New to this forum and not sure where to put this. I enjoy the manual experience of making espresso with good hand grinder. Currently using a Pharos and grinding onto a flexible chopping mat, which I use to transfer into the portafilter basket, then tamp directly into the basket on a wooden stand. Can't help but think there is a better way to do this.

I am wanting a tidy and compact place or piece of equipment to
1. Place the basket in/on to fill it
2. Tamp the puck
That is easy to retransfer stray grounds and keep clean.
Can anyone recommend a solution?
The best option I think I have found is the Cafelat Classic, any thoughts?

Cafelat makes great products. That said my tamping stand is a hockey puck. It is cheap and works really well.

If you tamp in the basket (As opposed to with it in the portafilter), then you don't need a tamping stand. I use a bottomless portafilter and also use a nice blackhawks hockey puck to tamp on .

Locopavoni,

This should work for grinding directly into your portafilter/basket (I have one myself -- solidly-made stainless-steel)):

http://www.thecoffeebrewers.com/bafuwi57mmdi.html

Although it's called a "Barista Funnel" it's actually a Mason-jar "canning" funnel, but it DOES fit a 58mm portafilter basket VERY nicely with only a tiny bit of play (but still very securely).

Of course, having such a large funnel opening it won't fit under most electric grinders very well (or AT ALL for some) but for hand-grinding into it, it should be perfect as it should catch everything -- nice & tidy as you want.

I'll leave the "tamping station" issue to others...

Good luck,

-- BR

This looks awesome http://hg-one.com/portafilter-cradles/

I do this to keep things level Box Drop for even distribution

and these videos are ridiculously long, but if you skip to the main piece about grinding in the basket its perfect for the Pharos: Pharos and Rancilio base = In basket dosing and nominal grind retention

Or some iteration thereof.

Joe Frex/Concept Art also has a decent offering:

http://www.joefrex.com/tamping-stations/

Thanks, great thoughts,

Think I might have got it down to a couple of options.
1. Use a dosing funnel on the basket and tamp directly onto a tamping mat ( no portafilter)
2. Use a dosing funnel on the basket in the portafilter and tamp on a cafelat, ...that HG-one stand does look pretty good thou!

BillRedding wrote:Locopavoni,

This should work for grinding directly into your portafilter/basket (I have one myself -- solidly-made stainless-steel)):

http://www.thecoffeebrewers.com/bafuwi57mmdi.html

Although it's called a "Barista Funnel" it's actually a Mason-jar "canning" funnel, but it DOES fit a 58mm portafilter basket VERY nicely with only a tiny bit of play (but still very securely).

Of course, having such a large funnel opening it won't fit under most electric grinders very well (or AT ALL for some) but for hand-grinding into it, it should be perfect as it should catch everything -- nice & tidy as you want.

I'll leave the "tamping station" issue to others...

Good luck,

-- BR

Bill - I love that you mentioned it's a canning funnel, I found what looks to be identical on Amazon for $8 - $9. I might pick one up for that price.

I have that one from amazon. It's very wide and the angle isn't steep so you have to give it a few taps to get everything in the basket. Like bill said it's a smidge smaller so when you pull it out there is some space you need to shake the coffee into.

At the end of the day this was enough to get me to stop using it. I just grind into a small stainless steel measuring cup with a spout and pour in the basket.