Reg Barber Tampers

#1: Post by **doubleOsoul** » August 17th, 2021, 2:48 pm

While we are up in Canada on our essential oil buying trip, we are never far from coffee. Ever. I was elated to find Sies Cielo, a woman run roastery run by Sarah who happens to work a little with an old friend of our coffee industry: Reg Barber. That name should ring a bell with tamper collectors everywhere. Reg Barber really put the "FINE" in fine tampers. I was incredibly happy to learn that while another company has taken on his business of producing gorgeous tampers, he still has his hands in it as seen here in this collection. Without hesitation, I purchased the Native carving tamper and the bling tamper (both 58 mm) which looks like goldstone, a composite material I used to cut as a gemstone for sterling silver jewelry I fabricated Reg is a member of one of the native tribes here in the Okanogan Valley thus the homage to the totem like carving. I've booked a time later this week to visit him and see some of his projects. Mighty glad to see he still involved in making beautiful tampers. Mighty glad to find another woman out there roasting and slinging coffee too!

#2: Post by **Carmd1281** » August 17th, 2021, 7:06 pm

Very cool thanks for sharing!

I have a Reg Barber and am curious if it was produce when Reg was there or after....

#3: Post by **spressomon** » August 17th, 2021, 7:50 pm

Love all my Reg Barber tampers; he is, as you stated, the real deal originator of "fine" tampers. He made me a custom with taper'd sides for my Cremina; very nice, kind and accommodating man! I'm a little more than envious you get to meet him! And ditto for that truly awesome Native carved handle!

Thanks for posting Cher and also providing an update on Reg and his company; I thought he had closed the shop...forever. So good to hear someone has taken the reigns and Reg gets to be part of it too!

#4: Post by **Jeff** » August 17th, 2021, 8:15 pm

Having made the mistake of not investing on one a decade ago at the Portland expo, I sent an email to the address on their website* and promptly received a PDF catalog in response.

"Today, Reg still makes wooden handles in his workshop in Penticton, BC. Metalwork and orders are fulfilled from Montreal, QC."

Reg Barber Signature Tall Handles (72mm x 46.5mm)
Reg Barber Palm Handles (58mm x 49.5mm)
Reg Barber Short Ball Handles (56.5mm x 46mm)
Reg Barber Radical Pro (98.5mm x 31.5mm)
Reg Barber Signature Midori Handles (63.5mm x 46.5mm)
Reg Barber Nuovo (Simonelli) Handles (72.5mm x 41.5mm)

Depending on specifics, available in wood, laminates, aluminum (anodized, colored, gold plated)

A range of bases is also available, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, and copper and seven different profiles

* Nothing secret, it is just possible that the email address or means of contact change as they ramp things up.

August 18th, 2021, 12:27 am

Carmd1281 wrote:Very cool thanks for sharing!

I have a Reg Barber and am curious if it was produce when Reg was there or after....

Thanks! I'll have more to share after I see him on Thursday. I'm hoping he'll do some custom tampers for our roastery and for our vintage espresso machines (49mm). When did you get your tamper?

#6: Post by **Carmd1281** » August 18th, 2021, 6:29 am

In 2014

#7: Post by **Carmd1281** » August 18th, 2021, 7:46 am

#8: Post by **RockyIII** » August 18th, 2021, 9:20 am

That's great news. Thanks for the post.

September 21st, 2021, 11:58 am

"doubleOsoul" thank you so much for sharing update on Reg Barber. Great to hear he is "still in the (tamper) game." I still use my two (custom-sized base) Reg Barber tampers.

And great to hear you have gotten your own roaster. Last we communicated you were renting time with the commercial Probat mentioned in the article. To jog your memory, I am HB member who purchased your Kruve filters and stand in 2019. And the Chicago-Milwaukee get together crew liked your two roasts.

Next time I am in Sacramento area visiting relative and hiking Half Dome, I will make an advanced appointment to see your coffee & espresso equipment collection.

#10: Post by **TomC** » September 22nd, 2021, 1:54 pm

I have several Reg Barber Tampers. I'm a proud owner! Rewinding back to when I was brand new on HB, getting all of my decent quality gear set up, I happened to be a buyer of a new, custom Reg Barber Tamper right in the middle of a Canadian Postal Workers strike of some sort that delayed the delivery for a long time. I admit I was frustrated as a complete newbie at the time, but Reg was a more dignified, more patient person than I was. It was out of his control, but he still acknowledged my concerns and took care of me as a customer.

I followed up by buying a Reg Barber Tamper for my Cremina, and a very precious copper one for any of my 58mm groups. I can proudly (humble brag) claim that I'm the only person who owns a Reg Barber tamper that was owned by a state House of Representative coffee celebrity. I made the poor decision to sell my gorgeous Custom Copper Reg Barber Tamper and it only took me about 7 or 8 years to buy it back!! I'll never sell it again. I bugged Jon for years! It was only his good graces that let me buy it back. It's with me for the long haul, not only as a quality tool, but also as a symbol of well-made things that have more inherent value than what they initially convey, based on the ethos of their maker!

Before I sold the tamper, I spent a full week, carefully hand lacquering and hand-sanding the wood layer after layer, in order to have the most pristine, shining and beautiful example of a coffee tool.

I think, a decade later, I still have it.