another_jim wrote:When I made the remark about choosing tampers by feel; I had no intention of criticizing anybody. If I came across as critical, I apologize.

Hi Jim,

You have so much credibility, you need never apologize!

Didn't think you were critical, just wanted to clarify why we didn't expound on shot quality.

I was hoping by now that one of the tamper makers would have contacted me with an offer to try the 625 tampers. Perhaps they need to know my baskets are 58.5mm . I'll need to know to what precision they'll need the dimensions of my group

another_jim wrote:I had no intention of criticizing anybody. If I came across as critical, I apologize.

Not at all.

I always considered the piston shape to be personal preference and of little significance. I have always gotten flat pistons for flat shower screens and convex for convex shower screens. This was the first time I have had such a variety and was somewhat shocked at the results. However my machine, with its off the scale water debit, is incredibly finicky and unforgiving. My results were not as dramatic in my Isomac, but I THINK there was a difference in the shot.

Tamping is less important than the grind and distribution but still affects the end product IMHO. I have had good shots from people that used gorilla tamps and people that use next to no tamp. It will be interesting to see if others have the same observations as I.

cannonfodder wrote:Tamping is less important than the grind and distribution but still affects the end product IMHO.

I concur.



The hard part is convincing oneself that it is not a spiral

another_jim wrote:When I made the remark about choosing tampers by feel; I had no intention of criticizing anybody. If I came across as critical, I apologize.

Think of me as the tamper-martian; I don't get it. Tamping has never been an important part of my espresso prep, and I'm reading the reviews to find out what's important and what isn't. Since I'm skeptical how much difference tamper configurations or tamping styles have on shot quality (although Cannonfodder's remarks are worth a following up); I'm perfectly happy to hear people discuss them in terms of comfort. That has enough contact with my experience to actually get me mildly interested in buying new ones.

... and I'd like one in polished chrome that fits my hand like an old loafer

Jim,

I am really surprised that tamping has "never been an important part of [your] espresso prep". In this you remind me of Sam Pati the owner of La Prima, Pittsburgh. He sort of pooh poohs my mention of tamping as an important step in espresso preparation. I hope to "nudge" him tomorrow (Saturday) after La Prima's first ever "Roaster Tour & Coffee Class" where I will take the RS (& keep it in my car until after the participants have left).


Len

another_jim wrote:I'm perfectly happy to hear people discuss them in terms of comfort. That has enough contact with my experience to actually get me mildly interested in buying new ones.

Although ergonomics (comfort) is #1 on my list of criteria, I think it's easily overrated for the light duty a tamper sees in an average kitchen, especially in terms of shot quality. On the other hand, design considerations can make a more significant performance difference, though some of these characteristics are lumped under the category of "fit" too. For example, the ease and confidence that one executes a level tamp. Small factors like:

• Thickness of the piston,
• Piston's contour leading to the edge,
• Presence (or absence) of score lines on the piston's sides, and
• Correct finger-to-palm fit

lead to the "oneness" with the tool that better enables you to discern a canted tamp. It doesn't take much of a tilt to badly gash the shot. Some tampers have design features that make it easier for me to feel / avoid an incorrect level, some don't (so as not to overly influence the reviews in progress, I'll hold the rest of my thoughts on the specifics for a little longer).

It will be interesting to see if a small subset of the Roadshow tampers are nominated top three picks more frequently than the others. However, if it turns out not to be the case, it wouldn't surprise me. I'll be satisfied if each reviewer brings a little enlightenment to those wanting to select another "fancy hammer".

I took inventory of the RS case and confirmed that all was present.



The next thing I did was to feel each tamper and tamp onto a kitchen towel (as Dave/Cannonfodder did - except that I used a girly-man towel while Dave just used the counter). Here are some pictures of that.




It is nice that HB included some extra baskets and pistons. One problem is that the piston on the Lava Import has the stud stuck thereto (while it seems to be in the handle of all the other tampers). Ergo, it will not be possible to try this piston with any other handles. This is not a big problem since there are other EP pistons in the case.

