Craig

Many, myself included, use Greg's tampers (http://www.coffeetamper.com.au/).  They are nice to look at, great to use and Greg is fantastic to deal with.

Cheers
Ed

You could also contact John Doyle (aka Pinot) on this site. He has some nice stainless steel Tampers that I'm sure he could send to you.

cd.

I'll also recommend the Greg Pullman product.
I have one for my Silvia and I bought one for my brother-in-law as a gift for his Sunbeam Machine.
Mine's great. My brother-in-law loves his. Reckons it makes a great difference even with the cheap machine.

Hi, this is my first post to this forum and I'd just like to add another opinion on the tamper issue.
I certainly am in favour of buying Australian, but people should also check out the Reg Barber tampers from Canada, especially since they are much the same price as Greg's tampers, famous the world over for their incredible quality and beauty, and they deliver quickly and cheaply ($CAN15 cheap considering the air postage).
I recently got one custom made to fit my Pavoni Europiccola filter baskets (49mm) and it cost $AUS80 door to door.


cheers,

chopinhauer

[quote author=chopinhauer  link=1109146620/0#7 date=1109211444]Hi, this is my first post to this forum and I'd just like to add another opinion on the tamper issue.
I certainly am in favour of buying Australian, but people should also check out the Reg Barber tampers from Canada, especially since they are much the same price as Greg's tampers, famous the world over for their incredible quality and beauty, and they deliver quickly and cheaply ($CAN15 cheap considering the air postage).
I recently got one custom made to fit my Pavoni Europiccola filter baskets (49mm) and it cost $AUS80 door to door.


cheers,

chopinhauer [/quote]
This is a good point. I have been considering a Reg Barber.
http://www.coffeetamper.com/
As soon as I come up with artwork I am happy with for the top of the tamper ($15 extra) - I am going to take the plunge.

sienna told me they sell reg barbers for $60aud, they only have ones with the sienna logo.

I use a solid ss one which I guess is like the ones first crack sell which works a treat. Even though the wood top may look classier the solid ss certainly has an indestructible feel to it and is great for cleaning.  

btw even a vegemite jar will work much better than the plastic tampers

I saw a little stubby 58mm one (SS) in the Cuisine World for $25, so while not a piece of art, it was certinly a piece of steel.

How much are those two you have FB?

[quote author=pinot  link=1109146620/0#14 date=1109301552]The various wooden handles look great.
However, I wonder if they comply with the relevant Food Standards???? I remember reading something about varnished wood products and food.......
Like FRESH, I'll stick to the polished aluminium or stainless steel.
John [/quote]

Hi John,

I agree with you regarding porous materials used in food preparation areas however, Greg Pullman's Tampers use high denisity Jarrah and they are finished with an oil finish, not varnish. When you consider how many kitchen utensils and implements use wooden handles, bases or are entirely made from wood, I don't think an unvarnished wooden handled Tamper is an issue.

Another thing to keep in mind, each GP Tamper is unique and made by hand and if you factor that into the price you are getting not only a bargain but a work of art... not something that's been churned out by machines in the hundreds or thousands.

Just my $0.02 worth.
Mal.

We had our Tamper made from a solid lump of Brass one end has a convex and the other end a concave both at about 2mm weiging in at just over 1170g. No pressure is ever used except for the weight of the Tamper itself.... The ability of the Tamper to evenly distribute its weight is very important as many of you already know. We have found that the consistency from a good Tamper is Parramount to a good extraction, I would even go as far to say that the quality of the grind is just as important as the Tamping process, any thoughts from you all about this?

FB

Ed

It takes no more room than any other Tamper I have seen. 85mm high 58mmm dia.

Allowing for the fact that it is solid Brass.... the weight is a lot. I've use a few SS Tampers and they have all been good, but I am bised becasue I know mine is a one of a kind.

My 17yo son has decided he likes making my coffees and he has been taught well.... and when he first strted out he used our other tampers but the consistency was not the best, but with the Brass one it is certainly there. Only thing I need now is someone to feed me Grapes whilst I lay down and thing will be pretty much perfect...lol

FB........

My father inlaw made me one of the best tampers I've ever seen or used, but I might be biased . I showed him some photos of Reg Barber tamps and the Deluxe Lava Pro and being an old metal machinist, he turned a 58mm head out of big chunk of stainless he had lying around the shed. A friend of his lathed the handle and voila.

