Coffee Tamper

Posted by: kevinrt on 04 December 2005

I am considering buying a coffee tamper as a Christmas gift. I have read some of the previous postings on this forum on the subject and have a couple of questions.

What diameter tamper is needed for a Gaggia Classic?

Some tampers seem to be solid, whereas others appear to have a pressure mechanism built in which 'clicks' when 30 lbs of pressure is applied. Which is recommended and why?

Posted on: 04 December 2005 by Mick P

Kevin

The Gaggia Classic comes supplied with the tamper. I am saying this on the presumption that by tamper you mean the plastic "hammer" that is used to compress the coffee.

I would not worry too much as compressing coffee is like compressing sand, you just do it.

My coffee (expresso) tastes great and I just give it a normal prod.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 04 December 2005 by NaimThatTune

Hi Kevin,

I don't know the diameter needed to fit inside the brewing head of a Gaggia Classic.

However, I bought a 'double ended' tamper once in Whittards which had two differently sized ends. You used the one that fitted in your achine, and I assume that the good folk at Whittards had done some research and found the two sizes that were most common in real-world brewing heads. The smaller end fitted perfectly in the head of my machine.

As for the pressure mechanism, well, the pressure at which one should tamp is derived on the softness and the fineness of the particular grounds you are dealing with, so 30lbs might be too much, too little or just right.

The advice I had with my coffee machine was that you should tamp hard enough that the used coffee comes out as a single solid 'puck'.

This should help, but only a little.

How far is the coffee machine away from the back wall??

Regards,

Rich.

Posted on: 04 December 2005 by John K R

The Gaggia will need a 58mm tamper.
Tamping to the correct pressure and doing it consistently is quite important in producing a good espresso. The solid (and heavy) tampers are fine but need some practice that the click type renders unnecessary due to the click being set at 30/35psi.
If its for a gift a Reg Barber would be a nice choice imo,
John.

Posted on: 04 December 2005 by John K R

If in any doubt about whether there is a difference between the tampers look here at the bottom of the artical click on The Enthusiasts' View / The Pros' View

Reg Barbers are available in the UK atDrury go to shop online and search for tamper, don’t know if they are competitively priced though,
John.

Posted on: 05 December 2005 by kevinrt

Thanks for the info.

The coffee machine is approx. 6 inches from the back wall and on a 10 mm dedicated spur. It is using the original mains cable and is positioned as far from the microwave as possible.

Posted on: 05 December 2005 by NaimThatTune

Hi kevin,

That's all right then!

Hope you unplug it and plug it back in regularly?

Rich.