The tamper dream case has reached the end of its visit with me. During the week I have tried every tamper in the kit and have developed a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into each tool.
The Dream Line-up: La Forza, Espressocraft, TORR, Coffeelab Design, Thor...
My initial selection phase was straight forward. I took all the tampers, lined them up on the table and proceeded to pick up each one and simulate a tamp on a towel. A pattern quickly evolved as to which handle style fits my hand. Having small yet meaty hands, a good handle to hand fit is hard to find. My preference was for the bulbous handles.
I worked the fit into four basic categories. The size of the handle bulb, the overall length of the handle measured from the top of the bulb to the interface with the piston, the diameter of the handle at the handle to piston interface, and the contour of the piston to handle fit.
I picked my initial top three tampers based on those criteria. After the handle to hand selection I moved onto the real measure of a tamper. How well does it pull a shot with basket X in machine Y with piston Z.
Top Three Picks
My top three, in order of preference are
1. Espressocraft
2. La Forza
(with the EPNW convex piston)
3. TORR
Of the available tampers, the TORR, La Forza and Espressocraft had the best fit to my hand. I think it is important to note that I avoided the Reg HB logo tamper and the Lava tamp because I already own each.
TORR by Cafe Kulture
The TORR is an exceptionally crafted tool. The fit and finish of the wood was the best of the kit. The hard satin finish and precision turned handle are of 'one-off' quality. No mill marks from the lathe, no sanding marks or blemishes from the finish. A true craftsman finish versus some of the rougher mass produced products on the market.
The TORR has a unique piston. It has an inward taper from the piston base to the piston top. The sample unit had a convex base resembling the same relief of the Reg Barber tampers.
The bulb fits the curvature of my palm almost perfectly. Unfortunately, my short meaty fingers are not the best match for the handle length and shaft diameter. My fingers felt slightly cramped while grasping the shaft. The handle length was just a little to long as well. If my fingers were slightly longer and thinner it would have been a perfect fit.
La Forza
This is the true essence of artisan craftsmanship and each handle is a true expression of the potter that created it and the artist who painted it:
Images from La Forza Tamp
The La Forza tamper is as much a work of art as a functional tamper. The handle bulb is the largest of the kit. This is not going to drift or wiggle in your grip. The handle is a little too large for me. While not too bad, after a day of continuous use my palm was beginning to get sore from wrapping around it.
The diameter of the shaft was just about right. My fingers were not cramped and I did not fidget around when I grasp it. While the handle was shorter than the Torr, it was still just a hair to long. If the handle bulb was slightly smaller, I would have been able to grasp it more comfortably.
The handle to piston interface was not the best fit and finish. The handle actually sat slightly off center from the piston top. That leaves an uneven gap around the base which will harbor coffee grounds.
The handle did have some minor waves in the finish giving it a hand formed pottery appearance. The graphics are hand painted and glazed over to protect them from wearing off over the years. There is something 'old world' about the handle, and I like it.
The tamper was outfitted with a flat piston. Any of the espressoparts.com tamper bases will fit this handle so you can get other styles.
Espressocraft
This is the epitome of precision machining. The all stainless handle and piston may not be as aesthetically pleasing as an exotic grained wood (IMHO) but the fit is incredibly precise. There is no gap or uneven fit on any of the parts. It reminds me of something machined for aircraft as opposed to a coffee smasher.
The handle bulb fit my palm swell perfectly. The handle length and shaft diameter were, well, perfect. I did not grope or fiddle with the handle position in my hand. I just simply grasped it and it fell into place.
This is also the only tamper with a machined handle shaft to piston top interface. The piston has a tapered interface with the handle as well as a countersunk handle. The fit is so tight that you could not put a piece of paper in the gap between the two parts. The curvature of the piston to handle fit conforms to the shape of my fingers. No scrunching, no tucking or stretching, it simply fit like a glove.
Espressocraft manufactures two different handle lengths, I am not sure which length was included in the kit. The demo unit was supplied with a flat piston but a convex piston is available. It is also only available in 58mm.
And at the other extreme...
Radical Pro by Reg Barber
My least favorite of the kit, the Reg Barber Radical Pro. The handle of the Reg Radical was too radical. It reminded me of something I whittled from a tree branch and stuck on a piston base. Grasping it for any amount of time resulted in cramps in my hand.
Flat or Convex? Yes, it does matter
After proceeding through the touch and feel portion of the selection, I moved onto more practical matters. How well can I pull a shot with the tamper.
The convex versus flat piston has been debated at length. I always considered the choice to be a matter of personal preference and of little significance in the shot. My opinion has changed. I am a firm believer in piston to group to basket geometry.
After selecting the Espressocraft as my favorite fit, I proceeded to pull shot after shot. To my surprise, my shot quality went to pot. Every shot went into the sink. Uneven extraction, channel jets and dead spots abounded. I tried several different distribution methods, no change. I tried several different tamp techniques, minor changes. After a lot of testing, I started to modify my dose. I found that with my normal 17 gram dose the flat piston just did not work. I down dosed, that was a mistake. So I started to progressively up-dose several more grams. I was jamming upwards of 20 grams into my LM ridgeless basket to get a barely acceptable shot.
I moved to the La Forza which also has a flat piston. My results were no better. My normal tamper is a Reg HB logo with a convex base. I decided to test all the available convex tampers. I started with the Coffeelab tamper. This has a very small convex base. You have to put the tamper on a flat surface to even notice that there is a little curvature in the piston. My results were the same as a flat piston.
I moved to the Cafe Kulture TORR which has a slightly more convex base. My shot quality improved but was far from perfect. I decided to jump to the extreme end of the convex tamper scale for my next test. The Bumper tamp has an enormous convex piston. I had to down dose with this piston. I was now getting a dead center with good perimeter extraction. I never hit the sweet spot with this piston.
So I decided to swap out the EPNW Compressore base with the La Forza handle. This base has more convex shape than the Reg but much less than the Bumper. I returned to my standard dose and technique to start with, which I did with every variation. My first shot, almost perfectly even extraction. I updosed the next shot and the shot quality degraded, uneven extraction and some channeling. The next shot I downdosed to around 15 grams. Wonderful shot and good flavor, so I try it again, same result. I just found the perfect piston to group to basket fit for my machine.
La Forza, Coffeelab Design, TORR, Compressore, Bumper
Now I must point out that I limited my 'official' testing to my two group Faema, which just happens to be the most unforgiving machine I have ever used. I did try the same process on my Isomac Millennium with less drastic results. There was still a difference and the convex tamper still yielded better initial results. I was however, able to compensate with dose but believe the best shots were still obtained with the convex pistons. Convex shower screen, convex piston, flat shower screen flat piston has been my mantra, and this testing lends itself to that theory. But as with everything subjective, your results may vary.
Conclusion
The most comfortable tamper to the hand is worthless unless the base matches the machine. My convex shower screen matches the convex shape of the Compressore piston. That gives me an even headspace across the entire puck and even extractions in the cup. So consider the shape of your piston carefully. If you are having problems with extractions, try a different shape base, it just may do the trick.
My personal favorite tamper, that would be the Espressocraft with a convex base that matches the curvature of the EPNW Compressore piston.
by cannonfodder on Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:48 am 
-W
Contact Us