Coffee Tampers: The Key To The Best Home Coffee

You may have noticed the barista at your favourite coffee house doing it; he or she grinds the coffee and dispenses just the right amount into the portafilter (the handle with the cup on the end that receives the coffee and attaches to the espresso machine). With me so far? Good.

Then what happens? The barista uses a plastic or metal device that looks a bit like an old fashioned rubber stamp and pushes it into the coffee. Or at least, they should!!!

This step is known as tamping. Tamping results in the coffee being pressed firmly into a condensed layer within the portafilter. If you don't usually do this when you are making coffee at home then this is a quick and easy way to greatly improve the quality of the coffee you produce.

So why does it make any difference?

It's to do with what happens when you attach the portafilter to the machine and turn it on. The water (as steam) will be forced through the layer of coffee that is sitting in the porta filter. It follows the path of least resistance; any unevenness in the layer of coffee provides a route for the steam to move through that bypasses a lot of the coffee that you have paid for and placed there so lovingly. What a waste!!

By tamping you foil the steam's sneaky attempts to find an easy way through; it has no choice but to work its way through all of the coffee. This way you maximise the potential of all of the coffee that you have placed into the porta filter.

So how do you tamp?

It's really quite simple and should only take 30 seconds. Once you've dosed the right amount of coffee into the portafilter, you are ready for the first tamp. Place the tamper (use a metal tamper; not a plastic one) on top of the coffee and press gently (apply about 5lbs of pressure). Once you have done this, you will notice that some of the grounds will stick to the side of the basket in the portafilter. Knock these back onto the tamped coffee by tapping the whole porta filter gently against your hand or something solid.

Finally, you need to apply the finishing tamp to incorporate these grounds into the tamped coffee mass. This time you can press much more firmly (apply about 30lbs of pressure). You can practice by tamping on some scales until you are comfortable achieving the right amount of pressure.

Make sure you tamp as evenly as possible. If you want you can rotate the tamper to give a smoother surface to the coffee.

And that's it! Your coffee is now properly tamped and ready to make you great espresso with a rich flavour and fantastic crema!

About the Author:

This article was brought to you by Doctor Birse and the team at www.espressomachinesreviewed.com - your one stop shop for all things coffee on the world wide web!

From great new coffee products to independent, expert reviews of the latest espresso machines, we have it all.

Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com

Tags: espresso machines

, espresso machine

, handpresso

, coffee

, crema

Related....

Videos...

Recent Coffee Articles

Fresh Juice Loaded With Vitamins? It's Easier Than You Think! By: mat145jfbl2 | May 27th 2012 - Juicing can be a great way to get the nutrients that are in vegetables and fruits combined into a tasty juice that has all the flavor of fruit but doesn't have a vegetable taste ...

can caffeine help you lose weight

Great Tips To Make Juicing Easy By: josup1xabu2 | May 26th 2012 - It is easy to get nutritious juice, with the right tools and the right advice. Juice can form a valuable part of any diet. Getting started with juicing is not difficult, but a s ...

types of coffee beans

The Best Juicing Tips, Pointers And Ideas By: josup1xabu2 | May 26th 2012 - Whether you want to learn more about juicing fruits and vegetables for weight loss or strictly for health purposes, there is no denying that a juicer can be the healthy person's ...

coffee beans wholesale

Take A Look At These Fantastic Juicing Tips By: josup1xabu2 | May 26th 2012 - Juicing is currently becoming popular again as people rediscover the many health benefits of drinking the juices of fruits and vegetables, instead of sugary drinks or calorie-la ...

eating coffee beans

Green Coffee "�" An Aid To Weight Loss By: Carina | May 25th 2012 - Its not new that coffee is one of the most consumed beverages around the world, due to the interesting taste and freshness it gives. Its almost a routine to have a sip of ...

green coffee bean extract

green coffee extract

Make The Best Juice In Town With These Juicing Tips By: josup1xabu2 | May 25th 2012 - Orange juice is delicious... but from concentrate? Those juices from concentrate you find in the store can sometimes be appalling and disgusting, not to mention tasteless. This ...

starbucks menu

How To Fit Juicing Into Your Daily Routine By: mat145jfbl2 | May 25th 2012 - Juice is a very healthy way to get lots of vitamins and minerals into your diet. It can also provide you with fiber and other essential nutritional supplements. If you would lik ...

espresso machine reviews

Keep Your Body Healthy With This Nutrition Advice By: josup1xabu2 | May 25th 2012 - Are you changing your diet for the first time? Then you know how difficult it can be to even know where to start. It's no secret that trying to improve your diet for the first t ...

eating coffee beans

What Do You Prefer, Coffee Or Tea? By: Empty capsules for Nespresso | May 21st 2012 - People are preferring coffee over tea these days. Some consider it modern and fashionable to drink coffee. There are many teenagers who think find it funny and ridiculous when t ...

Coffee Capsules cup

Ne-Cap Nespresso refill capsules

Capsu

Coffee Maker Reviews By: Keith A. Nielsen | May 20th 2012 - For some people, coffee makes the world go around. It is an addictive luxury that coffee lovers cannot go a day without. Because coffee can be an expensive daily expense if brou ...

Coffee Maker Reviews

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Site Navigation: