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Once
you have established the mechanical side of your espresso set up -
a pump driven machine & a burr type coffee grinder - you still
have a few skills to
learn. One common pitfall is to think that you can use the
plastic tamper that comes with most espresso machines... or
even some kind
of household object that will fit into your porta-filter. A
quality tamper offers consistency and fine tuning that can
make or break your morning espresso.
Picking
the right tamper size:
--> 58mm
is a common size for many espresso machines including Rancilio,
Pasquini, Grimac, Saeco, Gaggia, La Marzocco, E61 groups and
many
more. The filter basket diameter is 58mm or around 2.25 inches and the
tamper is slightly smaller allowing insertion.
--> 53mm Fits
many home model machines -- Francis!Francis!(pre 2003), Saeco,
Starbuck’s, Solis, Spaziale... The filter basket
diameter
is 53mm or around 2 inches and the tamper is slightly smaller allowing
insertion.
--> 49mm
Use for La Pavoni Europiccola, Olympia Express, De
Longhi, Krups
--> 51mm
Use
for Breville by special order.
-->
57mm Use for Ascaso by
special order.
The
important elements to a good tamp:
1) A
good tamper with a flat tamping surface (not convex or
concave). The tamping surface should be smooth, polished.
Over time you will probably score the surface
slightly and
that should not effect your shots.
2) Pre tamping
leveling of grounds. When you first
fill your filter basket with grounds, you will have an uneven mound of
coffee in the basket. It will be higher than the rim in the
center and lower on the sides - THIS IS BAD. Each person
develops their own method to get those grounds evenly distributed
before tamping. The best way to start out is to lengthen your
CLEAN & DRY index finger and use it as a sort of
squeegee - gently moving the pile of grounds to and fro allowing
overflow to fall on the counter, floor or... - your spouse going to
love this! - You should have even & flat yet
uncompressed coffee grounds spread across the PF. Avoid bumps
or dips on the
surface.
3) Tamp
pressure. With some practice, you will find
the
right pressure to get consistently tamped pellets or pucks.
As a
general rule your tamping pressure should be about 30 lbs of pressure.
You can use a bathroom scale to get a feel for what 30 lbs. of pressure
feels like. Your personal best tamping pressure is going to
depend on the type of beans you use and the fineness of grind you
produce.
4) Even
pressure & Level tamp. By making
the puck
evenly pressurized and level with the rim of the porta-filter,
the
coffee will infuse equally. This just takes practice.
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Hold
the porta-filter firmly with the spout rested on the counter- use a bar
towel or you are going
to ruin your counter top. If you have
a double spout this will be easy - a single spout is hard to balance.
Use your other hand
to push down on the coffee grounds.
As the coffee compresses, keep the tamper as
level on all sides as possible.
Note resistance from your grounds so you can
adjust your next try.
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Install
your porta-filter and make your shot. |
Now -Evaluate the following.
Shot time - a shot should take 20 to 25 seconds for 3 oz.
If your shot is fast you may need finer grind and/or
harder tamp.
Too slow means you need to back off grind and/or tamp.
Crema - A good shot has thick auburn foam covering the
shot.
If you have yellow or off white foam you may need finer grind and/or
harder tamp.
Dark brown foam partially covering the shot - you may need to back off
grind and/or tamp.
The puck: surface - should be even without bubbles or
fissures. A
light imprint of the diffusion screen is O.K. but avoid strong imprint
as this means that the coffee has not been able to expand.
The knocked puck - should be in one piece but not too
hard.
Look for grounds in the bottom of your cup.
That means you
have too fine of grind.
Look for dark oily stains on your filter basket. That
signifies your
tamp is too hard.
Note the above and make adjustments. You may find that you
need to adjust
grind, tamp or both. It will take some
experimentation.
go to tamper page
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