The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

Did y'all notice the change on the Chris' website for Espro tampers?
I've heard some people casually mention it on other threads that they've acquired a convex Espro tamper but I have one of the flat ones that I occasionally use.
I'm bringing this up because I recently ordered an Espro for my parents (who recently got into coffee )......

Anyways, what's the matter with Chris', man? - Only convex available??
Chris, if you're reading this...the earth is flat! I wan't a flat Espro damnit

Anyways, it'll be fun to do a side by side comparison with the two different base designs.
...ooh and pictures to follow
I know how exciting tampers can be so please contain yourselves for another couple of weeks

my first espro was flat: the second convex was a revelation. why do you want the flat

Here's a revelation....
there is no difference in the cup.
I am a man of many tampers, convex and flat
There is no difference to me in the least but I'll still put the Epsros side by side just for prosperity

...and besides, last time I checked the Vivaldi screens were still flat.
The world is flat people! Where do you get the silly idea that the world is round?

dont you have the slight convex with your thor tampers; for me, with the convex, i get less of a dent in the puck when i try to get 17gs in with black cat or organic black cat

plus the slight depression in the center after a tamp looks much better than the flat

Niko wrote:I'll still put the Epsros side by side just for prosperity :

Posterity?

Yes, it was a misspelling on Porpoise

Don't get me wrong, I do like both convex and flat tampers. It was funny to see that they only offer the convex now. I wouldn't classify the Thor tampers as convex, they are sort of a hybrid between flat and an ever so slight curve to them. My favorite tamper is actually the Coffeelabs which is of course...convex
My only gripe (and the reason for starting this thread) is that there's only convex Espros available right now.

Darn, I thought putting them side-by-side would help generate wealth!

I will put them side by side.
Didn't you know that a person's wealth and success is measured by the amount of tampers they have?

Niko wrote: Didn't you know that a person's wealth and success is measured by the amount of tampers they have?

Damn!! I thought it was grinders! I could have saved a small fortune had I only known.

I've been using both the flat and convex tampers all week and I like the flat one better today. After a day I changed my mind and switched to using the convex one and it quickly became my favorite but damn it by Thursday I fell back to the flat one. I'm an idiot who can't make up his mind
They're both nice tampers and I can't recommend one over the other but I do wish they had one that wasn't so convex, this thing wobbles like crazy when you place it on a counter. The perfect base would be something like the Coffeelabs tamper with a nice gentle convex to it.
So many tampers, so little time

I just bought the Espro 53mm Convex last week. I have no wobble at all on mine. Perhaps they changed the profile lately and added a slight flattening at the center?

I used to have the 58mm Flat Espro on my Silvia. I now prefer the convex after using both. It seems the convex produces better edges than my old flat tamper and it also gives you a little extra space for the bolt head in the center of the screen.

The wobble happens with my Coffeelabs tamper also, it's just because they're not completely flat. I'm not so sure if convex is better for my style or not but if the tamper fits, wear it

I really like the Espro tampers. The heavy handle gives it a very nice balance (unlike the wooden handled tampers I tried).

It's black and chrome look also matches the Vivaldi perfectly.

So far I've noticed that the convex tamped shots are a little shorter than the flat tamped ones, maybe it's just this single estate bean I've switched to but time will tell in the next week or so. Just an early observation. It feels like cheating sometimes with these types of tampers convex, piston clicking, etc..
Especially the large table-top MACAP auto-tamper, funny thing is that I've been using these super tampers lately. I go back to my Thors and the Coffeelabs when I feel like getting intense and I'm sure the auto tamping phase will end soon

Well Niko man, you must have lost your mind...
... or this thread is just to call me back from afar.
You know I have both of them all the time.
The flat is excellent at singles, convex works better for doubles. OK - maybe only for me
I mean the shot is nicer looking when I use convex for my double and it is easier to get that result every time.

As for the shape of the convex, I happened long ago to ask about it on home-barista here. It is, in fact, a soft C-Flat.

EDIT

oh yea, and as for the wealth, I still don't have the money for the hottop how comes? my espro's sit next to each other!

Semi-subject change to Reg Tampers from Espro, but same basic topic....

I am an almost Christmas baby. Birthday is eight days away. I am expecting one present to be a new style tamper bottom from Reg Barber that I'll report on as soon as I have tried it long enough to develop an opinion. I currently have a tamper with the C Curve which I ordered too big so it has become a member of my tamper collection. The one I am expecting is the C-Cripple in 53.0mm size. I am curious whether some actual research went into this or if it will just have coffee trapping grooves that will quickly retire it to the collection. I'll let you know unless someone else on the forum already has one of these they can report on.

Whoah!
Now that's a serious looking base!
The Espro for sure has the Euro Curve thingy going along with a slight flat middle (sort of like the Reg's).
Nice tamp there, Chas I can't wait to read about it.
...and do keep it in this section so can get the "bottom" of this tamper-talk
I'll be posting some pics too.
Those grooves sure are strange

Intriguing rippled surface, chas. Looks like it will demand a spin before pulling it out of the portafilter.

Have fun on your birthday. (Mine is just past, and I know the advantages and disadvantages of a December birthday.)

Niko wrote: The Espro for sure has the Euro Curve thingy going along with a slight flat middle (sort of like the Reg's).

