I want to thank you for emphasizing the need for a consistent level tamp from beginning to end. Everyone always talks about a "level tamp", but no one seems to emphasize level during the whole process without rocking the boat.
This was really helpful. I'm a newer barista at a local coffee roaster in Milwaukee, and coming from Starbucks where the machines were superautomatic, we didn't have to tamp. There's definitely a big learning curve!
Great vid Chris, Thank you for putting a correct, well explained video on how to tamp. So many 'just starting out' friends, and people I know get bad habits from RUclips which is plagued with horrible techniques vids! Even from professional shops & "baristas." The worst habit I see is the knocking the side of the PF!.This drives me insane! Why would you do this!? You tamp just to crack your puck and retamp? I went to a guys house, and the chrome on his 8 month old PF looked like it had been at a high volume shop for 5 years, then it got ran over. You should jdo a Portafilter "No No" video. With the do's and Don'ts. i.e. Knocking, Gorilla tamping, spinner tampers, proper cleaning! Ramming up into group, smacking the handle to tighten the PF. The list goes on.... Keep it up, love the Chan!
Great video- the technique around holding the tamper, the use of the arm/shoulder is key- I've heard of folks getting repetitive stress injuries from not following that approach. This video is also a great tutorial for folks at home like me. Thanks!
Thank you so much Chris. I kept getting varied shots. Some great, some not so great. I then realized it was my tamping that was the problem. Great video. Mikhaila
Chris, I just found your channel and watched the first 3 videos in this series. Today's latte I made is much improved - thanks for helping my morning cup! Can't wait to watch the rest and get even better.
This video is really helpful and humbling because I've always felt confident that I can effectively tamp but I actually felt like I learned a few new things from this video. So thanks a bunch my man!
And sooooo many popular espresso channels/ “pros” still advocate for polishing. *cough* whole latte love. Thank you for actually teaching proper technique without the myth bs
I like to apply a "finishing polish" but the mistake people does when polishing is to apply pressure while doing it just like I told my mom NOT to push/tamp while leveling, that it was 2 seperate steps. Also just 1 full turn or even half a turn is enough to make disapear the few little grains on the surface.
PanzerIV grains on the surface have 0 effect on anything. The water is passing through the coffee it doesn’t care what the top looks like as long as the puck is even. Polishing of any kind adds nothing but increases the chance of an unlevel puck
@@Adam-vx6to Yea I know it does nothing on the coffee but it looks nicer to my eyes and I have a bit of a OCD with my pucks ^^ That's why also I just do 1/4 of a turn at the very end with 0% pressure as if I was holding a super fragile baby bird, that way impossible to ruin anything.
wow! I love the way you explain everything, it seems so so simple comparing to others videos. And that you repeat everything so many times just reminds me, that perfection comes with experience. Thanks bro! Peace!
A note to throwing the coffee out after uneven tamp: Totally not needed. You can take something thin but strong like a safety pin and really stir up the coffee in the basket to get it loose and break all clumps. Afterwards, you can re-tamp just as if you just ground it. NOTE: the stirring is known as the WDT method and can result in faster extraction time, if you don't normally do it. It's really good for grinders that don't disperse evenly across the basket and REALLY helped me in the fight with channeling. I encourage you to look it up and remember - you might need to change your grinder setting to correct for the faster extraction time, if you apply it on your shots.
...and don't knock the tamper on the portafilter! Absolutely great. Best tamping tutorial I've ever seen. Like! Maybe I'll replace my fix depth macaron tamper again :-D Rock on, Chris!
Loving these videos, Chris. I've been wondering what I'm doing wrong to get channeling in almost every shot and now I'm almost certain it's my tamping. Keep them up!!!
