About the coffee powder press, how many bridges do you know between baristas and coffee?

Why use a powder compactor

Baristas know that when using an espresso machine, the hot water brewed has a pressure of about 9 atmospheres (of course, this is not a fixed value, there are also 12 atmospheres or higher), the pressure is very high, and when the water penetrates the coffee cake, the water is inert.

What is inert is that water will penetrate through the weakest part of the coffee cake, not through the thickest part. Therefore, if you do not use a coffee press to compact and flatten the coffee (to make the coffee powder density in the powder bowl as uniform as possible), the essence of the coffee will not be extracted, or some parts will be over-extracted. That is to say, the main purpose is to flatten the coffee powder in the handle, tamp it, form a flat horizontal plane, better let the hot water extract through the coffee powder, and also to make the coffee powder withstand the huge pressure generated during the extraction of the coffee machine. The force of pressing powder should be determined according to the thickness of coffee powder grinding, and the reference is based on the flow rate of coffee during extraction (extraction time 25±5 seconds). If the flow rate is too fast, the powder pressing force is too light; if the flow rate is too slow, the powder pressing force is too heavy, which will directly affect the taste of the finished espresso and coffee.

In addition, everyone's application strength will be different, and there will be a big difference between boys and girls, so it is also necessary to adjust the corresponding strength according to the actual extraction effect. Everyone needs to pay attention to that powder pressing is only one of the links. There are many factors affecting extraction, such as powder amount, powder thickness, powder cloth and powder pressing. These need to be considered comprehensively. Do not hold on to one point.

The following is a description of the various types of common powder press bottom (with a diameter of 58mm):

The classification of powder presses is mainly divided into 6 categories: 1.C-Flat; 2. Flat; 3. Ripple;4.C-Ripple; 5. Euro Curve; 6. American Curve.

The main difference is the shape of the base of the hammer.

Flat: The most common powder press, the bottom is flat bottom.

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

3.C-Flat: It belongs to the combination of Euro Curve and Flat. It is not arc-shaped like Euro, but it has a height difference like Euro. The bottom is horizontal flat bottom, but the edge is arc-shaped and has a height difference.

Ripple: It is difficult to control, the bottom of the powder hammer is wavy.

5.C-Ripple: Improved on the basis of Ripple, the bottom of the powder hammer is made into a flat bottom at the edge, and there are multiple convex concentric circles in the center. The center of the pressed powder is wavy and the edge is horizontal.

6. American Curve: The arc at the bottom relative to Euro Curve becomes smaller, and the height difference between the highest point of the arc and the edge of the powder hammer drops to 1.661MM.

I believe that every barista wants to have or privately has his own Tamper(also called a powder press), because every cup of espresso coffee, coffee with a powder press to grind the good coffee powder, thereby increasing the extraction quality of coffee (of course, there are individual practices are not pressed powder)

So what's the use of a powder hammer? Why is it so expensive to sell? Why is there a difference in size? Why is there a one-piece or a split? Why is the base different? How do we choose a powder hammer?

1. About the role of the powder hammer:

There are several important functions of the powder hammer when making espresso coffee:

The first is to grind the coffee powder compact, so that hot water can fully penetrate and flow through the coffee cake;

The second is to keep the gap between coffee powder consistent, because coffee powder will begin to expand after absorbing water, which will easily make the extraction imbalance;

The third is to flatten the coffee powder in the handle to form a flat horizontal plane, so that the coffee powder can withstand the huge pressure generated by the coffee machine extraction without being washed and affecting the extraction taste.

2. Why is there a difference in the size of the powder hammer?

In fact, there are two kinds of powder pressing hammers, the small size is about 49mm to 53mm (4.0cm to 5.2cm), and the large size is between 57.5mm to 58.5mm(5.75cm to 58.5cm). The difference in specifications is mainly due to the problem between domestic Italian machines and commercial coffee machines. Generally, commercial coffee machines use large powder bowls, and each coffee machine company has its own set size, so there is a situation between 57.5mm and 58.5mm.

The manufacturer of the universal powder hammer will be 58mm, which is convenient for production and low cost. If you ask for a more precise size, the cost and technology will also increase, so the price will vary from tens of yuan to 300 yuan. The impact of the hammer will also increase with the company brand, hammer shape, material, weight, design or limited edition and other factors.

Well, through the above two points, it can be seen that the most important role of a powder press is to flatten and tamp the coffee powder. We can understand that the powder press has become a bridge between the barista and the coffee machine.