An unpaid commercial

[Dennis]

I joined CS on the 16/02, just 29 days ago and have already posted over 180 times. You could say Ive become addicted!

In that time I have had dealings with some of our sponsors, namely, Andy, Coffee Hit, Coffee Parts, Di Bartoli, Pullman Tampers and last but sertainly not least, Talk Coffee. Without exception, every one of these Sponsors has provided outstanding service, competitive pricing, and of course fantastic products.

I just wanted to publicly express my gratitude to all of the above as it is so rare these days to find just one supplier who can match the qualities of our sponsors. Im sure this holds true for the other sponsors too.

On top of all this, I feel like Ive made a new bunch of buddies who share a common interest and who also very generously share their knowledge. Obviously Im speaking about you, the Coffee Snobs. Thankyou for being patient and tolerant of my sometimes whimsical nature.

Im mentioning this now because I happen to know Aliens are coming to abduct all the beautiful and sexy people from Earth.......

So dont worry, youll be safe. Im just sending this to say goodbye!

(I really do mean the first bit of what I said....I just cant help myself)

[niallpedlow]

Re: An unpaid commercial

Im mentioning this now because I happen to know Aliens are coming to abduct all the beautiful and sexy people from Earth.......

So dont worry, youll be safe. Im just sending this to say goodbye!

Yes, goodbye. Its a shame you cant be abducted with us. ;D

[Dennis]

Re: An unpaid commercial

Im mentioning this now because I happen to know Aliens are coming to abduct all the beautiful and sexy people from Earth.......

So dont worry, youll be safe. Im just sending this to say goodbye!

Yes, goodbye. Its a shame you cant be abducted with us. ;D

All the more coffee for me then! :P

[gregpullman]

Re: An unpaid commercial

Ah but perhaps were being taken to a bean-shaped planet where the coffee is roasted on the bush by the nearby blazing star, then crumbles to perfect 0.1mm diameter grounds and falls straight into the waiting native brass portafilters which grow abundantly on the forest floor. ;D

Glad to have you on board (the CS ship that is) and great to hear of your positive experiences. Look forward to your ongoing contributions... just dont post TOO late at night k?

[Dennis]

Re: An unpaid commercial

nah Greg, you dont want to go to the bean-shaped planet - the atmospheric pressure there make the need to tamp redundant

[gregpullman]

Re: An unpaid commercial

Woo hoo I can retire!

[Dennis]

Re: An unpaid commercial

dont know any tamper craftsmen who have been able to take up early retirement - you need to take the beautiful product you make to the next level with an innovative idea, like the one I am going to give you right here and now for free...

Incorporate a sensor that measures pressure with an led that lets the user know when they hit the magic 15k

What do you think?

[robusto]

Re: An unpaid commercial

Looks like wed better pack a big cut lunch then if were to get to the new Cafe Dennis for an espresso. "The taste is simply out of this world"


--Robusto

[gregpullman]

Re: An unpaid commercial

dont know any tamper craftsmen who have been able to take up early retirement - you need to take the beautiful product you make to the next level with an innovative idea, like the one I am going to give you right here and now for free...

Incorporate a sensor that measures pressure with an led that lets the user know when they hit the magic 15k

What do you think?

Interesting and novel, but I see a few problems with it.

1. Theres nothing magical about 15kg; as I mentioned in a basket-related thread I think theres probably little variation in compression once you get over, say, 10kg.
2. Youd have to have batteries to power the LED which would have to be changed every so often, as well as having the battery sealed against dust and moisture and not interfering with the ergonomics of the tamper, all of which would be a problem particularly in a kitchen / cafe environment.
3. Tamper grip varies from person to person, and since youd have to look at the tamper to see the light coming on you may find your hand concealing the LED.

Point 1 makes the 15kg less critical, and if it was still seen as desirable then an Espro would achieve the same but operationally quicker and without the problems of points 2 and 3.

Just my 2c

[Dennis]

Re: An unpaid commercial

Youre the expert Greg - with respect, can I just make this suggestion to you:
1. You have an excellent product that is unique
2. Judging by the number youve produced and comments in vairous threads, it hasnt made you a millionaire (yet)
3. Given your expertise re making tampers why is it that you still get challenged re this comment? Im guessing more punters would agree with my 15kg remark than your 10kg remark. Right or wrong, the 15kg is generally accepted as the holy grail, and while your ethics are admirable, customer perception is incredibly powerful. In a round about way what Im saying is that selling is about giving customers what they want.
4. Battery - a little mercury
5. Visible - yep agree, either on top of the s/s unit or maybe a beep?