Lots of experimenting with my Bravelle barista in the past couple days. Tamping seems to be the one area where you can’t really control the variable. Adjusting the grind size, and coffee amount are things you can control 100%. When I put more pressure on the tamp, sometimes the pressure needle goes way too high and I get what is pretty much dripping motor oil. The biggest issue I can’t figure out is even when my brew time is in the optimal 20 to 30 second range and the pressure needle is where it should be, I’m still only extracting around 2 ounces, maybe less, for a double shot. I can’t figure this out as I’m getting literally half the amount of espresso even when my brew time and pressure needle are in the sweet spot.
Somewhere around 2 ounces is what you SHOULD be getting in that time frame for a double shot. Get a scale and check the weight of the espresso though. That's more important than volume.
Hey man! First of all, I'm a huge fan and keep love what you guys are doing over in Cali. Also, could you do a video where you give us the low down on refractometers??
Hi. A newbie and just started working as a barista. I did tamper this way 1:12 but i got so much 'hate' remarks. When i tamper it flat on the surface, there's always channeling. I was 'force' to follow the flat surface way instead like what was shown in this way.
Thanks for the great vids! I Just got a nice Espresso machine, and got the Breville Pro Grinder... Also got a calibrated Tamp, but almost every single time I pull my shot, my right drip spout on the portafilter lags behind. Or drips, while the left side is a nice smooth flow. And the right side often stops before the left. Any ideas on how to fix this? I pull about 1 3/4 - 2 oz shot, at about 26-28 seconds.
G'day Chris, your videos are unreal mate, lovin them and learning heaps!Odd questin though.. whats song title and artist you use in this video?? Its rad! (noted in your tags: "music by Joakim Karud" but.. cant find the song anywhere..??)Sorry its not a coffee related quetion!
What does the perfect cup of espresso taste like? I believe it's all based on taste which is subjective. Someone could tamp wrong but still deliver a great shot. In fact, you would assume that it was tamped properly and so forth.
That is a great question and I think might deserve it's own video, because yes = very subjective. I may film something at this years Global Specialty Coffee Expo and ask a bunch of baristas
This entire video I thought you had 1 elf ear on the right side that I had never seen before. I had to go watch another video to realize it was a hat strap. For the record a single elf ear would have been pretty cool.
Great vid! Is it bad practice to knock the side of the pf a couple times after the first tamp to get the grinds on the side in and tamp again? Or is it better to be a one tamp champ?
Thanks Chris, great video! The now spin or polish tip is clutch as fuck. Would love a video about a process for dialing in an espresso. How you read your espresso and what you adjust based on that read. I brew at home with a Siliva.
Eklektik I'd like to know this as well. Never heard that a preinfusion can "fix" imperfect tamping or distribution. I thought preinfusion was standard for pulling shots anyway.
pre-infusion lessons the chance of channeling by saturating the puck at lower pressure. It can help mask slight inconsistencies. It's not a fix for flawed technique but helps when everything is less than perfect (which it always is with new trainees.)
Dude, how do I come train with your company? I've trained to roast with the 2017 3rd place world champion and with the 2016 German national barista and latte art champion but feel like I can really soak up some awesome techniques from you. Basically I'm open for boot-camp long hr free labor abuse study rofl
Nah. Keep tamping pressure consistent and adjust your grind to get the flow-rate you want. (or your dose, or your output - but we just got into the deepest wormhole ever = ruclips.net/video/moffc41OzOA/видео.html )
I don't think a normal VST set up has suction issues. We use the BigStep which is a bit bigger than the base Pullman makes for VST. It's stepped to reduce suction, but you can definitely get suction if you rip the tamper out super fast for sure.
I've watched a few of this guy's videos and in general didn't like them (cussing, weird roundabout approach). This video, however, is fantastic. I'll give him a fairer chance and watch more of his videos.
Alistair Pace The vacuum definitely happens to me for that same reason of pulling the tamp out too quickly. I see my puck pull with my tamper just a bit. Trying to break this habit!
There's really nothing wrong with polishing if you do it properly but it definitely has potential for problems - especially with new trainees. Also the more steps there are in your technique the more things there are that can go wrong. Also polishing has zero benefit so it's just an excessive motion. Removing the tamp very quickly can create a vacuum which can break the seal between the puck and the basket indeed.