Let me get my preconceptions out of the way. It is assumed that we ALL have preconceptions; it is just that some of you don't realize their presence.

C. S. Lewis said: "Five senses; an incurably abstract intellect; a haphazardly selective memory; a set of preconceptions and assumptions so numerous that I can never examine more than minority of them - never become conscious of them all. How much of total reality can such an apparatus let through?" Indeed!

A preconception is simply a perception or opinion formed beforehand; a bias. Look, I am 53 years old and have been highly opinionated for at least 50 of those years. Unlike many, I have learned to "listen" to my preconceptions...at least until I have hard or other evidence by which to judge. My preconceptions of the Road Show tampers were as follows.
1. The Pullman, Torr, Coffee Lab & Espresso Craft tampers would be really well made.
2. The EPNW tampers would be of merely "serviceable".
3. The Bumper tamper would be poorly made.
4. The Clicker tamper would be a "toy".
5. The La Forza & Thor tampers would woo me with their craftsmanship though Thor would be too light.
6. The two Reg Barber tampers would be an enigma.

Now, faced with the cold reality of the RS in front of me, only numbers 1 & 6 hold true.

The Pullman, Torr, Coffee Lab & Espresso Craft tampers are indeed very well made, but so are the EPNW and (surprise, surprise) the Bumper. In fact, of the whole kit I am most impressed by the dashing of my preconception that the Bumper in my hand has made. The pictures of the Bumper have always seemed to me to show too boldly the mold seam in the middle of the rubber handle. The reality is that the seam is there and is easily overlooked as the patina of production. The feel of the Bumper is definitely of quality and the weight is surprisingly heavy.

The EPNW made tampers are all of pretty good quality and, unlike some of the pricier tampers herein, use man-made materials for the handles. It is quite possible to make a really good espresso with any of the EPNW tampers. The Clicker is a serious tamper and has a good feel for both tamping and polishing.

The La Forza & Thor are nice and exude craftsmanship...but I find that in the flesh, I have no more appreciation for them than the other tampers in the RS. The Thor is anything but "too light" being one of the heavier tampers in the RS.

As for Reg Barber, I still don't get "it"...but please allow me to continue my "search".

Len

cannonfodder wrote:The TORR is close. I like the piston but the handle is about a quarter inch too long. My fingers float uneasy above the piston and the base of the handle is a tad too thin.

Jens is rightfully proud of his work and listens to his clientele. Some of his clients said they would prefer the Classic with a slightly smaller knob and shorter handle. While not yet shown on Cafe Kultur's German-language e-commerce website pasmarose, the Classic XS is available on request:

TORR Classic versus TORR XS - click to see larger image

He was intrigued by your observations and made a few photos of his own:

Classic versus XS (left), XS versus Classic (right) - click to see larger image

I asked Jens a few questions about the finish on the TORR tampers. Given the smoothness of the finish, I thought it had a thin coating of lacquer. Nope, it's natural wood with a little wax rubbing. No special treatment of the finish is required. As with any fine wood, common sense care applies: Keep it dry, keep it away for excessive heat, and buff it with a soft cloth from time-to-time.

He sent me a prototype TORR XS with a different piston to check out. It is the same height as a Reg Barber and the knob is smaller. I personally prefer the wider knob and height of the larger Classic, though those with short fingers may prefer the XS. Like you said earlier in your review, it's "one off" quality.

The XS looks just about right. It also looks like a straight sided piston instead of the beveled piston in the kit.

You would be surprised how hard some wood waxes are. My father is a wood worker and I play with it on occasion. A good tight grain wood sanded with some 600grit, then some 0000 steel wool takes on a glass smooth and hard finish. The natural wood oils also give it a shellac appearance depending on the wood.

I put some new Red Oak base boards in the living room. A light stain to accentuate the grain and some wood wax for finish. Don't confuse wood sealing wax with car wax. This stuff dries hard (Deftoil satin is my preference). I thought about trying an epoxy resin finish on my next set of portafilter handles.

Hey paul, I would love one of those portafilter rests for tamping. Are you going to sell those?