WHC-123

This has been some-what of a quest for me….

Its was 2003 and a barista competitor of mine from Canada had a P.I.M.P. tamper, back in those days i was using a red lava tamp, but it was the then-known-as XPRESSIVO barista tamper that i coveted for many years.

Many years had passed and the main coffee websites would not sell these tampers which originate in Scando-land, Norway i think from memory, after many years of trying to source one i finally bit-the-bullet and ordered two direct from Norway, why two…? Because back then they offered a light version, which is the original, and they offered a heavier version for those who prefer that, me being a completest i had to have both…

The experience cost me almost $400 for two tampers with shipping and exchange rates, a $400 experience that was very bitter and deflating as the tampers were never sent from the warehouse, and that is all i have to say about that.

Time, it heals all wounds, 3 years had passed since i dropped four greenbacks for no tampers and an empty wallet, but the “lust for steel” burns in all baristas and my quest to hold the tamper was re-kindled when my friends at coffeeparts.com started to stock the new version.

So, on to the real business…

THE REVIEW

Domtron’s Comments

If you have been following my blog or have visited my espresso bar, you will know that i am a Pullman fan, we use greg’s Barista tamper and that thing is simply-the-best. But, like driving a very fast car for a long time, its nice to drive another type of very fast car, for a change You may always go back to your first car, but the second new version may be just as good, but in a slightly different way.

I spose that is what i have to say about the tamper, the pullman tamp has the uber-nice rubber section around the base and it gives allot of grip and comfort where-as the PRESSO is light-as-a-feather, and is as ergonomically sound for me as any tamp i have used.

I have only used the PRESSO for two full days of trade, but i am confident that the build quality will withstand the punishment we dish out on it.

The handle is made from a bakelite-rubber-type-substance which pwns as it feels just great in the hand.

Personally i love the feel of the tamp, combined with the height of it, which is perfect, and adjustable if you have small hands.

The only concern i have is that the base may be too small in height for some people, i am getting used to it, after years of having Reg barber height bases or higher, like the oldskool era of tamps, ala the ERGO-PACKER being thrown down our throats we are just used to working with said heights of tamper base, and the PRESSO is just small than the RB base by a few mm, a few mm which you notice as the tamper sits lower when the coffee is packed, a hard task to conquer when you program your brain to accept a certain “pack height’ of your coffee…. SHEESH, i hope that jibber-ish makes sense… ROFL

Well if you’re understanding me, read on, if not KEEP READING and i hope i can redeem myself

Also regarding the base of the tamp, the edge is curved which i know allot of baristi like a hard edge or sharp edge as it allows them to judge their pack level in ratio to the filter basket the PRESSO is a little harder to discern this level, i have since painted in with red paint the pack level line which is on the PRESSO, this helps me judge my level more easily.

Other WHC Staff Comments of the PRESSO

Bela: he loves the weight and feel and his shots have been looking great with the tamp
BC Stansion: he isnt convinced of the weight, but is quite happy with the comfort and use
Risty: Feels strange to him as he doesn’t like the weight

This is what the guys from Espresso gear have to say about there product:
The Barista tamper is made for professional use. When you work at home making 5 shots per day, a solid, heavy tool is just fine… When serving 300 shots during a shift, its not as comfortable wielding an unbalanced solid metal piece. When others choose aluminium we did as we always do, think different
The Presso Barista is the only die cast, hollow base stainless steel tamper on the market. It is perfectly balanced and has a comfortable weight of about 250 grams.

Low energy tamping
Tampers in general are lathe machined from 60 mm to maybe 20 mm. This wastes a lot of material and consumes far to much energy. A neat thing that comes with the casting of the tamper is that it saves a huge amount of resources with virtualy no loss in material. The stainless steel in all our products is on top of this 100% recycled which means that we save 80% in energy resources right from the start.

Originally XPRESSIVO/Espresso Gear only offerred the one tamper “the presso barista”, now they produce the “Luce” which seems a little gimmicky and ergonomically un-sound and the “primo” which im sorry to say looks too phallic (i hope the spelling is correct :P) 

FINAL WORDS

Im not sure if i will be using this tamper forever, but its definitely a very nice tamp and im in love with it … for now
Im glad to have completed my quest to own and use the tamper, well worth every dollar spent.

If you are interested in purchasing the tamper try these sites:

espressogearaustralia.com.au
espressogear.com
coffeeparts.com

PICTURES INC, WORDPRESS IS BEING A TARD