I've never really used nutation or found it necessary. Way to many variables that can go wrong to be useful in my opinion. Even Matt is over it: baristahustle.com/blogs/barista-hustle/nutation-an-apology
Edmund Fournier I recently had good results with it, but at the end of the day I think it's just correcting deficiencies of a badly distributed basket. Better to improve your distribution and level tamp.
Hey man I know you use a Joakim Karud song and I love his music but holy bleep I’ve searched and searched on Spotify and Soundcloud and unless I’m crazy I canNOT find the song you use.
I want to thank you for emphasizing the need for a consistent level tamp from beginning to end. Everyone always talks about a "level tamp", but no one seems to emphasize level during the whole process without rocking the boat.
People be cheating! ;)
This series is so great, Chris! Thanks for taking the time to make these so polished
Thank you so much! ^__^
Didnt know you watch him too! Keep it up guys!
This was really helpful. I'm a newer barista at a local coffee roaster in Milwaukee, and coming from Starbucks where the machines were superautomatic, we didn't have to tamp. There's definitely a big learning curve!
Chris your so did at explaining stuff. I love the visual superimposing while you explain. Terrific for visual learners like me.
Great vid Chris, Thank you for putting a correct, well explained video on how to tamp. So many 'just starting out' friends, and people I know get bad habits from RUclips which is plagued with horrible techniques vids! Even from professional shops & "baristas." The worst habit I see is the knocking the side of the PF!.This drives me insane! Why would you do this!? You tamp just to crack your puck and retamp? I went to a guys house, and the chrome on his 8 month old PF looked like it had been at a high volume shop for 5 years, then it got ran over.
You should jdo a Portafilter "No No" video. With the do's and Don'ts. i.e. Knocking, Gorilla tamping, spinner tampers, proper cleaning! Ramming up into group, smacking the handle to tighten the PF. The list goes on....
Keep it up, love the Chan!
Thanks so much. Yes a portafilter no-no's is a great idea! I'm putting that on the list.
I don't have an espresso machine. I've never made espresso. Why have I binging these videos for days
Great video- the technique around holding the tamper, the use of the arm/shoulder is key- I've heard of folks getting repetitive stress injuries from not following that approach. This video is also a great tutorial for folks at home like me. Thanks!
Thanks Jay. Glad you're getting some use out of it!
Thank you so much Chris. I kept getting varied shots. Some great, some not so great. I then realized it was my tamping that was the problem. Great video. Mikhaila
Wow I'm guilty of several things here. Thanks for this. Going to try this new and improved technique ASAP.
You're so welcome!
Chris, I just found your channel and watched the first 3 videos in this series. Today's latte I made is much improved - thanks for helping my morning cup! Can't wait to watch the rest and get even better.
This video is really helpful and humbling because I've always felt confident that I can effectively tamp but I actually felt like I learned a few new things from this video. So thanks a bunch my man!
My pleasure Jason. Glad I could help!
And sooooo many popular espresso channels/ “pros” still advocate for polishing. *cough* whole latte love. Thank you for actually teaching proper technique without the myth bs
I like to apply a "finishing polish" but the mistake people does when polishing is to apply pressure while doing it just like I told my mom NOT to push/tamp while leveling, that it was 2 seperate steps. Also just 1 full turn or even half a turn is enough to make disapear the few little grains on the surface.
PanzerIV grains on the surface have 0 effect on anything. The water is passing through the coffee it doesn’t care what the top looks like as long as the puck is even. Polishing of any kind adds nothing but increases the chance of an unlevel puck
@@Adam-vx6to Yea I know it does nothing on the coffee but it looks nicer to my eyes and I have a bit of a OCD with my pucks ^^ That's why also I just do 1/4 of a turn at the very end with 0% pressure as if I was holding a super fragile baby bird, that way impossible to ruin anything.
Even though I've never really worked with a machine like that, I feel like I know so much about coffee through these videos. Thanks!
