Thread: Coffee Tamps

WARNING - super coffee geek info provided - may not be understandable by some woodturners

SM, the shapes look good for general sales but I found standard tamper handle shapes didn't suit my hand and don't enable the generation of a consistent pressure anywhere near as well as custom carved tamper handles. The ideal force required for coffee tamping is surprisingly high (30 lbs) and trying to do that from the side of the tamper is very difficult for most people. A couple of coffee geeks have tried my handles and then gone off and made their own to suit their own hands and agree that this is the way to go. Of course this does not lend itself to simple bulk production by turning but perhaps you can learn something from this info.

I experimented with different shapes a few years ago and here are a few examples that I experimented with.
The woods are from L to R, Sandlewood, Jarrah, spalted pear, Blackboy, and Oregon. The Jarrah handle is a commercial made one.
Yes I have 5 (actually 6!) bases.

I found shorter handles easier to control than longer handles and my favourites are the spalted pear and the Sandlewood shapes
Both have custom carved finger grooves which provide a superior grip and both are over all just easier to use.

The image below shows how the thumb in contact on one side of the base is balanced by the pointing finger on the other - this enables a steady vertical wrist/forearm to be easily maintained, reduce rocking, and provide an even pressure onto the coffee.

I like the Sheoak design.

Maybe a more stumpy design?

Hi sm,
some very nice work there, the cl one would
make a nice gear shifter, well done !

Nice, why so many? Here is mine (from a distance) along with it's reason. Turned up the base and the handle myself.

Originally Posted by Burnsy

Nice, why so many? Here is mine (from a distance) along with it's reason. Turned up the base and the handle myself.

Do you mean SM or me.

I assume SM is selling or gifting his.

I have 3 different types of bases, flat, Euro Curve and US curve, Can I tell the difference in the coffee - of course not - but I had to try them out

Originally Posted by BobL

Do you mean SM or me.

I assume SM is selling or gifting his.

I have 3 different types of bases, flat, Euro Curve and US curve, Can I tell the difference in the coffee - of course not - but I had to try them out

SM, I always assume you will have multiples

Originally Posted by Burnsy

Nice, why so many? Here is mine (from a distance) along with it's reason. Turned up the base and the handle myself.

because I could

actually decided I'd try some different shapes and timbers and things, and it well sorta, got out of hand

I made one for myself sometime ago out of a solid piece of Jarrah. I like it but wondered about a stainless base

I've got both flat and domed shown here

also was thinking that people might be interested in custom bespoke tamps (not on the forum but elsewhere) hence my question about shapes

oh and I like your setup and need more brownie points with the chancellor before I can upgrade my machine

I suppose I could turn up the base down at the men's shed but am not yet qualified to use the metal lathe ...

I like em all Nick, as far as shape the very first ones do it for me.

Originally Posted by smiife

Hi sm,
some very nice work there, the cl one would
make a nice gear shifter, well done !

Thanks
maybe I need to get down to the local hoon shoppe and see if bespoke gear
knobs are a goer!

I Googled coffee tampers, but no explanation of what one does with one.

Maybe someone could explain?

Nice ones Nick . Not sure about the finish, I would have thought a waterproof finish like CA or Glasscoat etc would be required for washing (not dishwasher though).

Unforunately everyone's hand is different, especially females versus males, so different shapes and colours are probably required and I doubt anyone shape will fit all.


Paul - In coffee machines you place the coffee grinds loosely and then have to tamp them down, so the when the water is forced through it does not just run through a few grains but soaks through them all. Hope that makes sense, but if not buy a cup at your local coffee shop and watch what they do, there is a process they should follow.

Originally Posted by dai sensei

Nice ones Nick . Not sure about the finish, I would have thought a waterproof finish like CA or Glasscoat etc would be required for washing (not dishwasher though).

Tamper washing is unnecessary at home and I never wash my tampers. The base occasionally gets a wipe with a damp cloth and the handle gets wiped with surface spray.

Unforunately everyone's hand is different, especially females versus males, so different shapes and colours are probably required and I doubt anyone shape will fit all.

Paul - In coffee machines you place the coffee grinds loosely [into the porta filter] and then have to tamp them down, so the when the water is forced through it does not just run through a few grains but soaks through them all. Hope that makes sense, but if not buy a cup at your local coffee shop and watch what they do, there is a process they should follow.

Unless its a fully auto machine. . . . . . just sitting here in Qantas club and joined the queue for coffee and see the barista has already poured about a dozen shots in to separate cups and they are just sitting there going cold. The assistant has a large jug of frothed milks and just pours it into the cold coffee.

Any reason why you couldnt use hardwood for the base instead of metal?

I've never seen a wooden one.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by daninjt

Any reason why you couldnt use hardwood for the base instead of metal?

I've never seen a wooden one.

Cheers,

I've seen plastic, aluminium, porcelain and wooden ones.
I don't know why but the SS ones just seem better.