Please - I know you know more than I know. I just think you deserve to make your first mil - why not poll it and see what reaction you get?

[Viviane]

Re: An unpaid commercial

dont know any tamper craftsmen who have been able to take up early retirement - you need to take the beautiful product you make to the next level with an innovative idea, like the one I am going to give you right here and now for free...

Incorporate a sensor that measures pressure with an led that lets the user know when they hit the magic 15k

What do you think?

Interesting and novel, but I see a few problems with it.

1. Theres nothing magical about 15kg; as I mentioned in a basket-related thread I think theres probably little variation in compression once you get over, say, 10kg.
2. Youd have to have batteries to power the LED which would have to be changed every so often, as well as having the battery sealed against dust and moisture and not interfering with the ergonomics of the tamper, all of which would be a problem particularly in a kitchen / cafe environment.
3. Tamper grip varies from person to person, and since youd have to look at the tamper to see the light coming on you may find your hand concealing the LED.

Point 1 makes the 15kg less critical, and if it was still seen as desirable then an Espro would achieve the same but operationally quicker and without the problems of points 2 and 3.

Just my 2c

Nooooooo, Greg, dont do it! You make an artisan tamper, and I dont see how you can change it the way Dennis has suggested and still have it look so beautiful.

[robusto]

Re: An unpaid commercial

I dont want to weigh in on the merits of 10kg or 15 kg with my 2 cents worth ... But I recall an article by David Schomer once where he was exerting something like 60 lbs, from memory -- almost 30 kg.

And the only reason he scaled down was because the repeated effort was becoming too painful.

At the other extreme, have a look at the (almost) universal tamping technique in cafes --- offer up the loaded portafilter momentarily up to the grinders inbuilt "tamper" without any force whatsoever.

--Robusto

[gregpullman]

Re: An unpaid commercial

1. Thankyou

2. Correct and I dont think it ever will. Its set up as a hobby at present not a business so prices, manufacturing chains and my margins reflect that

3. I dont dispute the relevance of a 15kg tamp; its just that many people think theres something magic about 15kg as opposed to say, 14kg or 16kg. Consistency is probably more important than the actual number (within reason, which is the context of my comments), and most people serious about their product / industry / passion will challenge popular paradigms and properly educate the misinformed if theres a good reason to do so. A paradigm often has accurate foundations but sometimes gets taken to an unrealistic extreme by those who dont understand its context.

4. A button cell could do the job but it still has to be changed eventually

5. A beep eliminates the LED placement issue but could be an issue in a noisy environment as some commercial environments are. What about a translucent plastic handle with an internal LED so the whole handle glows when you hit 15kg? Certainly something a bit different.


The fact that tampers is a little sideline hobby for me does cripple my capacity to go right out there with engineering somewhat. Ive got some other designs in the pipeline and theyre taking a fair bit of my time without going into electronic versions (not that that makes them irrelevant though).

What youve suggested certainly has some merit; its just a matter of determining the best way of achieving those merits and whether it could be done at a marketable cost while remaining true to whats made my tampers appreciated by their users, as Viviane mentioned.

[Dennis]

Re: An unpaid commercial

Greg, isnt this nice - people like Vivianne and Robusto respect your craftsmanship.

Vivianne doesnt want you to prostitute your art - while I want to make you a millionaire.

Do you want the money to live comfortably, have everything you ever dreamed of? Or do you want to keep your integrity? Can you have both?

Its just a little led Greg.

Whats it gonna be Greg?

Yes or no Greg...yes or no?

;D ;D ;D

[gregpullman]

Re: An unpaid commercial

Admittedly its pretty hard to get to know people well when only discussing the topic of coffee, but if you really knew me youd already know the answer to that question. Ive got no problems with looking to alternative ways of doing things, even radical things, but I have to stay true to my principles. You commented at the start of this thread on the service you received, and thats the reason for it being so. My tampers fit in a comfortable niche in the tamper industry and its one Im not keen to depart from.