Espresso Hand Tamps... A Brief Overview.

Twelve years ago, Espresso Parts made our first commercial coffee tamper and over time they have evolved into the series that you see today. Now known worldwide and listed in virtually every review, chances are you have either seen or heard of some of the items coming out of our workshop somewhere along the lines. Currently we have over three hundred different combinations that we can put together to give every barista their own custom feel. But what really makes the difference in hand tamps? The machine comes with a beautifully crafted plastic one. Why should you buy anything else? The following is an explorative view into the ideas and theories on one of the few unique to espresso tools.

A Warning from the Author:
I know way too much about tampers and could at this point write a book on them, which come to think about it wouldn't be such a bad idea. No one would buy it. But you are reading this article so I might be wrong.

Tamper Materials.
Anyway, back to tamps. What are they made of? This is probably the best place to start. The four most common materials used in commercial tamps are stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, and wood. There are benefits to each and the goal that you are looking to achieve should be taken into consideration before you buy any of them.

The Stainless Steel Advantage..
Stainless is the hardest metal on the list. Hence, when dropped or struck on the side of the portafilter, denting and inevitably "mushrooming" are greatly reduced. Actually, most portafilters are made of chrome plated brass which is softer than stainless steel. So you dent your filter bodies before you dented your hand tamp. The second benefit to stainless steel is its weight. The reason it is so hard is because of its density, a higher density stainless is less malleable. Best way to explain this is with the heat of the group head materials will expand and contract. Low density materials move more, high density move less. Why does this make a difference? Well if you have a 57mm La Marzocco double portafilter basket and you have a 57mm tamp base when the base heats up and expands it will be too large to fit into your basket making it useless. To counteract this most manufactures are designing their bases half a millimeter under sized. But over time expanding and contracting warping can occur with aluminum and plastics yet with stainless steel it doesn't usually pose a problem.

More on Stainless Steel.
Going back to weight, probably the first thing people notice when they pick up one of our tamps, stainless steel is nearly twice the weight of aluminum and probably close to ten times the weight of plastic. The added heft makes a solid stainless steel tamp weigh in at one pound four ounces (58mm size) which really is not a whole lot but comes in as the heaviest tamper on the market as of yet. This doesn't mean that you have to tamp with less pressure. Thirty to forty pounds of pressure is still required for proper extraction, so I guess those figures could change to twenty-eight and three quarters to thirty-eight and three quarters, but let's not go anal over it. Anyway, we can discuss tamp theory later.

Lets talk some more about aluminum.
Aluminum is a great metal to work with. This is probably why so many tamps on the market are made out of it. It is easy to form. It is a metal so in turn it instills reliability. Yet, its downside is that is over time the shape that it was formed into will eventually be lost. This is accelerated with dropping and striking the base against the side to knock of grounds. Not to say that aluminum is a metal that is an unacceptable material to use on a tamp base. With proper care you should get a good life out of an aluminum tamper. Bare in mind that most of my use comes from commercial applications where most equipment is put through more pain in a month than most home users will apply in years.

Common Tampers.
The most common tamp I ever see is the one that is based off of dual sized black plastic one that comes with new espresso machines. Works well and will get you by, but once you try a custom fitted base for your machine, it feels hard to go back to anything else. The same holds true for plastic and wooden hand tamps. For cost reasons these options are available on the market at very attractive price. It is true that they will work and function as they are supposed to but their longevity is questionable. For the plastic it is just a matter of physics. You cannot every day put forty pounds of pressure on a piece of plastic and not one day expect it to break. As for the wood its strength is strong, but the environment that it is put in to becomes questionable; heat, steam, and dirty coffee grinds. We have all seen wood stain over time. I have even seen people use coffee grinds as a coloring agent in the finishes of furniture. So over time the ground coffee will become a permanent part of your tamper and the heat will cause the wood itself to crack. Wood makes a great handle, just not an ideal base. So enough with materials and onto choosing what tamp is good for you.

Let's Talk About Wood.
As just discussed, wood makes a wonderful handle. Reg Barber basically has made his name in the espresso industry because of his rosewood styling. Yet handles are all about one thing, personal choice and fit. Correct fit will make your tamps more consistent and comfortable, highly important for the commercial barista. Currently on the market there are wood, aluminum, stainless, acrylic, and even custom skulls and lighted versions. The deluxe lava handle took the coffee industry by storm. Color and variety allowed each barista to show their personality without even saying a word. Yet, the only way to tell what fits your hand structure the best is to try them out. Most people don't want to go out and buy a couple hundred dollars worth of hand tamps just to see which one is perfect for them. So the best way to research the subject is to attend coffee conventions that are held around the country, read online news group reviews, or talk with companies or shops that deal with different items all the time. In the end, what you pick for your handle is mainly based on comfort so that what make the biggest difference, the base, will work properly.

Tamp Bases & Tamping Surfaces.
EspressoParts.com manufactured bases come in two materials each with two surfaces; stainless steel and aluminum mated with flat and convex surfaces. The benefit of each the metal materials has been previously discussed. The tamping surface on the other hand has been so far left a mystery.

Flat Tamp Pitsons..
Flat is exactly what it means. With a flat base you would get the same surface all the way across your compacted coffee. Exactly what you are looking for right? The flat bases work great no question about it. If you can a level tamp with the portafilter then shot extraction works beautifully. When rushed a barista may overlook this very important rule and uneven shots will inevitably come streaming out of the spouts.

Evolution spawns the Convex tamper base.
Convex means that the surface bows out, not in. The idea with convex an how it works it at if ever you are off center with your tamp then the surface will remain the same because the curve left behind will be uniformly the same every time. In extreme instances this is not the case, but for the most part consistency and shot quality will be improved. The other benefit it that with not all the pressure being directed straight down, the curved base allows part of the force to push out towards the edge of the basket helping to seal the sides and prevent water from bypassing the puck and not be infused with espresso before leaving the portafilter. Third, the shower screen of many machines is curved. Why put a flat surface up to a curved screen? That sounds strange just explaining it. Yet as much of the espresso industry there is a lot of gray area regarding this topic.

Not all theories work on all machines.
Typically the questions to ask are: What type of machine am I using? Matching the base size to the portafilter is something that is pretty much set in stone and has very few exceptions. The best fit will mean the best tamp. Basket sizes on machines are different so not all tamp fit all machines (1mm = approximated 3 sheets of paper). So precision is important. Too tight means the tamp will bind in the basket and crack the puck when you try to remove it. Too loose means that there are parts of the puck that did not receive enough pressure and will allow the pressurized water to force its way though too easily.

Dosing Espresso Grounds.
What amount of coffee am I using? Deep baskets hold a large amount of coffee and become difficult to tamp evenly. Convex bases work ideal in these situations. Yet with very sallow baskets the curve can allow the center of the puck to become too shallow and over extract the center portion of the puck.

What are you used to?
What tamper have you been using? Do you like it? Yes, stick with it. No, switch. Unsure, buy one handle and two bases, all of our handles are interchangeable with all of the bases that we manufacture. Our handles and bases are not necessarily adaptable to our competitors, but out of coincidence might work in some cases.

In Conclusion.
Does all of this theory help you make better espresso? Yes, there is not one championship barista out there that uses the black plastic original. Is it really the tamper that makes them award winners? By itself no, in conjunction with the training and experience that they have it will turn good baristas into great baristas.

Consistency
Consistency is the key and perfection is what we strive for at Home-Espresso.com & EspressoParts.com With four out of the six top international baristi using our tampers we have come pretty close to achieving our goals.