# tamping pressure how to measure?



## Greenpotterer (Nov 29, 2009)

Assuming I want to follow general advice, and I do, and wish to tamp to 30lbs how do i measure guesstimate this or am I being thick again

Gaz


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## Monkey_Boy (Feb 26, 2010)

Well you can get a mat which clicks at 30lb or a tamper that clicks at a pre-set poundage but from what I've been told it's only a guideline and it all depends what set up/fineness of the grind/how many grams used...............


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

As tamping mats or click-tampers can be expensive, one way that can assist is to fill the basket to level then place on a set of bathroom scales and tamp to approx 30lbs

See how compressed the puck is and get a visual guideline

Tip the basket upside down and the grounds should not fall out if tamped hard enough

If they fall out then you have tamped too lightly

Extract and then repeat with varying pressure to see what tamp pressure works best for you. Again note the depth from the rim of the basket (mark if required) and keep checking every time you pull a shot with the beans to see what the effect is.


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## LeeWardle (Nov 16, 2008)

As Monkey_boy says the extraction wil indeed differ with dosage/grind etc. However it has been "decided" by the coffee community at large that using a tamping pressure of 30Lbs coupled with your grind consistancy & dosage (to achive prefered extraction time/requirements) will provide a better espresso than say a tamp at 20Lbs and a slightly finer/up-dosed shot.

It can get a bit confusing sometimes as trends/research etc change things. Ideal tamping pressure used to be 40Lbs when I first started but R & D has changed it to 30Lbs!

Lee


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

I splashed out on an Espro pre-tension tamper (although I was lucky enough to manage to get it at trade price) and I found it invaluable. Occassionally, I revert to my other tamper but more often than not, I use the Espro. Its worth the money IMO.


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

As on TMC, tamping pressure merely got the 30lb recommendation because originally people were tamping far too lightly and as a guideline it generally improved the standard.

Generally, you should be tamping with enough force that you actually have to put a bit of effort into it, a set of scales is ideal for giving you a rough idea of how much force is required.


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## Greenpotterer (Nov 29, 2009)

Eureka must have been tamping too lightly using the bathroom scales gave me an indication of how much pressure to put on, quite a lot . Actually I was afraid of pressing on too hard but seems to be better already.

Thanks for all the replies but network was down again so couldn't answer sooner

Gaz


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## DavidS (Apr 8, 2010)

I'm curious - would it be possible to damage the basket from tamping too hard? Can you tamp too hard?

The reason I ask is that on an old machine at work, about 3 baskets broke while I was working on the machine (toward the bottom of them, not top)... I'm a lot "rougher" (







) with the machine than others.... Or was it just general wear and tear, and a shear coincidence that I was on the machine every time? :S


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Yes you can tamp too hard, and it is not uncommon to bend a basket out of shape if it is in constant use as the heat makes the metal malleable. Constant stresses will weaken the base over time.

Be nice to your machine and it will love you back


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

I used the bathroom scale method as well to test my tamping pressure. Once I had practised and got the feel for a 30lb tamp, I took it from there. By trying to be consistent with the tamp I feel that it helps the process of getting a good 25ish second extraction as I have fewer variables to adjust when changing beans. I tweak my grinder settings rather than adjust the tamp as well.

Don


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## DavidS (Apr 8, 2010)

Glenn said:


> Yes you can tamp too hard, and it is not uncommon to bend a basket out of shape if it is in constant use as the heat makes the metal malleable. Constant stresses will weaken the base over time.
> 
> Be nice to your machine and it will love you back


The machine had smaller (in diameter) PFs than our current machine, I've never had the problem on the "new" one we use. Also, the baskets felt thin and kind of cheap, also I'm running out of excuses for breaking them


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## LeeWardle (Nov 16, 2008)

Ha ha, don't forget I threw away a bascket because it was cracked under the rim! Ha ha!

Firm but loving, that's the way! Ok that sounds wierd but you know what I mean!!!!

Lee


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## DavidS (Apr 8, 2010)

Yer, but on the older machine, they were cracked at the bottom, where as that other was cracked on the rim (almost surely from batting it on the metal)

Good job the machines gone and no one got round to blaming me







heh


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## chrisweaver_barista (Jun 14, 2008)

You guys must be superheros. I have a HEAVY tamp, and in all my time in coffee bars, I have never cracked or deformed a basket, and that's over 10000 tamps!!

I'm gonna take a weird line here, and argue that a tamp doesn't need to be fine tuned at all. The difference between a super light tamp, and good heavy tamp I've measured at normally

And for anyone obsessing over tamp weights, I did a demonstration once to prove a point... I dosed, distributed (luckily pretty well) and locked the PF in without tamping, perfect shot of espresso. Great way to prove that tamping maybe isn't THAT important. Though I think I did get lucky


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## DavidS (Apr 8, 2010)

chrisweaver_barista said:


> You guys must be superheros.


Well....









I agree with the tamping thing though, the thing that makes the biggest difference imo is the amount of coffee dosed. I see way to many people under dose, but I think I over dose.


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## chrisweaver_barista (Jun 14, 2008)

Yeh, I think the standard in the UK, outside of Speciality stores is to underdose. Normally due to badly set-up doser grinders, or money pinching head offices.

I'm not a huge fan of overdosing (thinking of Flat White, London back before SQM).


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Updosing for certain drink types is fine, but on the whole the accepted norms seem to be perfectly fine.

I come across underdosing when conducting cafe trainings and the taste of the shot improves dramatically when the recommended dose is metered.


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