I'm going to call it the 'portafilter spinning technique or PFST'

Basically, who said that we must spin the tamper and not the portafilter?

This mainly applies to those of us with a naked PF, since it would be tricky to do with a spouted pf and keep it level.

The PFST was discovered out of sheer experimenting with different technique. I think that holding the tamper steady and spinning the PF would ensure an even tamp, whereas rotating the tamper could result in an uneven puck if you apply too much downward pressure on one side of the tamper.

With the PFST just tamp down using 30lbs (or your usual amount of force) and then spin the portafilter while holding the tamper steady.

As for results in the cup - probably exactly the same lol, but maybe some of you will find the PFST to be easier to do and maybe even faster?



note:PFST should not be used in a sentence as the PFST technique, since the acronym has the word technique built in. This is similar to when people say ATM machine

Or you could skip the portafilter, remove the clip, and dose and tamp directly into the basket.

This has the obvious advantage of leaving the portafilter free to smash myself over the head if this turns into another tamping marathon thread .

-C

Edit: Oh and it will wear a strange ring shaped mark into the edge of your counter top.

Counter-top circles from overcaffeinated outer space aliens!

Hey Ilya. Disregard the sarcasm of our overcaffeinated and (temporarily) mentally disabled friends.

What you are describing is pretty much the same as what the Versalab pneumatic press does or allow the operator to do or what the girl in the video does... So no copyright for you.

Versalab espresso press

Anyway, general wisdom says that you should not apply a twisting motion when there is a significant load applied to the coffee puck. As I understand it, this could, and probably will, result in fractures in the puck and potentially breaking the seal around the edges.

As you can see here: Origin of the Polishing Twirl, the adhesion between the puck surface and the tamper can be significant.

P.S.: I am not suggesting that Ian was spinning on his puck. I am just saying...