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Date: 11 Jul 2006 19:40:21
From: Robert Harmon
Subject: better alternative to tamping?
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The person who bought one of my drive through coffee stands says she's had
everyone quit tamping since a customer showed her a trick. He is a printer
who brought one of the vibrating plates he uses to align pages before
binding. He demonstrated how to use the vibrator instead of the tamper to
compact coffee in the filter. He's been using this method at home & the
office for years & claims to get better more consistent shots.
The coffee shop owner has been using this method for weeks now & also
reports much better results. There is no longer a problem with the wimpy
tamps of some & the Conanish tamps of others. Anyway I'm going over this
week to do some sampling & see if I can figure out why this works.
--
Robert (duck & cover) Harmon
http://tinyurl.com/pou2y
http://tinyurl.com/fkd6r
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Date: 12 Jul 2006 00:56:31
From: Andy Schecter
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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Robert Harmon wrote:
> The person who bought one of my drive through coffee stands says she's had
> everyone quit tamping since a customer showed her a trick. He is a printer
> who brought one of the vibrating plates he uses to align pages before
> binding. He demonstrated how to use the vibrator instead of the tamper to
> compact coffee in the filter. He's been using this method at home & the
> office for years & claims to get better more consistent shots.
>
> The coffee shop owner has been using this method for weeks now & also
> reports much better results. There is no longer a problem with the wimpy
> tamps of some & the Conanish tamps of others. Anyway I'm going over this
> week to do some sampling & see if I can figure out why this works.
There was some discussion of this on an old thread:
http://tinyurl.com/f44w2
After that discussion I tried a Palm Sander as a poor man's vibrator pad. It
quickly settled the grounds, but didn't seem to produce better results than
hand tamping. Plus, the noise was obnoxious!
--
-Andy S.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_s/sets/
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 22:17:06
From: Randy G.
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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Andy Schecter <schecter@remove.me.rochester.rr.com > wrote:
>
>There was some discussion of this on an old thread:
>http://tinyurl.com/f44w2
>
>After that discussion I tried a Palm Sander as a poor man's vibrator pad. It
>quickly settled the grounds, but didn't seem to produce better results than
>hand tamping. Plus, the noise was obnoxious!
>
It is loud, but after about a month you get a bottomless portafilter
out of it! ;-P
Uhh... Oh.... Sorry- I misread that post. I was using a belt sander.
Randy "80 grit open coat" G.
http://www.EspressoMyEspresso.com
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 20:32:58
From: yEnc Man
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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"Robert Harmon" <r_h_harmon@Zhotmail.com > wrote in message
news:F8Tsg.6333$ye3.3642@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> The person who bought one of my drive through coffee stands
Drive through coffee stands? What drive through coffee stands? Tell me more.
Please.
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 21:04:04
From: Robert Harmon
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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Having spent most of my adult years in offices & lecture halls with a cup of
something in my hand I was wondering what it was that other people were
looking for in a morning beverage. I decided it wasn't so much the flavor of
coffee or *$'s wouldn't be selling so many lattes laced with flavored
syrups. So if it's not flavor what else is there besides convenience? Many
is the times I've gotten out of my car, whether fair weather or foul, to
dash into a coffee shop, line up to order, then line up to receive my
morning Americano, and dash back to my car. I was at a Jack's waiting for my
burger & fries during one of the typical Gulf Coast downpours when it dawned
on me that the reason I'd stopped at Jack's instead of opting for a nicer
meal was the drive through option. No need to get soaked just to get a bite
to eat. I asked myself if people would like the same option for their
morning latte?
I'm twice retired, with adequate income & a curious streak that crosses many
disciplines. So I decided to see if a well placed & clean looking drive thru
would work in the Gulf Plains of Texas. No more getting drenched, or frozen,
roasted, or blown away, by the weather we have. One pulls up to the speaker,
looks at the menu board, relays ones order, & pays for/picks up ones order;
all from the air-conditioned comfort of one's car while listening to your
favorite radio station.
Anyway, I started up two drive-through coffee stands, got them running, and
sold them at a pretty good profit. They were both located near the on ramp
of very busy freeways & had excellent access. In both instances I sold them
to the managers I'd recruited to run them for me.
--
Robert (duck & cover) Harmon
http://tinyurl.com/pou2y
http://tinyurl.com/fkd6r
"yEnc Man" <yencman@nothotmail.com > wrote in message
news:_VTsg.7286$cd3.1925@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> "Robert Harmon" <r_h_harmon@Zhotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:F8Tsg.6333$ye3.3642@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>> The person who bought one of my drive through coffee stands
>
> Drive through coffee stands? What drive through coffee stands? Tell me
> more. Please.
>
>
>
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 13:23:00
From: bk
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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I think it would be a great success if it was even roughly comparable
to competent leveling/tamping. Every place I have been to(Boston area)
has had poor quality control on leveling/tamping procedures, with every
employee(barristas gives most too much credit) doing it there own way.
You might get a 5lb tamp or 40lb tamp, depending on your place in line.
If this device is cheap, fast, and consistant it could be a great
product.