I also ended up buying a Deluxe Lava and the Stainless Pro Tamp from Espressoparts.com. I ordered one of them in a convex base. The handles and heads easily unscrew so you can interchange convex for flat to suit your requirements.

The hard black stuff on the end of the Pro Tamp is great. You can tap the side of the portafilter with leaving a mark. The Lava Deluxe is less sturdy and has burred up a bit.

All of these tampers have been great. I think as long as you get the correct diameter for your basket as a basis then let your sense of feel and aesthetics take over you'll be fine.

Professional baristas would probably have differing criteria for tamps that get used to make hundreds of coffees a day. The couple I've spoken to have mentioned a preference for a lighter tamper to lower fatigue and enhance feel for the compression of the ground coffee.

I think I have an unhealthy attraction to tampers... I want to get an Espro tamp next, then an Impod, then a Reg Barber, and then...




Stephen

This is my homemade tamper, made from scrap 18 ml thick kiln-dried hardwood and part of an old cricket stump.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/robusto/tamper2.jpg

The  top, tapered wood is there to support the handle which goes right through it, and then attaches to the bottom one with dowel. Beats the plastic Silvia one.

Very Cool tamper FB, slick shape too.

Is it polished brass or chrome over the brass?
(hard to tell on my lcd screen)

..and do you use the concave or convex end?
(curious)

Well, it took a little while, but the father in law came good with a mate who knows a friend, who owed a favour...


58.3mm. Excellent bit of gear.

I can not understand why Ranchilio don't supply a better tamper, even if it just fitted across the basket better.

Boris

Boris that small black plastic Tamper is a mass produced one, I have seen heaps of them around....... its just a starter one for you... I wonder how many people actually continue to use them.....

Seems like we both have Tampers that Tim the Toolman (Home improvments TV show)would like......just thinking of his grunted laugh....lol

Theres just something special about your own tamper....... Originality is a special thing

FB

[quote author=coffeelab  link=1109146620/30#30 date=1114156374]I guess I can recommend my tamper. It took three prototypes, 1 year and a hell of a lot of cash to develop. You can check it out at www.coffeelabdesign.com.I  [/quote]

Is there something wrong with my system or are there no pix of the tamper on your website?

Ron

I ordered a Reg Barber one afte seeing one at our Perth Cafe Day.  

I decided on one with a rosewood handle and a copper base as I thought it would be different. The colour also stands out from the other stainless steel background.  

It is really down to handle shape and aesthetics.  If it looks good and feels good in the hand (and it's the right diameter of course) then it should work.

Some of them like the Reg Barber you can get Rancilio or whatever you want (if you provide the artwork) inlaid in the top of the handle (extra $15).

It is funny how such a small thing is so important to people but then you use them each time you make coffee.  I have just a plain aluminium one at the moment and that was a huge improvement after the plastic one I had.  

Grant

Hello again Ron,

The KG100 is a rebadged Solis 166 grinder from memory and for most purposes do a reasonable job with a quite good quality burr set. It should be up to the job for all but the Silvia and upwards because of the need to grind very finely and consistently for professional type Groups and PFs.

When your CFO starts to recognise the quality of brews you start producing, I'm sure she will understand the need for a good quality grinder. Makes a hell of a difference to the quality of the brews you can produce and if you extend that into roasting your own beans at home, well, you're well on your way to ongoing coffee nirvana.

Re the Tamper. I'd say go for it, if you've got a lathe and bar-stock at home. Apart from the obvious need to make the business end the right size to suit your PF Basket(s), the top of the handle needs to be a comfortable shape and size to make it easy to repeatedly apply the required tamping force. After all, once friends, neighbours and relies realise how good the coffee is at your place, you're going to be kept busy .

All the best Ron and happy brewing,
Mal.

Yes, the KG100 is the Solis 166 (which I didn't know until I read the Choice magazine review).  I had been reluctant to buy it based on some reviews I'd read.  But other reviews gave it a positive write-up.

[quote author=Mal  link=1109146620/30#35 date=1120402901]When your CFO starts to recognise the quality of brews you start producing, I'm sure she will understand the need for a good quality grinder. [/quote]

Ahh.  Well, the first few cups of coffee made with the new grinder's coffee have been spectacularly unsuccessful.  In my defence, I haven't had much chance to play with it since buying it yesterday - I had to go to work an hour after getting it home - and they were plunger coffees.

