So I bought the Versalab press. I really don't enjoy pressing espresso into the portafilter manually. It's pretty much my least favorite thing to do when making a latte. I get more enjoyment out of cleaning up the messy grounds my old Rossi RR45 throws all over the place than I do out of using a tamper!

This thing works like a champ and is very easy to install. I just had to buy a 1 gallon air tank and a regulator off of Amazon and hooked that all up to my compressor. I guess some people use CO2 cylinders but I already had a compressor in a sound-proof box available.

The force it applies is directly related to the pressure you set on the regulator (1.77x PSI). I haven't experimented with different pressures but I saw one YouTube video where the guy at a coffee shop had his set to deliver 85lbs to I'm guessing more than the usually recommended 30lbs is beneficial in some way. I only just got it installed yesterday so will do some testing over the next week to see where I want to set it or if it really matters at all. But for just making the experience of pulling shots better I am very pleased with it.

There is something very steampunk and fun about that press, would be cool to do some blind tests on shots pulled exactly the same except for 30, 60, 90, or 120 pounds of tamp force. Just don't squash your portafilter.

I am suddenly flashing back to the era of David Letterman that I most loved, back when he would take random things down to the local machine shop and squish them in a hydraulic press. Also, nice reference to Archimedes and levers here in this video.

Ha! That was awesome. I guess those segments were before my time. I seem to remember him throwing stuff off of buildings but don't recall the hydraulic press.

I would need more air pressure to get to 120. My compressor is only good for 40psi or so. Can still do a blind test at various pressures up to 70 lbs.