You are so very welcome Herre!
Ah my go to for getting things started on the biz side! Sooo much videos, so much learning!
wow! I love the way you explain everything, it seems so so simple comparing to others videos.
And that you repeat everything so many times just reminds me, that perfection comes with experience.
Thanks bro! Peace!
Thanks so much! I'm glad these are helping you out!
A note to throwing the coffee out after uneven tamp:
Totally not needed. You can take something thin but strong like a safety pin and really stir up the coffee in the basket to get it loose and break all clumps. Afterwards, you can re-tamp just as if you just ground it.
NOTE: the stirring is known as the WDT method and can result in faster extraction time, if you don't normally do it. It's really good for grinders that don't disperse evenly across the basket and REALLY helped me in the fight with channeling. I encourage you to look it up and remember - you might need to change your grinder setting to correct for the faster extraction time, if you apply it on your shots.
...and don't knock the tamper on the portafilter! Absolutely great. Best tamping tutorial I've ever seen. Like! Maybe I'll replace my fix depth macaron tamper again :-D Rock on, Chris!
Can't knock the hustle! ^__^
Loving these videos, Chris. I've been wondering what I'm doing wrong to get channeling in almost every shot and now I'm almost certain it's my tamping. Keep them up!!!
Hard to say without seeing what's going on, although most channeling is caused by uneven distribution and not necessarily tamping...
Awesome tips and sick video my man!
Thanks Tucker!
Excellent video Chris. I like how the explanations stay on point. Good edit too.
Excellent. Just applied some of my new knowledge. Din't nail it, but will keep dialing.
Thats what's up!
Very precise explanation. This video gave me some more insight in some changes I have to make.
AYYYYY!
your set up is insane!
will practice tomorrow for sure
It's a pretty buttery bar.
This feels like a perfect job for a machine. Cool video!
Pretty damn useful, and a damn pretty set-up in that little corner!
It's a great place to grip it and rip it.
Lots of experimenting with my Bravelle barista in the past couple days. Tamping seems to be the one area where you can’t really control the variable. Adjusting the grind size, and coffee amount are things you can control 100%. When I put more pressure on the tamp, sometimes the pressure needle goes way too high and I get what is pretty much dripping motor oil.
The biggest issue I can’t figure out is even when my brew time is in the optimal 20 to 30 second range and the pressure needle is where it should be, I’m still only extracting around 2 ounces, maybe less, for a double shot. I can’t figure this out as I’m getting literally half the amount of espresso even when my brew time and pressure needle are in the sweet spot.
Somewhere around 2 ounces is what you SHOULD be getting in that time frame for a double shot. Get a scale and check the weight of the espresso though. That's more important than volume.
as always! solid - will pay more attention to that 90 degrees, thanks!
Thanks!
Good stuff in this whole series.
Love the passion. Thanks for the tips. Super helpful
GEEZUS!! Now I have anxiety about my tamping!! Guess I'll vid myself tamping and then I'll know if I've been totally screwing up for the last 5 years!
If I don't have a distributor to flatten out before I tamp, is spinning at the end helpful?
De los mejores tutoriales sobre tampeo que hay en RUclips, enhorabuena!!
¡Gracias!
awesome video, you should have added how you level the coffee before tamping it down though!
I do a few different things but I did do a video on the stockfleths redistribution move: ruclips.net/video/kTSd8xu81y0/видео.html
This channel is awesome.
Loving these video tutorials
Thanks Mal!
These videos are soo dialled in. Great content man :)
This is the best video to learn tamping. Thank you so much.
step one... learn to kick flip ;) awesome video thanks
RCB delivers again!
Hey man!
First of all, I'm a huge fan and keep love what you guys are doing over in Cali.
Also, could you do a video where you give us the low down on refractometers??
Thanks Peter. Yes I will indeed do a refractometer video!
Great video Chris, Can you really get it perfectly level all the time?