I'll make a tamper up this week.  Having read the thread on equipment, I'll go there and add my details.

Ron

Hi:

I finally got my Reg Barber tamper today.  It weights 390grams which is one of the reason I wanted the base to be copper.  The handle is made of African Rosewood.



The picture from the web doesn't really do it justice.  

Anyway, nice to have and it fits the portafilter on the Silvia perfectly.

Grant

http://www.regbarber.com/images/tampers/tn-tall-buninga-co.jpg

I reckon, anything that takes the guess work out has to be a good thing.  Less variables.
I haven't seen that one yet.  
Got a website or a picture?

The Sunbeam EM6900 comes with a very nice tamper.  

I've got an Espro. They are a really good training tool but not my personal favourite for day to day use. Not sure why exactly, it's nicely made, good finish etc. Kinda pricey at around $100 Australian plus postage. I had high hopes, and went to a fair bit of trouble to track one down, but now I don't often use it.

I think they would be good as a training tool for new staff at cafes, or other business that serve coffee. From my own observations most PBTC don't put much force behind their tamp, if they use a tamper at all.

-Stephen-

Hi All,
We are actualy in the process of designing (well at least thinking about) a CoffeeSnobs tamp.

What are the features that you like in your current tamp?
What weight do you think "feels right for you"?
What material do you prefer it to be made of?
What else can you add to the design?

Andy,

a very good question.

Whilst we sell some very solid, heavy tampers that are really great talking points or mantle piece items, they are ....heavy items to use and if I were working the machine in a cafe, my personal preference would be NOT to use one of these cumbersome but attractive units with which to tamp coffee after coffee over the period of a shift...and over a period of years.

These artefacts have artistic, and "snob" appeal. Fine I accept that, but as straight workhorses...I dunno.

Absolutely the best tamper I have ever used, and my feelings on this are purely from a work management / "human resources" point of view, is a PLASTIC (yes plastic) tamper that IS shaped and sized correctly.

It is several years old (possibly a good 30) and it is nothing more than 7mm thick black plastic tamping "face", 58mm in diameter for the regular sized generic filters stamped out by the million, with a just slightly curved face that follows the shape of the generic showers used on E61 groups, also stamped out by the million.

The thickness of the tamping face is just so, that when the correct amout of coffee has been tamped into the filter, the back face of the tamping head is about even with the top of the filter.

In the middle of this and on the back side, the plastic is thickened to accept a threaded hole into which a 2 1/2 inch ( sorry, mixing imperial and metric...cant help marself) aluminium dowel about 1/4 inch in diameter, is screwed.

The other end is the same except the plastic top is not as big as the lower tamper, so it fits nicely into the palm of your hand.

It's construction is light but sturdy, properly designed for the application, and much less likely give you RSI if used over prolonged periods. It was manufactured for a well known espresso machine manufacturer of yesteryear.

I hold on to this old tamper as if my life depends on it, and it still comes out for every coffee class and every time I make myself a cuppa. And as soon as I'm finished, it gets spirited away.

If I were to buy my own coffeesnobs tamper, I would want it to be a properly designed professional work horse, not a heavy metallic  mantleshelf piece that you cannot tap the group cup with for fear of damaging either of the tamper, or the group cup.  Yeah yeah I know some put rubber ends, or wooden handles on the end of these fine, heavy  metallic works of art, but I wouldnt want to damage a fine piece of timber with my tapping, and I am simply putting  another point of view.

You can ofcourse etch (laser?) "CoffeeSnobs" name/artwork onto the upwards facing face of my/your tamper.

Mind you, the plastic tamping face on my coffee press could just as easily be replaced with some kind of similar sized metal face...and it would still do the job perfectly, but I guess it would not satisfy the bigger and heavier and more "solid" and more shiny is better brigade.

Regardz,
first crack.

Hi all! This is my first post here.

I'm just about to order my first espresso setup (a Silvia and a Rocky), and I'm thinking that an Espro tamper will be a good training aid for me. Do any suppliers in Australia carry the Espro tamper? Where did you track yours down, sharkboy?