# What size Tamper for my gaggia?



## MartinB

Next on my shopping list is a new tamper, just wondering what size is best as 57, 58 & 58.5mm all appear upon searching. The difference in sizes is minisule however it's always the smallest changes that make the biggest differences!

Machine is a 'Coffee Gaggia' with a double basket.

Cheers!


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## MikeHag

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?3511-How-snug-should-the-tamper-fit

I might be wrong but I believe the basket is the same size on a Coffee Gaggia as a Classic, so the above post should be relevant.

For me the Happy Donkey 57/58mm one is too small but it will do for now.


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## MartinB

Cheers for the info, just edited my original post to state 57, 58 & 58.5mm


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## Glenn

58mm will see you right if you upgrade in the future

I have both 58mm and 58.5mm and there is no difference in the extraction when using either of these

That said, you cannot form a great seal with the 57mm


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## chimpsinties

I asked the same question about the 57mm Happy Donkey one myself. It's just sooooo cheap compared to others so it's pretty tempting.


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## RoloD

chimpsinties said:


> I asked the same question about the 57mm Happy Donkey one myself. It's just sooooo cheap compared to others so it's pretty tempting.


I'm quite happy with the Happy Donkey Tamper. Here are some thoughts on the matter from the mouth of the Donkey himself:

"For most machines the best tamper to have is one, which has a 57mm diameter.

There is a tendency for people to want a 58mm diameter tamper, as they believe that the base should occupy all the space at the top of the basket. We disagree with this decision.

If you look at the side of your filter basket, in most cases, the sides slope in somewhat.

So if you have a tamper with a 58mm base you compressing the outside of the baskets contents, more so than you are the innards, as there is more back pressure from the sides than anywhere else.

Bearing in mind the whole point of tamping is to evenly compress the coffee grinds throughout the basket in order to obtain an even extraction, with the water passing through ALL of the coffee at the same rate of speed, it is easy to see that a 58mm tamper will not help you achieve that.

The best thing to do is use a 57mm tamper, then tap the side of the portafilter so that any loose grinds on the outside are push inwards, then lay the tamper on top of those and rotate or spin the tamper so that you now have a flat surface for the coffee to pass through.

If you are using the traditional dosing methods of 7 grams for a single and 14 grams for a double, if you have a 58mm tamper, it may not go far enough down the basket to tamp at all!"

Now I'm sure that will start some arguments...


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## Zouche

I have the HD 57mm tamper and it does the job just fine for me...

I tend to dose the PF, use a pin to move the grounds around in a circular motion (to reduce clumping) then lightly roll the tamper around the inside of the basket slightly compressing the edges finishing with a proper firm tamp in the middle. Does the job!


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## MikeHag

I've thought about doing that rolling action, and tried it a few times, but I couldn't convince myself that it would produce a puck of even density. Glad you're getting good results with it.


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## PaulN

If i was to buy one right now id get the 58mm i think its better having a greater pressure on the outside edge than none. It will stop spritz when using the bottomless PF.

I guess convex ones would be best as the inner is slightly deeper than the outer.

Also isnt tapping the basket after tamping a bad idea as it will disturbe the grinds.

Cheers

PaulN


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## garydyke1

Torr make some lovely tampers. The 58.5 convex fits every basket I have perfectly, without being too tight.

Ah espresso ...thems were the days


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## MikeHag

I'd consider a Torr but the cafe-kultur website isn't the easiest to follow, even tho I speak a bit of germanicness.

Has anyone ever had one custom-made? I was thinking of approaching a company in the borders that does metal fabrication... http://www.johntelferblacksmiths.co.uk/general-metal-fabrication.html


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## garydyke1

Dont be afraid of ze Germanz (lol) I gave them a call and the lady I spoke to was very helpful indeed! She even sent me some free candy with my order (which arrived promptly).

The Torr craftmanship is lovely , great weight and balance, the piston can be engraved/personalised if your into blinging it up!

My shots improved overnight after I started using it.


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## MikeHag

Recently I went for the Espro tamper. I only wanted it as a training aid because of it's in-built 30lb 'force feedback', and whilst that feature is great the bonus was that it fits my Classic's 58mm basket perfectly. I just hope it fits the VST!


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## vintagecigarman

It does!

My slightly larger RB fits even better, but the Espro works well with the VST.

Sent via Tapatalk from my HTC Desire HD.

And, actually, the world DOES revolve around my Glen of Imaal terrier!


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