Hello all,

I'm attending a wedding in a week's time and the bride and groom have a La Pavoni Eurobar (the "normal" or the de Luxe model, I never got an answer when I asked which one they have). If I've understood correctly, both models have pressurized PFs.

The thing is, they have a tamper on their wedding list and I'm thinking of getting them one (58 mm). But I'm not sure of how it works with a pressurized PF - somewhere I read that you shouldn't tamp at all and somewhere else I read that a light tamp will suffice.

Do people level the coffee by hand and then go about making their shots?

I'd be very happy to receive some tips on this. I obviously think it's nice to be able to get the couple something coffee related but if a tamper doesn't work with their PF, it also feels a bit unnecessary.

Thanks for all the replies.

I do know that pressurized portafilters aren't any good really and I also used the search function on the forum but I didn't find anything directly related to my "problem". It's not my thing to criticize the couple's choice of espresso machine (even though I wouldn't get one of those), I'm just trying to find out whether it's a good or bad idea to get them the tamper they have on their list.

Even though the plastic fantastic thing provided with the machine suffices, I guess it still is more fun to use a tamper and do a light tamp with it.

Tomorrow I'll call a shop that sells espresso gear and ask them what they think. I think I'll also force them to try out which size fits the Eurobar PF

Pupa wrote:I do know that pressurized portafilters aren't any good really

So, do you know if the pinhole is in the PF? If it's in the basket instead, you could get the couple a replacement?

triptogenetica wrote:So, do you know if the pinhole is in the PF? If it's in the basket instead, you could get the couple a replacement?

Hmm, no, I'm afraid I don't. Will have to find out that tomorrow, too!

It would pay to check but I think it'll be 53mm. My first machine was a Pavoni "Espresso Plus" which I believe is the same machine but with an all stainless steel box. It had a 53mm basket and pressurized PF. I actually bought a Reg Barber tamper for it and always used it but now I know I probably needn't have bothered

There's a difference between a pressurized portafilter and pressurized portafilter baskets that I don't believe to be semantic. Dan's response post shows a pressurized basket, not a pressurized portafilter. I've read commentary from many users of machines with pressurized portafilters (Saeco/Starbucks and the like with a spring system in the handle itself) that indicate that tamping has little or no effect, thus I've no reason to believe it isn't so. On the other hand, after first receiving my Krups as a gift I used it for the better part of a year with the pressurized baskets and in my experience tamping absolutely did have an effect on the shots I pulled. Since moving to a regular double basket I've occasionally used the pressurized single basket to finish off a few left over beans from a fresh bag and confirmed my initial experience with the positive effect of tamping in the use of these baskets.

As far as the original poster is concerned, if your friends listed a tamper go ahead and buy them one. It's a wedding gift that they asked for; at best a functional gift they'll use often and enjoy, at worst a really nice paperweight--also functional. Either way it matters not to anyone but them.

espressoed wrote:As far as the original poster is concerned, if your friends listed a tamper go ahead and buy them one. It's a wedding gift that they asked for; at best a functional gift they'll use often and enjoy, at worst a really nice paperweight--also functional. Either way it matters not to anyone but them.

+1 for that! Jim, I didn't mean to be preachy, just that I picked up on the below discrepancy, and didn't know if the OP was certain what the situation is:

espressoed wrote:There's a difference between a pressurized portafilter and pressurized portafilter baskets that I don't believe to be semantic. Dan's response post shows a pressurized basket, not a pressurized portafilter.

espressoed wrote:I've read commentary from many users of machines with pressurized portafilters (Saeco/Starbucks and the like with a spring system in the handle itself) that indicate that tamping has little or no effect, thus I've no reason to believe it isn't so. On the other hand, after first receiving my Krups as a gift I used it for the better part of a year with the pressurized baskets and in my experience tamping absolutely did have an effect on the shots I pulled. Since moving to a regular double basket I've occasionally used the pressurized single basket to finish off a few left over beans from a fresh bag and confirmed my initial experience with the positive effect of tamping in the use of these baskets.

As far as the original poster is concerned, if your friends listed a tamper go ahead and buy them one. It's a wedding gift that they asked for; at best a functional gift they'll use often and enjoy, at worst a really nice paperweight--also functional. Either way it matters not to anyone but them.

Thank you for the helpful reply, espressoed

I contacted a shop and I'm going to order a nice little 53 mm tamper they told me fit the Eurobar. They also said that a tamper for the machine isn't essential but a very light tamp is OK. So, either way, the bride and groom can use it for a light tamp or as a paper weight, it's up to them