With all the finessing that can be done during brewing, you might wonder if you can over-tamp espresso. After all, plenty of adjustments can dramatically affect the taste of your cup. We’ll break down tamping pressure and give you a handful of pro tips to make sure you’re packing your puck perfectly.
Can you tamp too hard?
Many out there believe that there’s no danger to tamping your espresso too hard. Under-tamping is more what you want to avoid, that’s true. While there’s a variable difference between a perfectly tamped espresso and an over-tamped espresso, the difference is still there.
Tamping too hard can mean that the water can’t as easily flow through your puck. This slows things down, which can lead to over-extraction, slower brewing times, and a less optimal output.
When you tamp, you’re compressing the grounds and eliminating air. Once all of the air is gone, further tamping isn’t necessary. As long as you’re using the proper tamping technique, you won’t need to worry about tamping too hard.
How hard to tamp espresso: 5 best practices
Use less pressure to form the puck
You don’t need to press with maximum pressure with your first tamp. Instead, you should focus more on your form, ensuring that your elbow is directly above the portafilter. Your hand should be holding the tamper like a doorknob, with your thumb pointing down. Doing it this way helps make sure your puck is properly formed before you start compressing all of the air out.
Think of creating your puck like making a solid base for your brew. You want it to be even and flat across the top with all your grounds in the right place before you compress them down.
Once puck is formed, use a lot of pressure
After the puck is formed, which should only take a few seconds to do, you can use your full strength. That doesn’t mean you need to throw your whole body weight into it, though. Just press down firmly until the grounds no longer feel squishy or seem to have any give. This should also only take a few seconds.
If you’re new to tamping or just unsure if you’re doing it consistently, aim for about 20–30 pounds of pressure. You can measure this by standing on your bathroom scale while you tamp. Check your weight standing normally, then when you press down to tamp, check your weight again. The act of tamping puts more of your weight on the puck, so the number on the bathroom scale will decrease. When it decreases by 20–30 pounds, that’s how you’ll know you’re using the right amount of force.
Want an easier way to check the pressure of your tamp? Try our Self Leveling Spring Tamper.
Don’t tamp too lightly
While tamping too hard isn’t as significant a problem, tamping too lightly can affect the taste of your brew. When you don’t use enough pressure, you leave the grounds with too many air pockets. When there are air pockets, this can lead to channeling, which is one of the worst things that can happen to your brew. Channeling leads water down the pathways created by the air pockets, which means your grounds don’t get evenly saturated. It also means your coffee can come out under-extracted leading to a weaker, less flavorful cup.
Consistency and extraction are more important than pressure
Pressure is important, but it’s not the most important factor when tamping. Having a consistent puck with the proper extraction is vital to creating the perfect cup for yourself or your customers. This takes practice and the proper tools, but if you’re curious about how to tamp perfectly, check out our more intensive guide to tamping espresso.
Proper tamping needs the proper tools
One of the simplest things you can do to improve your tamping beyond perfecting your technique is getting the right tools for the job. That means choosing a high-quality tamper made from sturdy, reliable materials like Pesado’s 316-grade stainless steel tamper with timber end. It’s designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand and its sharp edges help create an even, smooth puck.
You can also upgrade your espresso setup with a proper tamping station. That gives your portafilter, clump crusher, and tamper a home to keep your counter clean and your tools nice and organized.
With Pesado 58.5, you’ll have the perfect tamp each time
Attaining the right pressure isn’t easy, but it’s made easier when you use professional quality tamping implements. Pesado 58.5 can help you with that. Pesado’s wide range of tools and accessories can make your morning espresso experience all the more enjoyable. From dosing tools and distributors to the portafilter itself, you can get all kinds of quality products to make the best brew possible.