>
> My guess it would take a long series of comparisons to tell if there
> was a difference between this and competent levelling/tamping
-bradk
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 20:35:32
From:
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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In alt.coffee, bk <jhogan@bizank.com > wrote:
> I think it would be a great success if it was even roughly comparable
> to competent leveling/tamping.
Agreed. If it works pretty well, it would be much preferable to the usual
coffee house routine of badly executed tamping.
--
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
--Edward R. Murrow
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 14:49:28
From: jim schulman
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 19:40:21 GMT, "Robert Harmon"
<r_h_harmon@Zhotmail.com > wrote:
>The person who bought one of my drive through coffee stands says she's had
>everyone quit tamping since a customer showed her a trick. He is a printer
>who brought one of the vibrating plates he uses to align pages before
>binding. He demonstrated how to use the vibrator instead of the tamper to
>compact coffee in the filter. He's been using this method at home & the
>office for years & claims to get better more consistent shots.
Fines migrate to the bottom of the basket during the shot; vibrating
the grounds before the shot will do this ahead of time, and stop any
leaks while the puck swells. So in terms of stopping channeling, it
should work just fine.
It may speed up the preinfusion, since there may be less resistance to
the flow at the top of the puck than there would normally be. In many
machines, this would also be a plus or at least a wash in terms of
taste.
My guess it would take a long series of comparisons to tell if there
was a difference between this and competent levelling/tamping
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 13:09:26
From: Johnny
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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"jim schulman" <jim_schulman@ameritech.net > wrote in message
news:mpv7b2l1klkml2hsk62ec3gr966q3rgi2e@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 19:40:21 GMT, "Robert Harmon"
> <r_h_harmon@Zhotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >The person who bought one of my drive through coffee stands says she's
had
> >everyone quit tamping since a customer showed her a trick. He is a
printer
> >who brought one of the vibrating plates he uses to align pages before
> >binding. He demonstrated how to use the vibrator instead of the tamper to
> >compact coffee in the filter. He's been using this method at home & the
> >office for years & claims to get better more consistent shots.
>
> Fines migrate to the bottom of the basket during the shot; vibrating
> the grounds before the shot will do this ahead of time, and stop any
> leaks while the puck swells. So in terms of stopping channeling, it
> should work just fine.
>
> It may speed up the preinfusion, since there may be less resistance to
> the flow at the top of the puck than there would normally be. In many
> machines, this would also be a plus or at least a wash in terms of
> taste.
>
> My guess it would take a long series of comparisons to tell if there
> was a difference between this and competent levelling/tamping
Which leads me to ask:
how does one do such espresso comparisons?
Seem like you would not be able to compare shots directly to one another
without multiple machines which may then introduce other variables. A
triangle cupping would also be difficult without without multiple machines.
Do you rely on taste memory?
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 15:26:04
From: jim schulman
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 13:09:26 -0700, "Johnny"
<removethis.huuanito@hotmail.com > wrote:
>Seem like you would not be able to compare shots directly to one another
>without multiple machines which may then introduce other variables. A
>triangle cupping would also be difficult without without multiple machines.
>
>Do you rely on taste memory?
1. Prepare two identical baskets or PFs with a hidden scratch or other
ID somewhere.
2. Shuffle
3. Pull two shots on the same machine, asap.
4. Taste the first while the second is pulling, taste the second,
record impressions, preference, or rankings.
5. Peek as to which was which, and record that.
6. Repeat 20 to 30 times.
7 Do some paired t-tests on the results.
8. Does the null hypothesis of no difference fail? Do the results
support that the new wrinkle, grinder, coffee, whatever, is "a lot"
better than the old one, e.g. 5 points out of 100 or more?
9. Go on the news groups and web-forums, report the results, watch
everyone fall asleep.
I'd love to hear any better, faster way of doing tests on ones own;
since this technique is pretty much a major league drag. However, it
is slightly more accurate than the "I just spent a bundle, pulled
three shots, and decidied it was worth every penny" test.
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Date: 11 Jul 2006 20:29:58
From: Johnny
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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"jim schulman" <jim_schulman@ameritech.net > wrote in message
news:9i18b2puld4u8c1ttno0iidt9jjr6b937k@4ax.com...
<snip detailed test regimen / >
> I'd love to hear any better, faster way of doing tests on ones own;
> since this technique is pretty much a major league drag. However, it
> is slightly more accurate than the "I just spent a bundle, pulled
> three shots, and decidied it was worth every penny" test.
As you say: a long series of comparisons and a major league drag.
Thanks for the explanantion.
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Date: 12 Jul 2006 01:01:06
From: Phil Paintin
Subject: Re: better alternative to tamping?
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Robert Harmon wrote:
> The person who bought one of my drive through coffee stands says she's had
> everyone quit tamping since a customer showed her a trick. He is a printer
> who brought one of the vibrating plates he uses to align pages before
> binding. He demonstrated how to use the vibrator instead of the tamper to
> compact coffee in the filter. He's been using this method at home & the
> office for years & claims to get better more consistent shots.
>
> The coffee shop owner has been using this method for weeks now & also
> reports much better results. There is no longer a problem with the wimpy
> tamps of some & the Conanish tamps of others. Anyway I'm going over this
> week to do some sampling & see if I can figure out why this works.
So how long does the buzz tamp take compared to a traditional hand-tamp?
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