troller Senior Member Joined: 2 Oct 2005 Posts: 9 Location: Mission, B.C. Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: La Cimbali Jr
Posted Mon Jan 2, 2006, 3:15pm Subject: 58 mm tamper bottoms out on the ridge
Hi fellow coffee geeks ;-) I'm relativly new to the world of coffee geekness and need some help. I have an older second hand La Cimbali jr. My wife bought me an espro tamper for xmas. The problem I'm haveing is that when I dose the double basket with 14 grams of coffee the tamper bottoms on the ridge in the basket. If I increase the dose the coffee makes contact with the screen in the group head. So I can't seem to get an accurate tamp with the 58 mm tamper. Should I get a smaller tamper so it will get past the ridge? That does not seem right to me. The obvious solution seems to be to get a ridgeless basket, but I am curious as to what tamper the basket was designed to work with. Has anyone had this problem?
Jasonian Senior Member Joined: 8 Aug 2005 Posts: 3,847 Location: Lubbock, TX Expertise: Professional
Posted Mon Jan 2, 2006, 4:58pm Subject: Re: 58 mm tamper bottoms out on the ridge
There is almost always a perfect balance between dosage and tamp. It's just a matter of practice and patience before you find it. Try different distribution techniques, try tamping harder, or try tamping lighter. (I know this goes against the idea of owning your tamper, but results are what you're after.. no?). It took me forever to find this balance with my machine. Once you find it, though.. you'll know what you need to work at to duplicate it consistently. In my case, it was dosing. Learning to updose just the right amount was a pain, but it payed off.
troller Senior Member Joined: 2 Oct 2005 Posts: 9 Location: Mission, B.C. Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: La Cimbali Jr
Posted Mon Jan 2, 2006, 5:10pm Subject: Re: 58 mm tamper bottoms out on the ridge
Hi Malachi
Thanks for responding, but no. That is the dilema.....if I put more coffee in the basket it is hard to get the pf on as the coffee is up against the screen.
troller Senior Member Joined: 2 Oct 2005 Posts: 9 Location: Mission, B.C. Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: La Cimbali Jr
Posted Mon Jan 2, 2006, 5:18pm Subject: Re: 58 mm tamper bottoms out on the ridge
Hi Jasonian
The problem is that the tamper does not go past the ridge as the diameter is slightly larger and if I put more coffee in the basket it pushes up against the screen.
RapidCoffee Senior Member Joined: 4 Dec 2004 Posts: 1,862 Location: Rapid City, SD Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale S1 Grinder: Mazzer Robur, Mazzer Major,... Vac Pot: Yama, also French press Drip: misc. filters, AeroPress Roaster: AeroRost, FreshRoast, SC/CO,...
Posted Mon Jan 2, 2006, 5:22pm Subject: Re: 58 mm tamper bottoms out on the ridge
Another obvious solution (as noted): get a different filter basket. Baskets are inexpensive and some are ridgeless. You should be able to find one that fits both your portafilter and your tamper.
troller Senior Member Joined: 2 Oct 2005 Posts: 9 Location: Mission, B.C. Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: La Cimbali Jr
Posted Mon Jan 2, 2006, 6:25pm Subject: Re: 58 mm tamper bottoms out on the ridge
RapidCoffee
That seems to be the answer. I guess the ridge serves as a stop for the tamper when fireing off shots in a commercial environment, at least that is my take on it. Thanks to all who responded.
malachi Senior Member Joined: 5 May 2002 Posts: 1,761 Location: SFCA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Monster Mia (for now)_ Grinder: Monster Cimballi Junior Vac Pot: Not any more Drip: never Roaster: Ecco, Stumptown, Intelli,...
Posted Mon Jan 2, 2006, 7:19pm Subject: Re: 58 mm tamper bottoms out on the ridge
Perhaps I should have been more clear.
If you're finding that you cannot tamp with full pressure due to the ridge in the basket, I would suggest you put slightly more coffee in the basket.
Do not worry about putting "too much" coffee in the basket unless it tastes bad to you as a result. Many 58mm baskets take far more than 14 grams (there are 17 gram baskets, there are 24 gram baskets) and in all cases there is a range of dose for each one (with one coffee I use regularly, I find the optimal dose is 20 grams in the 17 gram basket).
Actually, the ridge allows the basket to snap into place and be held by the retaining spring in the portafilter. The ridgeless basket slides in and out more easily - nice if you want to dose the basket while leaving the PF in the group head.
troller Senior Member Joined: 2 Oct 2005 Posts: 9 Location: Mission, B.C. Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: La Cimbali Jr
Posted Mon Jan 2, 2006, 8:53pm Subject: Re: 58 mm tamper bottoms out on the ridge
Malachi can I ask you a question? When you fill a basket and then tamp the coffee, does the finished job leave the coffee above the ridge? Also, does your tamper fit inside the ridge? I'm just trying to figure out if I am doing something wrong. Maybe my scale is inacurate and I have more coffee in there than I think. Maybe the basket holds less than 14 grams. If I raise the dose to 15 grams I can not get the pf on. The coffee is pushing up against the screen in the group head.
I bought the machine used and I have had to change the steam tip on it because there was no way I could get my milk to foam. The holes in the old one were huge compared to a new cimbali tip. So, I wouldn't be surprised if the basket is smaller than it is supposed to be.
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