Another satisfied customer...

As long as the rings on the outside of the tamper are level/parallel with with top of the portafilter, you should be level tamping.  It helps to have the top of your portafilter level with the bench, but that should really only be a rough estimate.  No need to get out the Black&Decker laser level.

the rings on the tamper aren't level with the rim of the basket whan you're tamping?

or, the rings on the tamper aren't level full stop.

if it's the latter, Greg's the kinda guy who'll fix it for you. If it's the former, it's something you pick up over time - and the lines will help!

I thought I'd answered Mattyj's post earlier, but it seems to have gone into the ether.  Anyway, the thought never entered my head, that it was the tamp's fault.  I have now measured and it is not!  As suspected, it is the operator  

BTW, perhaps I should start another thread, but try here.  I would like to buy some  gadgets, like a Pallo Coffeetool, a tamp pad (can't seem to find a good place to tamp  ) some other gadgets I saw on the Pallo site,  a blind filter (although that can wait a while) where do you all buy these things?  From the US or is there a good place here?  As most of the things I'm looking at are quite inexpensive, it would probably be more economical to buy them from one place and at the same time, would probably cost less in freight that way.

Quote:

Thanks for this.  I looked there earlier couldn’t find the Pallo Coffeetool, now I have.  I will have to email them and ask if they sell the replacement brushes for it.  My present brush, that I got with the machine, is already starting to look worse for wear.  

Their Oz distributor btw, is http://www.corretto.com.au/  but they don’t stock all their stuff either, as far as I can see

I saw some interesting things on the Pallo site, http://www.coffeetool.com/ which doesn’t seem to be available in Oz, but of course I have no idea if one needs it or not

For instance, they sell
 
Brass Bristle Insert (for the coffeetool)
Steamy Wanda
Five Dollar Wrench
All of which seem like handy tools to me (but then again, I am a gadget maniac)  

Now I have some more questions to do with what I found on the Coffeeparts site

There is a proper blind filter and there is a rubber one (cheaper).  Would that do?

Does one need the items below?

Group head gaskets removing pickers
Flat head screwdriver For removing shower screens
Espresso Clean (is this to clean the filters etc – as opposed to descaling?)
Milk Frother Sanitizing Cleaner
Grinder Cleaning Tablets
And, is the “Professional Grinder Brush” any different from a pastry brush?  I mean, how hard/soft do the bristles need to be?
And although I have no intention of buying it, what is a Porta-Filter w/ Gauge?

It may be an idea to wait and see what I need and don’t need, before going nuts with the ordering,   but I do want to order the Pallo brush, so may as well order whatever else you tell me I will be needing in the forseeable future

Visited that site,  www.corretto.com.au   and saw just what every barista needs for Christmas:  an IMPOD EQUILIBRIO TAMPER  for a mere RRP $305.00

Yes, if you can make a decent espresso with Silvia's 50-cent plastic tamper, WOW! The mind boggles as to how out of this world they'll become with an Impod Equilibrio for $305.  Not.

Blind baskets: I stuff a bit of paper towling into the portafilter hole --instant, disposable "blind basket".

Brush: I use a small, stubby kitchen brush my wife gave me for the grinder. Goes into the burrs and also up the chute.

Gasket picking tool? Not an operation you're likely to do once a year let alone every day.

Flat blade showerscreen screwdriver?  A socket is much easier--it doesn't slide off.  In any case, a $2 stubby screwdriver from Bunnings would do the job.

Frother sanitizer? Pleeeese!

Grinder tablets? Not aware there was such a thing. How does anything clean unless it's in a liquid consistency. ANd anything liquid had no place in the burrs.

Yes, Judy, there is a Santaclause wh'll bring you lots of gadget presents....but no, you don't need the portafilter with pressure gauge and most other items on your list.

Robusto

robusto wrote on Dec 6^th, 2005, 9:19am:



I didn't even see that one!    I seriously don't understand what's so special.  I've looked at  an automatic tamper, which would be more tempting if money was no object, but this?

It's all about minimalism.  All the gadgets in the world won't make better coffee.  In fact, they often take away from natural technique.

You want to make coffee yourself, otherwise you'd have spent your money on a fully automatic machine.

Just think about it, what do you really need to make that perfect cup?  A machine, grinder, basic tamper, and coffee.  All the rest is stuff you see on Danoz direct or global shop direct.  You should also ask if they come with a free set of steak knives when you order by credit card.

so I take it you're into lever machines, nunu? after all, wasn't the electric pump a gadget to help make better coffee?

ew... cold coffee ...