providing the "right" level of resistance for proper extraction. Distribution still plays a key role in creating a good puck of coffee, and really, you can't tamp away poor distribution anyway, so tamping is truly secondary. Why tamp at all? Well, if you're dosing by weight, you may not fill your basket with coffee, which could very easily lead to underextraction due to too short of a contact time. Tamping helps create resistance to lengthen contact time, to a point. It's been found a few times before that tamping at 15 pounds and tamping at 150 pounds don't exactly produce different results, including shot times. If they do, it's a sign that your distribution or grind have some issues. Of course, tamping isn't always necessary, and some people get lovely results with no tamp at all. They generally have fuller baskets, dose volumetrically, and perhaps finer grinds to produce the necessary resistance. If you're wondering what the best method is, know that there is no best, but you should go ahead and experiment to see what works best for you.
Friendly Senior Member Joined: 20 Dec 2010 Posts: 121 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Wed Jan 5, 2011, 8:48am Subject: Re: tell me about tampers!
so, regarding tampers then...what makes a tamper good or bad? I was reading some write up's on espresso machines and their necessary support paraphernalia, amongst which the 'plastic' tamper that comes with most machines was quickly discarded. what should I be looking for in a tamper when I buy one? I understand esthetics are involved as there are wood handles, painted handles, brushed handles, powder coated handles etc etc etc, but aside from matching the diameter, are there considerations regarding weight? thickness of the tamper's tamping base (or whatever it's called)? anything I'm missing in regards to choosing a tamper?
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