I'm a firm believer in simplifying the process...

Me, too, and I've gotten by for years with "low grade" equipment and "unsuitable" plastic tamps. (I'm also a firm believer in keeping it "grassroots.")

However, I finally splurged and bought my first "real" tamp--thinking that it would make no difference in my cup but would make tamping easier and maybe add some flair to my countertop.

I was wrong. Or, at least I think I was. I changed nothing else about my coffee, or my grinding, dosing, distribution, etc. but using the right tool for the tamping job, I'm pulling better shots than ever. I'm as surprised as anyone, believe me.

Maybe I had some bad habits with that old undersized plastic thing, or... who knows? I won't hazard to even try to explain it. It's my experience, so far, on my equipment.

espressme wrote:Tim,
Thank you for the simple plainly worded explanation! It helped me understand the reasoning for a light tamp/leveling in a lever machine basket. That information seems to hold true for all my lever machines. Level or mound the grind slightly in the basket and then set the head space with the tamper. There is almost no force applied. Now the Astra with an HX is a different story and the common wisdom/information seems to be mostly valid for it.
Cheers
Richard

Hi Richard,
Glad it's working for you. I'll be down to one machine soon, and it's in the basement in pieces. But I'm using exactly 30 # of pressure on the French Press

Regards
T

Well, after 5-6 years of daily espresso making, I tried not tamping for the first time yesterday. As a practical matter, I don't do much fussing to prepare a puck. I am using a Lelit PL53 and Isomac Venus. I grind into a 3oz SS pitcher and measure dose by volume into it (typical 16-18 grams into LM ridgeless) So I pour this into the basket evenly and maybe shake it a bit to get it there. (no stirring/declump, etc) Typical dose is a bit under the rim loose, then a couple 3 taps straight down on the counter and straight press down with the tamper, load the basket into portafilter and pull. I have found (esp. first in the morning...) the more mucking/fussing with the prep, the more likely I will create problems. (The worst problem created when I compress the puck with tamp, discover it is not even, then try to straighten it with the tamper. This almost sure to create channeling!)

So I left all other parameters the same: grind, dose, prep, only did not tamp at all. shoved the grind right into the shower screen as I lock the portafilter Hmm, same pressure profile as a 'normal' shot. Looks good, tastes good. So I repeated the test 2 more times with the same consistent results! OK, thanks for that, I was easily convinced. Now, there is a good bit more grounds all around the edge of the showerhead, so it is a bit messy, but the idea that you are tamping so the grinds don't mess up the showerhead seems sound. I was most surprised that I did not have to adjust anything else to get my consistent 9.5 Bar pressure and volume while completely eliminating the tamp! After trying 3 shots, I'm going to wait on my vote: not enough experience ....but it is right now at 'not important at all'. Thanks for pointing this out.

Don't forget that the Elektra has a different group than the typical e61.
Water dispersion is different due to the space behind the screen.

Frost wrote:As a practical matter, I don't do much fussing to prepare a puck. I am using a Lelit PL53 and Isomac Venus. I grind into a 3oz SS pitcher and measure dose by volume into it (typical 16-18 grams into LM ridgeless) So I pour this into the basket evenly and maybe shake it a bit to get it there. (no stirring/declump, etc) Typical dose is a bit under the rim loose, then a couple 3 taps straight down on the counter and straight press down with the tamper, load the basket into portafilter and pull.

Let me make sure I have this straight. 1. You remove the basket from the portafilter. 2. You dose, not into the basket, but into a separate pitcher. 3. Then you pour from the pitcher into the basket. 4. You shake the basket. 5. Then you tap the basket two or three times. 6. Then you tamp it down with a piston, and finally... 7. You put the basket back into the portafilter.

Just out of curiosity, how much more fussing do you think your rituals would require to qualify as "much fussing?"

A sharp stick, yogourt cup, gram scale, curved or straight card, Stockfleth, NSEW, brush, plunge, I'm sure there's more

Some old habits are hard to break, I got used to having a handful of dry clean baskets on the warming tray and leave the portafilter (with previous basket) warm on the group whilst I fiddle with puck prep. Also, this saved me some time when I had a bunch back-to-back to deliver. My PL53 grinder is not very good about grinding right into the basket, it throws all the grind to one side, messy, and has you twisting about to try & get an even fill. I just tried loading the basket directly (without handle) and that may work too. Basically it is about time and it takes longer to type all that then it does to do it. I have about 35 seconds where the machine has to stabilize the temp for the next shot. In that time I grind and prep the next puck. Takes about 16-18 seconds for the grinder to do it, and the other 16 seconds is for me to twaddle as needed to ready the puck. Most important though is I can do it half asleep first thing in the morning.

A... ...yogourt cup...

Some old habits are hard to break, I got used to having a handful of dry clean baskets on the warming tray My PL53 grinder is not very good about grinding right into the basket, it throws all the grind to one side, messy, and has you twisting about to try & get an even fill.

And you LOL at the folk who use a yoghurt cup? My Mazzer is pretty good about throwing it into the basket, but I, like you, prefer to keep dry baskets at the ready to load and shoot as the need comes up, and do all the dishes later. To that end, I just cut a yoghurt cup down to fill the gap between the basket sitting on the fork, and the bottom of the doser. I simply whip out another basket, fit the yoghurt deal into it, thwack a few times, level (yep, with a chopstick) back into the doser, drop the basket into the PF, tamp, and lock & load. I dunno, but if you ask me this technique sound easier, faster, and cleaner than grinding into a pitcher and distributing it into baskets and then going through the rest of the motions.
But, everyone deals with the shortcomings of their machinery in their own way, whichever makes it more comfortable to them.

I have learned two words in life that usually mean the opposite of what is intended:

1. "Clearly." This word is nearly always followed by a debatable proposition.

2. "Simply." Means, "surprisingly troublesome instructions are about to follow...."