Any recommendations for tampers and levelers? Is it a case of you get what you pay for?

Torr, Joe Frex, Bravo to name a few brands!

Anyone used an Eazytamp 5 Star Pro tamper? Would it be any better than the Nomcore level tamper?

I had Eazytamp. Was good, but not worth the price + shipping IMHO. I prefer the "button" type. Currently I use Kazak leveling tamper. Easy to use, and good price.

You can get one for £50 at the moment UK based top: https://www.hrhiggins.co.uk/products/eazytamp-five-star-pro-tamper

I have been pretty pleased with the Normcore V4 tamper. It comes with three different spring options. An affordable option vs the nicer ones that are 4x the cost.

They had the Nomcore V4 on Amazon for £48 the other day, but all sold out now

Hi everyone I have been thinking of swapping the humble, basic tamper of my Barista express for something more sophisticated. I have decided to expedite the purchase since I bought a 54 mm IMS precision basket to replace the one that came with the BE. The fact that the new basket is deeper makes it more difficult for me to achieve a level tamp, which obviously affects the consistency of each shot. Would anyone recommend the 53.3 mm Normcore tamper? https://www.normcorewares.com/products/normcore-spring-loaded-tamper-upgrate-v4?variant=40267140104388 Open to any other recommendation of course. Thanks

@"ChristosC"#p7067 Whats the gram capacity of the new basket and what dose are your currently using ? If you're having trouble getting a level tamp, is the tamper going so deep in the basket that it's hard to see ? If so, then simply use a larger dose. Simple as …. Cheers :)

> @"dutchy101"#p5152 They had the Nomcore V4 on Amazon for £48 the other day, but all sold out now Looks like it’s back in stock: Normcore 58.5mm Coffee Tamper - Spring-loaded Tamper with 15lb / 25lb / 30lbs Replacement Springs - Aluminum Handle and Stand - Stainless Steel Flat Base - Upgrade to V4 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09BTLP4P1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_PXDADJRSWTA15P70RWFW

Tamper recommendations

Alexvs

I’ve started the tap the side and couple of knocks on tamp mat technique before tamping and so far so good. This was really hard with the BE due to the 54mm PF and the mound not having room to disperse. For the tamp I’m using the Motta competition 58.4mm but also have a dual head distributor/tamp that I’m yet to use with the Minima. The dual head worked well with the BE though.

-Mac

The Normcore newletter was interesting. From their website:

A short sentence describing what someone will receive by subscribing

DavecUK

-Mac There appears to be no link?

PortafilterProcrastinator

I decided to get a Normcore from Amazon knowing I could return it if I really didn’t like it. I also grabbed an 18g VST from Square Mile.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and I don’t think I can justify more than double the price for a different shaped handle (Bravo).

I also did a test fit with the VST basket as some reviews said it was quite tight. There was certainly some play in there, so I’m going to keep it and see how it get on.

dutchy101

PortafilterProcrastinator I am currently using both the Nomcore tamper and the 18g VST from Square Mile and they work very well together.

hornbyben

dutchy101 and PortafilterProcrastinator, the Normcore tamper from Amazon and 18g vst basket from square mile arrived at my house yesterday too😁.

I’ve pulled a few shots and been pleased with how they perform so far. The tamper is very easy to use, although it does feel strange not feeling resistance, as it’s the spring that actually applies the tamping force.

The other surprise was how much faster the vst basket is. I was using the 15g basket that came with my Silvia before (I think I read somewhere that IMS make these now). I assumed with 3g more coffee I’d have to go courser, but I actually had to go a finer!

dutchy101

Yes I’m finding that I’m grinding much finer than I’ve been used to, but getting to grips with it over the last couple of days

hornbyben

dutchy101 It can definitely give a nice espresso

HVL87

It’s worthwhile noting that with self levelling tampers you can still tamp unevenly as one side of the tamper may lift off the basket as you push down. To prevent this you can place one finger on either side (bottom of handle/top of base) as you tamp to ensure a level tamp.

LMSC

HVL87 An uneven puck after WDT is another spoiler!

HVL87

LMSC yep something I’m experiencing at the moment! As @DenisS has mentioned in the past, apparently 0.4mm needles are not ideal and can cause channeling. You do need a compromise between how much the needles bend and overlap and the extent to which thicker needles (but sturdier) create gaps when you WDT.

Below video demonstrates the difference between needle thickness.

I’m going to experiment with 0.35mm needles.

All seems a bit ridiculous when you take a step back 😄

PortafilterProcrastinator

HVL87 I look forward to your objective and evidence based assessment of the impact of 0.05mm on the success of the implementation of the WDT!

dutchy101

HVL87

I have gone from using a WDT tool with quite think needles (and hooks at the bottom) to my new WDT tool. I’ve just checked, and take a guess what thickness the needles are? Yep, you guessed it 0.4 haha.

It’s working great so far - especially now I’ve found the right grind settings with the VST basket. All coming together nicely these last couple of days

HVL87

dutchy101 I have gone from using a WDT tool with quite think needles (and hooks at the bottom)

I had one of those - really bad 😄

Glad it’s coming together for you.

What beans are you using at the moment?

dutchy101

I’m just finishing up on some Black Cat Signature Blend, which I’ve really enjoyed.

I picked up some from Coffee by the Casuals a short while ago which I’m moving onto now.

Bombe Dry Fermentation (just opened this up yesterday and it’s very nice)

Bom Jesus (tried on the Bambino, but yet to give it a whirl on the Minima)

Kenyan Mikari AA (also tried on the Bambino, but yet to give it a whirl on the Minima)

ChristosC

Going slightly off topic here, but would like to know if users of high-end grinders still use WDT for their pucks?

My understanding is that clumping mainly affects the lower end , cheaper grinders (such as my built-in Sage BE).

Thanks

Systemic

ChristosC Going slightly off topic here, but would like to know if users of high-end grinders still use WDT for their pucks?

I have an EKS with SSP burrs and use WDT after dumping the grind into the portafilter basket with a dosing ring attached. Not sure it makes a huge difference but if I have to grinder very fine for some beans it does impact on channeling, i.e. reduce likelihood.

dndrich

ChristosC I am not an experienced home barista like so many here, but I have found in the last week of using my Niche and Elizabeth with a naked portafilter that no WDT needed. I just shake the cup/portafilter combo, tap, and tamp. Quick, easy, and repeatable. Beautiful extractions with no channeling consistently.

Petre

ChristosC

Not super high end, but using Niche, df64 stock and with ssp hu, Mazzer Major, I ALWAYS got subpar results when I skipped WDT.

ChristosC

dndrich

Systemic

Thanks both

ChristosC

So, my new Normcore spring loaded tamper arrived yesterday….ONLY a month and a half after the order😅.

It comes with 3 different springs (15, 25 and 20 lb), with the 25 lb being the preinstalled one.

Wondering what would make people use one spring over the other, ie what is the variable to ‘calibrate’ against?

simonc

ChristosC mine just arrived too but only 5 days. Maybe I was lucky and ended up in same batch.

Decent seem to be recommending light pressure for their self levelling tamper. I’m going for that once my wdt tool arrives. For now my prep needs the strongest pressure

caffeinated-carp

ChristosC Bit late to ask, but was this because you ordered direct from normcore? I know you can get them from Amazon, but I’m being superficial and tempted with the white one!

« Previous Page Next Page »