I Tested 10 Espresso Tampers to See Which Ones Made Level, Perfectly Compacted Pucks

We liked the Crema Coffee Products Distributor/Leveler & Hand Tamper as a palm version; it has a built-in leveler and tamps pucks consistently. But tamping, which is arguably the most important step in espresso brewing, is routinely overlooked. “The purpose of tamping is twofold: it compresses the grounds tightly together and creates a bed of grounds of consistent depth and levelness,” explains Madeline Jones, account manager and trainer at Rare Breed Coffee.

I tested 10 of them to find the four best ones of various styles. - Build Quality Test: While using each tamper, I assessed its build quality, noting its dimensions, shape, materials, and weight. - Tamping Test: I used each tamper to tamp and then brew a shot of espresso, weighing the grounds pre-tamping to ensure consistency from model to model. Ultimately, you should decide which works best for your needs and espresso machine, but here are some things to keep in mind: - The classic style of tamper is simple.

You need to make sure the tamper is level with the portafilter and apply the proper amount of pressure (30 to 40 pounds of force) by hand. - Spring-loaded or calibrated tampers are built with an internal spring that, when compressed, delivers a precise, predetermined amount of pressure. Like a classic tamper, it still needs to be used correctly to get a perfectly level tamp, but it removes the pressure guesswork.

As of their internal springs, calibrated tampers also cannot be washed with water. - Palm tampers are newer to the home espresso scene. The Criteria: What to Look for in an Espresso Tamper Since they’re used to apply pressure to portafilter baskets, the best tampers are sturdy and have ergonomic handles.

It in addition has spacers you can use to adjust the length of the handle to suit your needs. What we didn’t like: At about $130, this tamper is likely to be too costly for some. But, I wouldn’t recommend it if it were anything less than stellar throughout my testing. - Materials: Stainless steel, rubber, aluminum - Dimensions: 3.5-inch handle (adjustable with spacers); 53.3-millimeter base What we liked: Like most spring-loaded tampers, the Normcore is built with two springs and a lip that applies a steady, consistent amount of pressure every time.

It in addition avoids spring-loaded tamper’s biggest weakness: It keeps the grounds level with a lip that fits over the portafilter and prevents the user from pushing past where the spring stops when tamping. The Normcore comes with replacement springs calibrated to 15, 25, and 30 psi, so the user can select which pressure works best with their espresso machine. What we didn’t like: The pressure applied to the ground portafilter is decided by the springs and is not a variable you can control.

For some home baristas, that might be a downside, but with a bit of dialing in, the consistency is worth it. - Materials: Anodized aluminum handle with stainless steel base - Dimensions: 3.3-inch handle; 53.3-millimeter base What we liked: When it comes to consistency, this style of tamper is as dependable as it gets. This tamper has a distributor tool on one side, which can be used to level the top layer of the ground coffee. For espresso snobs, you can tweak the depth of the tamp and the leveler using the internal threading mechanism.

They compress the coffee in the portafilter basket to a specific depth instead of using pressure, so it’s possible to over- or under-tamp if they’re not calibrated properly. Thankfully, once dialed in, it produced the same results every time. - Materials: Stainless steel. Sturdy plastic - Dimensions: 2.75-inch diameter by 2-inch height, 53.3-millimeter base What we liked: For an affordable tamper, I recommend the LuxHaus.

If done properly, tamping twice is unnecessary. “Definitely don’t tamp, knock the side of the portafilter with the tamper. Tamp again,” Jones explains. “Not only are you disturbing the evenly distributed coffee bed, you risk damaging the portafilter and tamper in the process.” Different espresso machines require different sizes of tampers. The size of the portafilter basket determines what size of tamper you need. “It is important to match the tamper to the grouphead, otherwise, it won’t fit or will be too small to properly compact the coffee grounds evenly,” Jones explains.