If you don't own a tamper, you can still improvise but it'll be more tricky to get it right. Use a pestle or a beer bottle to press down on your coffee but make sure you keep it straight throughout the entire process.
A rolling pin is a perfect option because it has two cylindrical ends that are parallel to each other. You will also need something to weigh down the coffee grounds while you tamp them – an empty glass jar or bottle works well for this.
A tamper is used when brewing espresso, either in a machine or a stovetop espresso maker. This small tool is essential for packing the coffee grounds so you get the best shot of espresso possible.
If you tamp low-quality coffee grounds too hard, your espresso becomes over-extracted and thus extremely bitter. Besides pressing too hard or too light, a lot of beginning baristas tamp unevenly. While this mistake is underrated, it occurs frequently.
Failing to Keep the Tamper Level
If the tamper isn't level during an espresso tamp, it can make the espresso uneven inside the portafilter. And the water will flow toward the side of the espresso that is less compressed. This will cause an imbalance of flavor, adding an over-brewed hint of bitterness.
Baristas often recommend 30 pounds of pressure, but some do as little as 20 pounds. More and more are finding that tamping pressure is overrated—it's hard on the wrist and cause an over-extracted, bitter brew. Use a twisting motion as you pull up to “polish” the puck.
Some say, you need to tamp very hard, others say pressure really is not important. According to experts, tamp pressure is not that important, what is important is ensuring that the tamp pressure is consistent each time and that your tamping is flat and as level as possible. This ensures you have the best results.
In our opinion, they are a cheap and effective method of distributing water evenly across dry coffee grounds - reducing the chance of channelling. A secondary benefit of puck screens is their ability to seemingly 'deflect' the initial rush of water from the boiler that often plagues cheaper espresso machines.
Tampers are expensive because the materials are expensive. One of the most practical materials is stainless steel (probably 304) because it does not corrode easily, does not get sticky with exposure to coffee oils, and does not scratch easily. The actual material cost is significant.
Espresso machines rely on pressure to extract the flavor from coffee grounds, and both the pressurized water that comes from your machine and the resistance from the packed coffee grounds come into play. To pack the grounds into any espresso machine just right, you'll need to use a tamper.
Use a steel handle tamper
If you're wondering if there's any simple way to compact pavers without a giant plate compactor, there is–a steel handle tamper. This is one of the most basic ways to compact your pavers. A hand tamper has the benefits of less force and impact.
A good tamper means lightweight metal and the size of Portafilter is correct for your tamping. By the way, you have more baskets to handle if you are busy for barista job, better you can get more tampers or you can use a convex tamper.
The most common reason for a watery taste is a too-fast brewing time, which can be caused by the wrong grind settings or insufficient tamping pressure. However, proper dosage, proper water temperature, and the freshness and quality of your coffee beans also play a role in producing the perfect shot of espresso.
Tamp twice. For the first tamp, apply a light amount of pressure to form a puck shape and for the second use give it a bit more force and press heavily down to remove any obvious spaces between the grinds.
You can use water to compact soil because the water fills in the open pore space and settles the soil. Paver stone patios and edging requires well-compacted soil to prevent the materials from shifting, and water aids in compacting the soil even when you use special tamping tools to pack the soil.
You don't necessarily need to wet gravel before compacting, however a light amount of water can help to keep dust levels down. Just be sure not to make the area too wet.
Tampers are manually operated or power compaction tools. They increase the density and levelness of soil, gravel, sand and other materials by applying force to the material's surface. This force can be delivered by hand or via a gas-burning engine.
Portafilter needs to be turned towards a point whereby it is snug and fit, NOT tight. There is not a need to push the portafilter towards to the extreme tightness all the way.