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.
Can you tamp coffee too hard?
It turns an otherwise good shot into something that’s overwhelmingly bitter, even for seasoned espresso lovers. Not to mention the wrist strain involved! If you continuously tamp too hard, you’re likely to cause sore wrists from the excess pressure.
What happens when you tamper coffee too hard?
Use a downward twisting motion as you are coming up out of pushing down. This continues to compact the coffee, even as you lift the tamper off of the service. Tamping espresso too hard or unevenly isn’t just bad for your wrist – it can also cause over-extraction.
Does tamp pressure matter?
While the pressure you exert when tamping feels like a lot, it pales in comparison to the water pressure from the pump of the machine. In reality, the impact of a harder tamp is unlikely to change the flow rate at all.
What is the ideal tamping pressure?
Apply 20-30 pounds of pressure, and polish 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.
Why is my Puck wet?
Your coffee puck can be too wet if you’re not filling the basket with enough grounds, have mixed coarse and fine coffee grounds, or have tamped unevenly distributed coffee grounds too hard , causing pockets of air that trap water.
Do you need a tamping mat?
tamping mats are an essential must-have accessory for every barista , be it in a busy commercial setting or at home. Sure you can buy a flat square of rubber in any hardware shop that would achieve a lot of the aims of our Cafelat mats, but more often than not these are smelly old bits of rubber that look awful.
How many bars of pressure is good for espresso?
Pressure 101 When making espresso, you usually want nine bars of pressure, or nine times the weight of the pressure at sea level. “Espresso has a long history, and the best espresso is extracted at nine bars” Stephen tells me.
What is 30lbs pressure?
30 pounds of pressure equals 10.3 pounds per square inch A 53mm tamper covers 3.42 square inches. 30 pounds of pressure equals 8.8 pounds per square inch.
Why is there no crema in espresso?
The most common reason that your espresso drink has no crema is that you’re using the wrong coffee grind size to pack your espresso filter The perfect coffee grind size for espresso is much finer than drip coffee or the pre-ground coffee you’d buy for a standard coffee maker.
What is the best grind size for espresso?
The best ground beans size for espresso is 0.88 mm or 1.32 of an inch ; this is a fine grind. While the precise size can fluctuate slightly with different coffee beans and even different espresso machines, it’s essential to keep practicing until you get the grind size right.
How important is tamping?
Tamping is all about achieving an even extraction Correct tamping ensures an even flow of water through the coffee and even extractions are extremely important when you are looking to extract the best flavour from your coffee.
Does tamping pressure really matter Reddit?
First, and most reasonably, it doesn’t matter what amount of pressure you use so long as its consistent Because there are other parameters you can adjust to get a decent shot.
Should you tamp filter coffee?
Tamping the coffee will also affect the flavour of the coffee, because one part of water will extract from one part of grounds longer, producing an undesirable taste If you want stronger coffee, simply add more grounds to your filter basket.
What should an espresso puck look like?
The espresso shot should pour steadily and remain golden in colour, with just a little blonding at the end. It should look like a long ‘mouse tail’ The first shot of the day will always be a bit quicker than the next one and then the next one, so we will time 3 shots before we make any grinder adjustments.
How do you level coffee in a portafilter?
Once you have the dose of coffee in the basket, it’s time to tap. Hold the portafilter in your non-dominant hand and with your dominant hand, tap the basket side of the portafilter five or six times until the bed of coffee has levelled out and is nice and flat.
Why is my espresso coming out too fast?
If the shot is coming out too fast, grind finer the coarser the coffee the faster the flow If your shot is too strong, it could be a function of either too large of a dose, or too little water. Also, double check your brew pressure.
Why does my espresso taste weak?
Your espresso will come out watery for several reasons, including under-extraction, improper grind size, brew temperature, dose, and tamp size If the tamping is not good and the coffee is too finely ground, your espresso will also come out watery.
Why is my espresso so light?
Watery espresso is most likely occurring for the following reasons: Bean Quality – Make sure you have good beans. Starbucks is a no-no. Their beans suck and are usually burnt.
How does humidity affect the coffee grind?
Essentially, as a day grows humid, the effect on extraction is the same as if the grind got finer. Humidity will slow the extraction down You have to compensate by making the grind a little coarser. Similarly, on very dry days (or as any particular day becomes dry), the espresso will tend to extract slightly faster.
How can I make my espresso stronger?
All you have to do is add more grounds to the water ratio than you normally would and leave it to soak for longer It’s pretty simple really. The stronger the coffee bean and the more the coffee beans you use the stronger your coffee will be.
Do you tamp a pressurized portafilter?
Pressurized portafilters (generally) do not need tamping down Brush the edges of the filter basket off so there are no stray coffee grounds to get into the threads of the brew head. I like to smooth the basket down with a light tamp to make sure the grounds are even within the basket.
Why is tamp coffee grounds important?
Because water is lazy, we need to make it work hard. So by tamping, we minimise the empty spaces by creating a more dense mass of coffee This forces the water to flow through and extract via contact and agitation with all of the available compounds contained in all of the coffee grounds.
Should you rinse portafilter between shots?
Should I clean the portafilter between every shot? You don’t have to clean the portafilter after every shot you pull Doing so will certainly make things easier in the long run, but it’s not exactly possible if you work at a coffee shop pulling dozens of espresso shots daily.
Can you eat a coffee puck?
Yes, They’re Edible Even after they’ve been soaked with water and filtered, coffee grounds still contain caffeine, antioxidants, and dietary fiber – though in smaller amounts than before they were brewed.
What is the point of a tamper mat?
Tamping mats and tamping stations are used when pressing the coffee into the portafilter of an espresso machine. The mat protects the work surface and helps keeping it clean Without a mat, the spouts of the portafilter would leave dents on your workbench.
What is the purpose of a bottomless portafilter?
Bottomless portafilters allow the barista to instantly deduce whether proper tamping technique has been achieved If the extraction leans to one side or the other an improper angle was used when tamping.
Is 15 bar pump pressure good?
7-15 BAR pressure is typical, and should be considered for those who enjoy great tasting espresso Top notch coffee makers come with 15 BARs of pressure. 15 BARs may be very useful, giving the machine enough range for an initial kick of 10-11 BARs, from where to drop to 9-10 BARs during brewing.
Is 19 bar pressure good for espresso?
Final thoughts. In a nutshell, brewing pressure should be around 9 bars for creating a great espresso.
What does 15 bar pump pressure mean?
15 bars is the max amount of pressure the pump in the espresso machine can apply during brewing While that is the max amount of pressure, it doesn’t mean espresso should be extracted at such high pressure. The recommend extraction pressure is about 8 or 9 bars.
How do you use a hand tamper coffee in a filter basket?
Push the blunt end of the tamper (the working-face) into the filter basket. Push down with the pressure that you have practiced (40-45 pounds), and then give the tamper a quarter twist, and pull it out of the filter basket as you continue to twist your wrist.
What does tamping coffee mean?
Tamping removes gaps and air pockets between the coffee grinds, creates a tight seal around the edges of the portafilter and when done correctly, creates a flat and even bed of coffee for the water to flow through, promoting an even extraction of flavour.
Why is my coffee extraction bubbly?
Bubbly extraction and no crema You may notice that your extraction is very bubbly and that the crema dissipates very quickly, this is likely due to excess carbon dioxide Be sure that you’re not using coffee that has only just been roasted.