Common Coffee Powder Press Tamper recommendation _ what powder hammer should novice use?

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When you first learned to make espresso (espresso), there was one step that gave many people the biggest headache: pressing powder.

The function of pressing powder is to flatten the coffee powder evenly in order to create a high pressure to "squeeze" the coffee out. There are two requirements for this step: deep pressing and flat pressing. Some people say that it is necessary to use 30 pounds of hand power to press powder, so what is the concept of 30 pounds of hand power? To be honest, most people really don't know, and it's difficult to show it technically, so now some coffee instructors simply use the concept of "weight" to teach students to press powder. After all, weight is easier to understand than hand power. They move the center of gravity every time they press powder. Use weight as pressure, so that you can maintain the consistent powder strength.

Using weight as the standard may solve the problem of powder strength, but to press pressed powder evenly depends entirely on the feel, there is only one chance to try. If the feel is not good, the uneven pressing powder can only redo the whole brewing step rather than repeat the pressing powder, it is said to avoid internal cracking caused by the double pressing powder and form a channel (channeling). If there is a slight deviation in the angle of the wrist or elbow, the pressed pressed powder will not be distributed evenly, which results in uneven extraction. This is also the frustrating part, which may take months to find the feel to press the coffee powder evenly.

There are many tamper brands on the market, and the common ones are as follows:

Traditional type

Simple structure, handle plus chassis, can be split or one of the two. Materials can be made of all stainless steel or all wood, common is handle wood, chassis with stainless steel. The wood feels good and is favored by baristas. The way of holding this traditional powder press is the same as holding the doorknob, and the palm is the part with the most force. Therefore, the slightly fastidious merchants will design the end of the handle thicker, which is in line with the shape of the palm half grip. Although it is comfortable to hold, this way of gripping actually increases the pressure on the wrist and is easy to cause industrial injuries to the wrist. According to the survey, the wrist problem of baristas is the main cause of work-related injuries in cafes.

Pullman .

Reg Barber .

Pesado .

Macaron type

Based on the fact that the traditional grip can cause wrist strain, some people began to redesign the powder press to be more in line with artificial physiology. In 2015, Clockwork Espresso from the UK designed a powder press similar to the dessert macaron, with an easy-to-understand name: PUSH. It is divided into two parts: the upper part is wider than the coffee maker handle (portafilter), and the lower part can adjust the height to ensure that the powder press does not exceed the set height when pressing the powder. When pressing the powder, just "press" it, so that it can be consistent. Other similar brands include Mahlgut Buzzer from Germany. The first feeling: it not only solves the problem of powder strength and average, but also solves the problem of abnormal bending of wrist caused by traditional grip. However, in order to "press" the powder press with the palm of the palm, the barista's wrist inevitably bends and is not suitable for high-flow cafes in the long run.

PUSH .

Mahlgut Buzzer .

Seal type

This has nothing to do with the shape design, more like the principle of operation. The shape design is traditional, but the mode of operation is very different. Install a spring between the handle and the chassis and press the powder like a seal, simple and fast. The strength of the powder depends on the spring material, such as Espro Calibrated Tamper and The Force Tamper. After reading the introduction of the two, the editor prefers the design of The Force Tamper. Unfortunately, it still can not solve the problem of the bending extent of the wrist.

Espro Calibrated Tamper .

The Force Tamper .

If you want to press the powder consistently, the human hand cannot be compared with the machine. There are also pull rod powder presses and Puqpress and other mechanical powder presses on the market, the machine can greatly improve stability and reduce the probability of fatigue. However, based on cost considerations, enthusiasts who do not have a mine at home suggest using traditional powder presses to continue to practice their feel. After all, long-term reliance on advanced external objects is not good for their own progress.

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