A must-have for baristas | How to use an espresso tamper correctly?

Making a cup of authentic Italian coffee may seem simple, but there are actually many details that require attention, such as the use of an Italian tamper or a tamper.

The tamper or coffee tamper is one of the most commonly used tools in Italian coffee. Its main purpose is to flatten and compact the coffee powder in the handle to form a flat horizontal surface, so that hot water can be better extracted through the coffee powder. It is also to allow the coffee powder to withstand the huge pressure generated by the coffee machine during extraction without being dispersed and affecting the extraction quality.

Powder compactors are classified by diameter:

51mm, 53mm, 57.5mm, 58mm, etc. refer to the diameter of the cross section of the hammer, which needs to be selected in conjunction with the handle of the coffee machine.

The classification of powder hammers is mainly divided into 6 categories:

1.Euro Curve; 2. American Curve; 3. Flat; 4. C-Flat; 5. Ripple; 6. C-Ripple.

The main difference is the shape of the bottom of the tamper:

【Euro Curve】: The bottom of the powder hammer is arc-shaped, and the height difference at the edge of the powder hammer is 3.355MM.

【American Curve】: Compared with Euro Curve, the bottom curvature is smaller, and the height difference between the highest point of the arc and the edge of the hammer is reduced to 1.661MM.

【Flat】: The most common powder tamper with a flat bottom.

【C-Flat】: It is a combination of Euro Curve and Flat. It does not have an arc-shaped bottom like Euro, but it has a height difference like Euro. The bottom is horizontal and flat, but the edge is arc-shaped with a height difference.

【Ripple】: It is more difficult to control, and the bottom of the tamper is wavy.

【C-Ripple】: An improvement on Ripple, the bottom of the tamper is flat at the edge, with multiple raised concentric circles in the center. The pressed powder is wavy in the center and horizontal at the edges.

Directions for pressing powder:

The direction of pressing powder (may be more complicated than we think): vertically downward. If it is pressed at an angle, the high-temperature and high-pressure hot water from the brewing head will seek to penetrate the layer with the least resistance, resulting in uneven extraction. At the same time, it is also easy to have the channel effect we often say. I don’t need to explain too much about this. But the problem of pressing powder direction will indirectly involve another problem, that is, the problem of grooming.

Coffee tamping strength:

The force of pressing the powder should be determined according to the coarseness of the ground coffee powder, and the reference is the flow rate of the coffee during extraction (extraction time 25±3 seconds). If the flow rate is too fast, the force of pressing the powder is too light; if the flow rate is too slow, the force of pressing the powder is too heavy, which will directly affect the finished espresso and the taste of the coffee. In addition, the force applied by each person is different, and the difference between boys and girls is very large, so the corresponding force should also be adjusted according to the actual extraction effect.

The role of pressed powder:

The purpose of tamping is to evenly press the coffee powder so as to create high pressure to "squeeze" the coffee out. This step has two requirements: deep pressing and flat pressing. Some people say that you must use 30 pounds of hand strength to tamp the coffee. So what does 30 pounds of hand strength mean? To be honest, most people really don't know, and it's difficult to show it technically.

Notes on pressed powder:

1. Regarding the choice of powder basket, it is recommended to use a double powder basket. The success rate is higher than that of a single powder basket, and the product is more stable.

2. Understand the capacity of the powder bowl. For example, if the capacity is 18 grams, the reasonable amount of powder should be between 18g±2 (16~20).

3. When using a tamper to tamp coffee powder, some people will place the tamper directly on the filter handle and apply pressure, but doing so may sometimes cause the brewing port to be skewed, so be careful when applying pressure. It is best to place a layer of rubber pad under the filter handle to avoid damage to the filter handle.

4. Most baristas will rotate the machine after pressing the powder to make the powder surface smooth and flat, allowing the coffee powder to "bite" each other and better resist the impact of the 0.8~0.9MPa water flow from the coffee machine.

5. The force of pressing the powder should not be too small. Press down hard , but not too hard . It should be enough to flatten the coffee powder. Use a relatively stable force to press the powder. The pressure value is about 20-30 lb / 9-13kg. If the coffee powder is not pressed firmly, the coffee liquid will be uneven.

6. When tamping, the wrist and forearm should be vertically upward, and the force should be transmitted from the elbow through the bone structure to the tamper in a straight line. If the forearm is not vertically upward in the direction of the force , the wrist will feel too much pressure, which may cause inflammation of the wrist tendon in severe cases. In addition, it is easy to make the coffee cake not flat and have inconsistent tightness.

7. Liquid weight: ① The weight of coffee concentrate is generally extracted at 25~50g, which is more reasonable. ② Some people observe the milliliter volume when producing concentrate, while others observe the gram weight. I personally prefer the gram weight. Although coffee is a liquid, it is natural to use milliliters as a unit to measure the volume of coffee liquid. However, the oil in the concentrate is a major factor that cannot be ignored. The oil in the coffee beans will gradually reduce the removal of carbon dioxide over time, and at this time, the milliliter measurement is not accurate enough.

Specific steps for making Italian coffee:

1. Determine the adjustment direction you need (finer or coarser), make sure there are enough coffee beans in the bean bin, and the valve between the bean bin and the grinder is open so that the coffee beans can fall smoothly into the grinding area.

2. Turn on the grinder for 10 seconds and discard the coffee powder (these are coffee powders whose grinding degree has not been adjusted).

3. Use the obtained coffee powder to make a cup of coffee, ensuring that the amount, leveling and pressing steps are correct.

The above is the introduction of Italian coffee powder hammer. I hope it is useful to everyone.

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