another_jim wrote:The expert consensus is that any tamp or none, consistently applied, works. The real trick is to distribute and level the grinds perfectly, paying special attention that there are no gaps around the edge.

jmatt wrote:I would think that in a commercial environment, all of the barista's would need to use about the same pressure, assuming they were all getting coffee ground from the same grinder. Otherwise, wouldn't one barista get a shorter or longer pull than another, even if they were individually consistent in their tamping?