# DIY Tamper



## Beemer (Jun 19, 2012)

Oh yes I can just see my wife's expression if found these in our new kitchen









http://makeprojects.com/Project/Hydraulic-Espresso-Tamper/802/1#.UAgAKKNy6eY

http://www.pcworld.com/article/230012/automatic_espresso_tamper_preps_your_puck_at_the_press_of_a_button.html


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## jimrobo (Aug 5, 2011)

awesome stuff!! One of my ideas with my friend on one of our random coffee mornings was to put a mini pressure meter between the tamper handle and piston so you could easily see what pressure you are pressing!


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

Interesting - I was talking to someone other day who was telling me about an experiment where someone used a massive ranging of tamping force from no tamping at all to a massive hydraulic press - and do you know what, it made no difference at all.

Because, if you have any sort of pre-infusion, the coffee swells up once the water hits it anyway. (OK, on a domestic machine with no pre-infusion I know it does make a big difference).

Does anybody know about this test? I haven't seen the original report but it intrigued me.

Here's one discussion I've just found on it: http://coffeesnobs.com.au/brewing-equipment-non-machine-specific/31618-why-tamping-doesnt-matter-much-you-think.html


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## jimrobo (Aug 5, 2011)

it must make some difference?? If I tamp really hard it extends the shot time needed to extract the same volume so I don;t really get the claim that is makes no difference?? I can replicate and do it myself and I can measure the difference????


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

jimrobo said:


> it must make some difference?? If I tamp really hard it extends the shot time needed to extract the same volume so I don;t really get the claim that is makes no difference?? I can replicate and do it myself and I can measure the difference????


On what machine?


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## jimrobo (Aug 5, 2011)

expobar dual boiler


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

OK, maybe it is nonsense. Or maybe it only applies to certain machines.

I know many, many years ago I bought a Gaggia Baby in Italy (before you could buy anything like that here). I could never get decent coffee out of it because nobody told me about tamping. And I know on a machine like that, if you don't tamp, the water just gushes through.

I'm just always drawn to ideas that challenge accepted notions...


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## jimrobo (Aug 5, 2011)

I think it definately has an effect. I can't say I can measure the quality but it definately can affect the shot.

I know that I get a better shot on the vst basket if I use a lighter tamp and a finer ground but if I use the standard basket I get a better shot if I go for a standard tamp and a slightly coarser grind. Maybe thats just my perception though and not the reality of it.


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

RoloD said:


> Interesting - I was talking to someone other day who was telling me about an experiment where someone used a massive ranging of tamping force from no tamping at all to a massive hydraulic press - and do you know what, it made no difference at all.
> 
> Because, if you have any sort of pre-infusion, the coffee swells up once the water hits it anyway. (OK, on a domestic machine with no pre-infusion I know it does make a big difference).
> 
> ...


I read something similar at one point on HB - I think (but don't quote me!) that James Hoffmann agreed that it makes not a lot of difference.

I tend to always go for a similar pressure so I've never experimented with that being the only variable to be changed.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

This may be where it came from: http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/the-tamp?id=1688216%3ATopic%3A495200&page=2#comments

"Using an FB-80 with pre-infusion, Mazzer Rober with a dose timer, 21 grams, 24-26 second extractions, six way deconstruction with total extraction volume around 1 oz. Coffee was our Big Truck blend.

There wasn't really a difference from 5lbs to 80lbs. I mean, the aforementioned math is 496 lbs hitting a 58mm, and since the pre-infusion probably eliminates the differences in initial head space there's not any physical reason why there would be a difference."

I think it really comes down to the type of machine. If pre-infusion is making the coffee swell up to occupy all the space between the basket and shower screen, then I can see it won't make much difference. If, however the water is being pumped straight out in a domestic machine staright into the coffee I know it makes a big difference. Certainly on my lever machine, on the upward stroke water gushes into the portafilter - a couple of times I didn't attach the portfilter properly and water and coffee poured out so there is significant pressure there, and that pressure must also be pulling the grinds upwards. So by the time extraction begins the puck has been disrupted and the coffee is filling up all available space.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

This is the article I was referring to before but couldn't find:

http://www.espressoresource.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=122:design&catid=43:articleblog&Itemid=110

"We made shots of espresso with no tamp whatsoever-simply settling the grounds, a standard 30 pound press, a 150 pound tamp and just to say we did, maxed out the scale at 300 pounds of tamping force. ... the shot times were virtually identical... If there was a difference resulting from tamp pressure, all other factors being equal, something should have happened."


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

Sorry to continue slightly off-topic on the suject of taming pressure, but this is a very interesting vid on the subject from Orphan espresso:


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

vintagecigarman said:


> Sorry to continue slightly off-topic on the suject of taming pressure, but this is a very interesting vid on the subject from Orphan espresso:


 He is using a lever machine, of course, which do tend to give you generous pre-infusion. In domestic pump machines I think tamping plays a much more crucial role.

I have one of Orphan's dosing funnels, by the way - they work a treat.


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