It has flat centre but not Euro-curve, it's us-curve (euro-curve is the more convex one - I had a direct comparison with 53mm Schomer's Ergo packer, which is us-curve)

Nice pic, Pawel
Interesting what they call a Euro curve these days, there are so many base varieties that can make a grouphead spin
The Espro curve is pretty extreme to me, the Coffeelabs one is almost non-existent compared to it.
Makes me wonder how curvy some bases out there are, I guess the word voluptuous comes to mind

Niko wrote:Nice pic, Pawel
The Espro curve is pretty extreme to me, the Coffeelabs one is almost non-existent compared to it.
Makes me wonder how curvy some bases out there are, I guess the word voluptuous comes to mind

I had to really look at my Coffeelab to see the curve. When I took it out of the box I thought it was flat. Still my favorite tamper.

JohnB wrote:Still my favorite tamper.

Amen to that.

I knew my brother was ordering me the Reg Barber base for my tamper as a birthday present. However, after e-mailing him a screen shot of tamper showing 53mm and C-Ripple, so he couldn't screw up, he did. I received a 58mm, standard ripple. Since it was his fault and not Reg's it'll cost me $20 resize and shipping fee plus postage for me to send it from the East Coast to Vancouver, CA. So I guess I'll order a new one from scratch and try to sell the 58mm on H-B or Coffee Geek.

So the bottom line is that lil bro surprised me after all!

I'm still waiting to read about that new style tamper.
When do you think you'll get it?

The way these things go, it's about time for someone to offer a concave piston design, isn't it?

One could argue that the extra pressure around the edges remedies edge channeling and that the humped up center takes the first hit of water out of the pump with a cushioning action that also protects the intergrity of the puck as it moistens. It's a marketing gap just waiting to be filled.

In fact, long ago I had an hourglass-shaped black bakelite concave one for the Krups espresso machine that I owned in my starting phase. It should be waiting for a comeback.

How about retracible pins so you can spin it to do a WDT and then retract the pins for a normal tamp. 2-in 1.

Weska wrote:The way these things go, it's about time for someone to offer a concave piston design, isn't it?

One could argue that the extra pressure around the edges remedies edge channeling and that the humped up center takes the first hit of water out of the pump with a cushioning action that also protects the intergrity of the puck as it moistens. It's a marketing gap just waiting to be filled.

In fact, long ago I had an hourglass-shaped black bakelite concave one for the Krups espresso machine that I owned in my starting phase. It should be waiting for a comeback.

I used to have the same tamper, Wes.
Interesting to see what it can do today but it's long gone by now.

Looks like the concave Original Gourmet Espresso Tamper is still being sold, but unfortunately it's only offered in a dual 50mm/55mm version. It's not really a design one would want to use on a regular basis, but for $20 it might be fun to play with, IF it had been the right diameter.

What I find very interesting is that it's the only tamper to be awarded with a US Patent.
I guess it's so unusual that they figured on protecting it from being copied.
I don't think they have anything to be worried about...

If you have a metal lathe (or access to a machine shop), it should be easy to machine a concave surface on the bottom of any existing tamper. You could even turn down a cheap 58mm to 53.2 mm at the same time.

I thought the same thing about turning that cheap tamper, if I can find it.
My old man has a lathe so that's not a problem either.
Dad did do something pretty funny recently, he used an old chair leg to make a tamper for the Spaz!

I have a friend who used a shifter knob from a 1960s muscle car for the tamper handle....super cool looking, and not too expensive either.

Not a bad idea.
I wonder if the wife would notice the shifter missing from her Bimmer
It is a rather nice looking Myrtle wood.
...or I can always use the nice plastic one from my car

Espro owners: do you still like your tamper? I am considering getting one and wanted to make sure it's not a passing gimmick. Also I have been tamping lightly recently and I am concerned that 30# might be too much for the viv.

Hello.

As a matter of fact the 53 mm basket would require a lower tamp force (27.86 to be precise) if we were to follow the dogmatic 30 lb. But do not let yourself be overly concern about that.

I have one with an American curve. To me it is a calibration tool. I do not use it to tamper normally, but once every week or two I will use it to "remind" my arm what 30 lbs feels like. Not with the intention of reproducing 30lb, but to monitor if I tamp higher or lower than the dogma. It is like weighing every shot, knowing the exact weight does not make the coffee taste better by itself and there are hundreds of different shot doses that work but it is a mean to learn and control what I am doing and to control the parameters a bit.

Ergonomically I find it a bit awkward and do not like the feel of it. My go to tamper is a Tall wood Reg Barber

I use my Espro all the time and really like the way it feels and works.
It has been my go to for the last 4 years.

I have a few tampers (CoffeeLab, RB). But the Espro convex is my favourite. It's SUPER heavy, fits just right, and matches the Vivaldi and my Mazzer perfectly. The 30lb click is just a bonus (for occasional recalibration).

So happens that there is one for sell on Coffeegeek...

Good deal at $45. Even better deal on a $1700 brand new Robur E ginder! Insane. I'd buy it but it would break my kitchen counter.

I don't see you very happy flushing 30gr of stale coffee... better stay with the Jolly.

Thanks for the answers and thanks for the tip about the used one in Coffeegeek. I just contacted the seller, but it was sold.
[edit] I ordered a new one from CCS :-)

KatKat wrote:Thanks for the answers and thanks for the tip about the used one in Coffeegeek. I just contacted the seller, but it was sold.

Darn.

Why not get one of these and be the cool kid on the block? I love the yellow 53mm one!

http://chrisking.com/store/tampers

Just wanted to report that I am enjoying my Espro a lot. Its convex shape is different than my Cafelat. Cafelat was "pointy", almost a cone, and the Espro is round.

It is heavy and comfortable to hold and the results are better: less channeling, especially from the edges.

The only downside (and it is a matter of personal taste) is that the metallic handle feels cold - I liked the feel of a wooden handle.