If you follow us on Instagram you might have seen some of our “Does it Tamp?” series, where we test out various household and office objects to determine if they can successfully tamp ground coffee into a decent tasting cup.
Much to our surprise, using things like beer bottles, pestle and teaspoons to tamp your grinds can make just as delicious a coffee as using our $200 hand-crafted professional tamper. As long as all the other parts of the process are running smoothly, such as the grind size, water pressure in the machine and the freshness of the beans, you can pretty much use anything to tamp, provided you’re using the right technique.
Tamping is an absolutely imperative part of the brewing process because when the water pushes down into the puck, it’s subject to major pressure and as such, has an incredible ability to find the path of least resistance through the grinds. If these channels are found, the water rushes through, over-extracting the coffee around the channels and underextracting the coffee in the channels. This will make a coffee taste both flat, bitter and astringent. But with firm and even tamping, the water will soak through the puck evenly, bringing out the best of the flavours in the coffee.
Now, explaining how to tamp over a blog post is a difficult task, but here is a (lengthy) explanation of Ryadan’s tamping technique that he has perfected over the years.
If you’re curious about whether something will tamp, give it a go and let us know! We’d love to hear about your adventures in coffee brewing. Check out our last “Does It Tamp” post here.
The objects we found to work best as an improvised tamper were pestles and beer bottles (or any other type of glass bottle). The pestle works best for tamping as its shape is very similar to the one of an espresso tamper. The only difference is that while most tampers have hard edges, the pestle’s are rounded.
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#1: Post by SpromoSapiens » February 7th, 2014, 4:25 pm Every time I acquire a new-to-me espresso machine, I wonder why it is so often that machines are sold without tampers. Especially less commonly-sized vintage machines. Maybe its just been my luck of the draw, but I always start off using some random household object in order to decide whether Im going to keep the machine long enough to even warrant getting a tamper specifically for it (or for at least as long as it takes for said tamper to arrive once its been ordered). Im sure other folks have found themselves in this predicament at least once or twice along the way. So to give back to the community a little, I figured I would start a thread dedicated to common household objects that happen to fit particular portafilters well enough to get the job done, at least temporarily. This could be a resource for people going forward. Please join in & post your own discoveries! If response becomes substantial enough, ill compile organized lists and edit this first post to contain them all. The criteria is that the object fits the basket with a minimum of slop, is flat enough for a halfway decent polish, and is a truly common household object, available in stores far and wide. Let the fun begin! 91 Pasquini Livietta, 55mm 30oz Kirkland sea salt or other spice (Basket tapers a bit so its not perfect, but with a large enough dose it compresses enough for a potable shot.) Caravel, late model “Simply Organic” brand 2.3oz spice (available at Fred Meyer as well as smaller stores, probably others) La Pavoni Europiccola, pre-millennium Top part of “Misto” olive oil sprayer
#3: Post by RAS replying to LaDan » February 10th, 2014, 4:13 pm Hmm, I smell the making of an “Adapted for Coffee” thread. Whether its yogurt containers, dissecting needles, hockey pucks (I use two as part of my espresso-making kit), alligator clips (I use one to hold a thermometer inside my frothing pitcher), funnels will food-grade flexible tubes attached (excellent for filling boilers when upper cabinets dont give you enough room for convenient filling), canning funnels, silicone bowls, etc. My wife knows that anytime we go to a hardware store, Ill be looking for some odd item that I can adapt for coffee preparation. Bob
#2: Post by LaDan » February 10th, 2014, 12:27 pm It reminds me a couple of years ago when I picked up my Duetto at CCS and discovered that now I need a temporary tamper because the machine did not come with one. I took my micrometer to the supermarket and started measuring every product that looked to be in the range. … you can imagine the suspicious looks and inquiries I got from the supermarket employers… ROFL. I settled on a Caridom Foods Powdered Oregano. This thing is exactly 58mm after you shave the cup ridges that makes it easier to open.
Understanding How to Tamp Correctly for Espresso Brewing
FAQ
What can I use instead of an espresso tamper?
How do you tamp espresso without a tamper?
What happens if you don’t tamp espresso?
How do you tamp espresso without a tamer?
To tamp espresso without a tamper, you can use a variety of different objects, such as: Spoon: Press down on the coffee grounds in the portafilter. Make sure to apply even pressure & to tamp the grounds all the way to the edges of the portafilter. Pestle: Hold it vertically & press it down on the coffee grounds.
What can I use instead of a coffee tamper?
Do not feel bad if you have no coffee tamper; there are several alternatives you can use to achieve the perfect espresso shot. Just look around your kitchen, and you can find items in place of a coffee tamper. You can use pestle and bottles, such as beer or brandy bottles. Why Are Espresso Tampers So Expensive?
How to tamp an espresso machine?
Below are steps on how to tamp your espresso with no tamper: Measure and fill the portafilter with grounds just above the brim. Swipe over the top and remove any excess coffee using your index finger. Do not push down the grounds slightly with hands to prevent uneven oils extraction and flavorless shot.
Why do you tamp espresso?
You tamp espresso to create a uniform bed of coffee grounds that is resistant to channeling. Channeling is when water flows through the coffee grounds unevenly, resulting in a weak or sour shot of espresso. What Happens if You Tamp Espresso Too Hard?