IMHO the Reg Barber ones are nicer looking, and although I’ve not checked the CAD exchange rate, pretty sure they’re cheaper too. Funny business to be in though, you’re not going to have many repeat customers – they don’t wear out or anything. My RB tamper is about 10 years old, and I bought another as a present for my Dad, but unless I buy another machine with a weird portafilter, that’ll do me.

http://www.coffeetamper.com/our-store/tampers.html?p=2

I bought a cracking tamper from Mr Eion or Eoin in Stockbridge for about £18 so whoever makes them must be only making a tenner I’m guessing , much better than the Gaggia plastic thing supplied although not sure if I taste any difference and still canny make nice patterns on my flat white

is this Brant’s mate?

Free:

They look lovely.

If I wanted one or knew why I needed one, I’d be drawn to those, they look great and very nicely crafted.

As for the price, seems about right considering the work that goes into laminating, wood and metal turning, polishing etc.

Free

And crap.

I really don’t see the fuss if someone wants to buy one. It’s in the ballpark price for a ‘fancy’ tamper, and it’s something unique. I wouldn’t pay that, but I’m cheap.

Next thing you lot will be laying into fat middle aged men who spend £1000s on plastic bikes to wobble round the woods on when a Halfords special would do them fine.

If I was a judge or auctioneer or maybe a proper barista I’d be tempted, they are pretty. Couldn’t justify it to myself.

I don’t have a proper coffee machine anyway, be a bit pointless with a caffetiere.

John smiths in a can is as good as any beer I have ever drunk.
Each to his own and all that.

call in at my works today, I have a few slabs you can help yourself to.
even the customers don’t want it………… 😆

It needs to be flat.

I’m willing to accept that the coffee needs to be compressed into the basket and be flat, fine.

You can just use a plastic one, but a good tamper should work under its own weight.

But this… how much pressure does it take to press coffee into a filter basket? If it’s only as much as the weight of say a solid steel tamper (i.e. not very much in the grand scheme of things) then even the most limp-wristed keyboard-jockey could apply the same amount of pressure with a plastic one.

I’m oot.

But this… how much pressure does it take to press coffee into a filter basket?

30lb apparently.

[video]http://player.vimeo.com/video/158046389[/video]

Surely there in only 1 choice of tamper for this crowd

To match the salt and pepper shakers you bought years ago.

30lb apparently.

So you’d need a 30lb tamper to apply it with its own weight. Skateboards must be heavier than I thought!

What’s a coffee tamper? In nearly 40 years I’ve never knowingly tamped anything. I fear I may be missing out.

Is torsoinalake the new captainflashheart?

Get rid of the metal bit, make a pair and sell them as door handles. Then you can sell multiple ones to each person. Seriously, I reckon that’s an alternative market

30lb apparently.

I guess that this is where the value comes from. These have some sort of torque wrench mechanism that can be set to only tamp to 30lb, thus ensuring the perfect tamp every time. It’s not made clear on the web site.

why cant you just press it in with the back of a spoon?

Why can’t you have a nice cup of tea?

Used skateboards. That must be an interesting raw material to have to source in any significant quantity.

Nice thing to do for a mate out of his old skateboard but as a business surely it’s only ever going to be a niche sideline.

But this… how much pressure does it take to press coffee into a filter basket? If it’s only as much as the weight of say a solid steel tamper (i.e. not very much in the grand scheme of things) then even the most limp-wristed keyboard-jockey could apply the same amount of pressure with a plastic one.

I’m oot.

Now imagine you were a barista having to do that repetitive task every day, I guess this is a big leap in your imagination so let’s pretend your job is to beat a nail into a piece of wood. Can you imagine that?
Now let’s stress the grey matter a little further and imagine you have hundreds of nails to beat into a very long plank and 2 hammers to choose from.
One weighs a couple of oz’s and has a square handle, the other is a decent sized hammer with a comfortable wooden handle and a bit of heft to it….

I’d just buy a paslode gun…

Now imagine you were a barista having to do that repetitive task every day,

Cos that’s definitely the target market for these.

Is torsoinalake the new captainflashheart

I’m not sure.

These have some sort of torque wrench mechanism that can be set to only tamp to 30lb, thus ensuring the perfect tamp every time.

I have one that does that! 🙂

http://espro.ca/tamper/

I’m not sure.

Check your footwear. It’s the only way to be sure.

Had a look at the website. My three thoughts are:

1. That guy has the same pillar drill as me.
2. Those tampers look really, really nice.
3. I can’t justify the cost.

Jamie – Member
Check your footwear. It’s the only way to be sure.

I’m imagining torsoinalake looking down at his feet and having a bit of a ‘Duane Dibbley’ moment of realisation 🙂

Maybe you can do a product relaunch and bring back the On-One Butplug?
Drop the Far East manufacture and go for the artisanal heritage recycling hipster market that you now seem to favour. ‘It’s like a coffee tamper only bigger’.
Feel free to use that in your gorilla marketing spam.

I think it is a beautiful looking thing… but I haven’t got a spare hundred quid for one.

Good luck to him.

I’m assuming he’s investigating if there’s something in there containing organically sourced Ammonia?

And 😀 @MrSmith! Some strong words there. What did On-One ever do to you?

I ordered a but plug but it was posted late, arrived with poor quality paint and I had a right mare with their warranty department.

Yes, these tamper buy rowdies are rather unfair. Its just not cricket

I ordered a buttplug too. It arrived without instructions. I called customer support and they were really quite unhelpful and quite rude!

😀

10/10

I made one from a bit of wood and the blade of a Topeak multi tool.
Shame I can’t make one from inner tubes or leather ….. http://www.ragsto.com

If I use one of these to tamp down my Nescafe granules will it make the coffee come alive?

Look nice and all, but they’re the kind of thing that would feature on one of the many middle class angst threads that feature heavily on here.

I like craftsmanship, people can spend their money on what they want but spending £100 on one will give you life satisfaction for a nano second.

Whether you’re using a barista-style machine or a stove-top espresso maker at home, a tamper could be the difference between an average cup of joe and a rich, full-bodied brew worth boasting about.

From the website – I was under the impression that you don’t tamp coffee down for a stove top pot, I thought the grounds should stay loose.

I like craftsmanship, people can spend their money on what they want but spending £100 on one will give you life satisfaction for a nano second.

I have a stainless steel and ethically sourced bubinga hardwood tamper that has been machined to 58.3mm so it’s a perfect fit for a VST 18g basket. I get a frisson of excitement every time I use it (twice a day) so over a lifetime of use I would say the £90 cost is very good value.
Also let’s not forget the pleasure derived from owning a pointless middle class bauble and the handwringing it generates in the minds of the less discerning, you really can’t put a price on that.

Also let’s not forget the pleasure derived from owning a pointless middle class bauble and the handwringing it generates in the minds of the less discerning, you really can’t put a price on that.

So true, worth every penny