20
3
After removing the tamper, some grinds
may stick to the side of the filter basket.
Tap the portafilter gently on the table
to jostle loose grinds onto the tamped
coffee disc. Do not tap too hard, or the
tamped coffee will dislodge or fracture.
5
Inspect your tamp. The coffee disc
should be smooth and level with no
gaps between the side of the filter
basket and the coffee.
4
Apply a second, finishing tamp (also
called a polishing tamp). Press straight
down on the coffee with about 35
pounds of pressure, then relax the
force slightly (to about 20 pounds) and
polish the coffee by turning the tamper
completely around twice.
Measuring Tamping Pressure
20 pounds, 30 pounds – how do you know
how much tamping force you are actually
using? Do what the baristas do: use a
bathroom scale! Place a scale on a table or
countertop, and tamp your coffee on top of
it. Pretty soon, you will develop a feel for how
much twenty or thirty pounds of force is.
TIPS FOR GREAT RESULTS
