Let's be real.. It takes an additional few seconds to double check your tamp and make any adjustments needed for a perfectly level tamp. Sometimes you don't get a perfect tamp the first time. That's being human. Most pro baristas I've seen double check as well. Not hard to do. The real benefit of a push style tamper is in commercial environment, when seconds matter and add up to less drinks sold.

For the home environment it's really just another coffee gadget we can't resist trying out... But the truth is push tampers arent great for home use where roast condition changes day to day.

tohenk2 wrote:When would you need to fall back to a traditional tamp if you have this? At home, it is normal to use what you have and like best, isn't it? And away ... if you look at the routines of top-barista's [like Sasa Sestic] they all use their own tools ... (Meaning - if you want you *can* take your tools with you!)

That seems like a fair assessment, and truthuly I've never been in an environment, outside of my own apartment, where I had to pull my own shots.

weebit_nutty wrote:But the truth is push tampers arent great for home use where roast condition changes day to day.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I fail to see the logic in that. Maybe you can expant on your thought and help me understand what you mean.

The tamper still interests me, and I may buy one, but it won't be this week. Having just put a deposit down on the new EG-1 grinder a few days ago I feel like I've spent enough on coffee gear for a while.

For those that have this tamper, or a tamper style such as this, when you get in a new coffee how do you determine the depth level to make the tamper.

As I am assuming, when changing coffees, the tamper depth would need to change.

Since tamp pressure isn't as important of a factor in espresso as it once was thought to be, does the bean in the PF even really matter? It seems that the depth of the tamp would be the most important factor, just clearing the shower screen enough so it doesn't hit the grinds by 1-2mm.

Then I assume you wouldn't have to change your tamp for the coffee, but the coffee's grind for the tamp & PF load.

DanoM wrote:Since tamp pressure isn't as important of a factor in espresso as it once was thought to be

Says who? This is not fact. Tamp pressure comes into play most of the time, in my experience. May not under all circumstances or with all machines but I find the opposite more true.

While I personally feel the importance of tamp is downplayed rather than oversold as well, I have observed and read that at some cut off-some say 30lb (I suspect it is more basket/dose dependent) that the tamp has negligible affect beyond that pressure. While I know with certainty that extreme over tamping can and will cause cracks, I suspect there is sufficient room in that window between over tamping and and the upper thresehold that one could easily maintain a consistent tamp depth and fall within that window for many different beans, as well as the same bean on different days. Just based on my experience observing depth and force on my postal scale over time.

I don't think it would work well with a light tamp, ime.

Says Socratic and a bunch of other people who've actually tested tamping pressure vs results...

There are many factors that come into play that affects the behavior of tamping as well. Bean age, density, fines, oiliness, basket geometry, etc. Dismissing the importance of tamp pressure is simply ignoring these parameters.

Socratic's test results are based on a fixed set of these variables. The home environment is not as forgiving and their conclusion might not apply to most home uses that continually alter these parameters. if these things were always the same as in their testing, then sure. But I know them not to be.

I'm all for tamping, but if you are interested, try the Orphan Espresso slapshot test. With the right load, leveled, untamped surface, slap it in the group and do the pull. You still get a great shot.
I wouldn't recommend this on anything but a lever machine, as there are likely to be more coffee particles floating when the solenoid valve opens to depressurize the group. It also gives you more of a cleanup requirement in my experience, but it does work. This was the beginning eye-opener for many people experimenting with tamp pressures.

Personally, I think if you have a level tamp with at least 10# pressure you likely have a good puck for your pull. Pump machines without a preinfusion cycle might benefit from a heavier tamp to help keep the puck from cratering in the beginning, but that depends on the machine.

DanoM wrote:
Personally, I think if you have a level tamp with at least 10# pressure you likely have a good puck for your pull. Pump machines without a preinfusion cycle might benefit from a heavier tamp to help keep the puck from cratering in the beginning, but that depends on the machine.

I agree. Too light and too heavy can be disastrous if your grind doesn't cooperate. and the way the machine behaves is also a crucial aspect to this.