Included in a combined order for a new espresso machine and grinder I placed with Chris' Coffee Service is the new PuqPress Automatic Tamper.
Oh My Word, Do I Ever Love It.

Consistency of tamping turned a variable into a constant and it helps me as a novice espresso home barista in focusing on quickly dialing in the optimum grinder setting for a given coffee bean lot.

The only messing around involved adjusting the portafilter cradle to the correct height clearance but included was an T-handle adjustment wrench for this job.

I set the tamping pressure to 30 pounds with an up/down rocker switch and was on my way.

I still have my manual tamper standing in the ready but It's for show, not for go.

-Charlene

wow... $855.00 for an electric tamper. While there may be a place in some homes for such a device, if the cost of the PuqPress was added to the $895 you paid for the grinder... Hmm.. Food for thought.

Anyway... To make the best of that I would advise working on your distribution before tamping. Your second tamp in the video is done with a very uneven distribution in the basket. I would suggest the Orphan Espresso dosing funnel.

Very nice 3 years old video from the PuqPress YT channel. PuqPress advertiser might be a more suitable username.

To CoffeeBeetle,

I included the PuqPress video because the Puqpress is a new product.

Implying I am here for anything other than sharing love of espresso would be incorrect and a bit cynical.

I am simply a customer sharing a review. period.

I did not even look at the creation date of the youtube. I find it strange that it would be a three years old video when it is a brand new product on the market, according to the Chris' Coffee Service website from which I purchased it.

You are not making a good impression on a new forum member, CoffeeBeetle (fyi).

To be fair your very first post on this forum does sound very much like an advertisement.

The video isn't one you shot and comes directly from the company YT channel and it was uploaded december 12 2013, you say that you bought this product with a combined grinder and espresso machine but do not in any way mention either of those and your post explains in detail what the PuqPress comes with and how easy it is to adjust.

If you are simply a newcomer who is very excited about your tamper then i'm sorry for the bad welcome but when a brand new user makes a detailed review of a obscure product and includes promotional material 10min after registering here it does seem a bit weird.

Randy G. wrote:wow... $855.00 for an electric tamper. While there may be a place in some homes for such a device, if the cost of the PuqPress was added to the $895 you paid for the grinder... Hmm.. Food for thought.

Anyway... To make the best of that I would advise working on your distribution before tamping. Your second tamp in the video is done with a very uneven distribution in the basket. I would suggest the Orphan Espresso dosing funnel.

In defence of the Puqpress (which I don't own but maybe might one day purchase), many folks here seem to own a handful (or more) standard tampers, which I'm sure add up to be close to the cost of one of these (especially considering a lot of nice tampers these days are $150-$200 USD, it would seem).

What draws me to it is not only repeatability but the fact that I don't have to worry about any physical strain for years or ever (as long as it lasts that long, anyways). As a photographer I put enough strain on my wrists and most everything else, so any device that can take any of that burden off my shoulders during other parts of my day is always welcomed.

That being said, this is likely designed for cafe's and not necessarily aimed at home use, but I could be wrong. I can see how this would pay for itself as a worry-free consistent way of tamping across multiple employees.

Apology accepted. I am absolutely not an equipment vendor in any way, shape, or form and represent no one other than myself as an espresso lover.

My equipment is listed in my profile which is visible to everyone:

- Andreja Premium Evo Espresso Machine (Brand New)

- Nuova Simonelli G60 Grinder (Brand New)

- PuqPress Automatic Tamper (Brand New)

- Behmor 1600Plus Coffee Bean Roaster (approx. 5 years old 1600 upgraded to Plus)

In addition, the equipment I did not list...

- La Pavoni Pisa Espresso Machine (entry level machine - 10 years old bought new)

- Rocky Doserless Grinder (entry level grinder - 10 years old bought new)

- Technivorm Moca Master 8 cup drip coffee maker (10 years old bought new)

CoffeeBeetle wrote:To be fair your very first post on this forum does sound very much like an advertisement.

The video isn't one you shot and comes directly from the company YT channel and it was uploaded december 12 2013, you say that you bought this product with a combined grinder and espresso machine but do not in any way mention either of those and your post explains in detail what the PuqPress comes with and how easy it is to adjust.

If you are simply a newcomer who is very excited about your tamper then i'm sorry for the bad welcome but when a brand new user makes a detailed review of a obscure product and includes promotional material 10min after registering here it does seem a bit weird.

Hi Randy,

I got 10% off the list price when I bought the PuqPress several weeks ago. That was an $85.50 discount. I really hesitated on it because of the price... gave it a lot of thought and finally decided I was going to go for it. The emotional stress of needing the correct-form and technique for tamping was the deciding factor. The machine eliminated my self-doubting stress about technique.

Now that I have it, I am very glad I bought it. No stress tamping is for me!

I am quite sure it is not a cost-effective device for everyone. The price needs to go down... a lot.

Randy G. wrote:wow... $855.00 for an electric tamper. While there may be a place in some homes for such a device, if the cost of the PuqPress was added to the $895 you paid for the grinder... Hmm.. Food for thought.

Anyway... To make the best of that I would advise working on your distribution before tamping. Your second tamp in the video is done with a very uneven distribution in the basket. I would suggest the Orphan Espresso dosing funnel.

chrisbodnarphoto wrote:this is likely designed for cafe's and not necessarily aimed at home use

Absolutely but it gets so inconsistent because the grind gets stuck on the base of the press.
We also used it for a while in the workshop but finally got rid of it.

Ditto, Chris. I own about 100 dollars worth of tampers.

Consistency, repeatability, and no physical effort tamping is what drew me to it. Sadly, I am not a young chick anymore either.

It is also a time saver considering how fast it is compared to manual tamping.
I don't know if it is rated for professional use but if it can stand up to the pace in a professional setting it would pay for itself in no time flat, just from a time standpoint, not to mention eliminating bad tamping technique by seasoned baristas in a hurry or newbie baristas with questionable technique.

chrisbodnarphoto wrote:In defence of the Puqpress (which I don't own but maybe might one day purchase), many folks here seem to own a handful (or more) standard tampers, which I'm sure add up to be close to the cost of one of these (especially considering a lot of nice tampers these days are $150-$200 USD, it would seem).

What draws me to it is not only repeatability but the fact that I don't have to worry about any physical strain for years or ever (as long as it lasts that long, anyways). As a photographer I put enough strain on my wrists and most everything else, so any device that can take any of that burden off my shoulders during other parts of my day is always welcomed.

That being said, this is likely designed for cafe's and not necessarily aimed at home use, but I could be wrong. I can see how this would pay for itself as a worry-free consistent way of tamping across multiple employees.