Which normcore tamper is best?
Straight to the point. Our favorite spring-loaded espresso tamper is the extremely consistent and sturdy normcore v4 coffee tamper. We liked the crema coffee products distributor/leveler & hand tamper as a palm version; it has a built-in leveler and tamps pucks consistently. This is the perfect tamper for both aspiring home baristas and busy cafes. Note: please do not wash it with dishwasher, strong detergent or soaking it overnight/ hot water.
Is a heavier tamper better?
Heavy tampers help. Not because you need the extra force, but because a well-balanced tamper just feels more stable in the hand. Personally, I’ve had better results with a heavier handle that lets me let gravity do some of the work. The right tamping station helps here too. Tamping too hard can mean that the water can’t flow through your puck as easily. 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.At a certain point (usually around 30 pounds of force), you have filled in all the air pockets in your untamped bed with ground coffee. After this point, it is impossible to tamp further. There is physically no where else you can make the coffee go with human force. So, always tamp with as much force as you can.