Damnnn, tips on point! Ill try them tomorrow👌 i really wanna get more consistent shots😭
Hi. A newbie and just started working as a barista. I did tamper this way 1:12 but i got so much 'hate' remarks. When i tamper it flat on the surface, there's always channeling. I was 'force' to follow the flat surface way instead like what was shown in this way.
dat t-rex claw grip tho.. ahaha
Raptor screech!
the vids just get better and better every time... keep it up Baca ; )
Thanks Chandler!
Hi Chris. Great video, great channel. What’s your opinion on calibrated tampers for new baristas? Thanks!
Gracias ! Thanks for the inspiration & tools to be a better trainer!
Thanks Chris!
Is there more of a chance of a wet, slush puck when there’s a lot of space between the puck surface and rim of the basket? Thank you.
Thanks for the great vids! I Just got a nice Espresso machine, and got the Breville Pro Grinder... Also got a calibrated Tamp, but almost every single time I pull my shot, my right drip spout on the portafilter lags behind. Or drips, while the left side is a nice smooth flow. And the right side often stops before the left. Any ideas on how to fix this? I pull about 1 3/4 - 2 oz shot, at about 26-28 seconds.
G'day Chris, your videos are unreal mate, lovin them and learning heaps!Odd questin though.. whats song title and artist you use in this video?? Its rad! (noted in your tags: "music by Joakim Karud" but.. cant find the song anywhere..??)Sorry its not a coffee related quetion!
loving these tutorial videos! keep it up man
Thank you so much! I will
What does the perfect cup of espresso taste like? I believe it's all based on taste which is subjective. Someone could tamp wrong but still deliver a great shot. In fact, you would assume that it was tamped properly and so forth.
That is a great question and I think might deserve it's own video, because yes = very subjective. I may film something at this years Global Specialty Coffee Expo and ask a bunch of baristas
RealChrisBaca thanks.
that tamper is badass
DAT Pullman swag doe. For me the hardest part was not being thumb heavy when I push.
Yup thumb heavy was a big problem for me.
This entire video I thought you had 1 elf ear on the right side that I had never seen before. I had to go watch another video to realize it was a hat strap. For the record a single elf ear would have been pretty cool.
this song is nice but after watching about 4 videos it start to be a pain. Anyway, this channel is awesome.
Noted. If you have any music suggestions send 'em my way!
Great vid! Is it bad practice to knock the side of the pf a couple times after the first tamp to get the grinds on the side in and tamp again? Or is it better to be a one tamp champ?
Another BANGER Chris! ✌🏻✌🏻
We out here.
You make great videos.
I learn stuff & make better espresso.
Is it important how deep the tamp is? Does it hurt the shot if it touches the shower head?
I used hammer, and hammer the tamper and works fine for me.
Keep up the great work man!
Will do Jared!
how hard i have to press it? is it ok to press as hard as i can?
Suck a good explanation mate, good stuff!
Thanks Chris, great video! The now spin or polish tip is clutch as fuck. Would love a video about a process for dialing in an espresso. How you read your espresso and what you adjust based on that read. I brew at home with a Siliva.
You're very welcome and noted!
What do you think about those coffee distribution tools out there?
This is a great tutorial.
I swirl & twist like crazy... no wonder I was getting a shower head espresso rain fall...
sah dude, killer video. have you made a video on how to dial in espresso? If not. We need one. killer. Thanks dud.e
Thanks Omar. Yeah I'm trying to figure out a useful way to deliver it on the web but yeah it's on my list fa sho
Sorry, could not really focus at all from that gun show.
Slight pre-infusion helps non perfect tamps? That's really good to know, thanks!!
Eklektik I'd like to know this as well. Never heard that a preinfusion can "fix" imperfect tamping or distribution. I thought preinfusion was standard for pulling shots anyway.
pre-infusion lessons the chance of channeling by saturating the puck at lower pressure. It can help mask slight inconsistencies. It's not a fix for flawed technique but helps when everything is less than perfect (which it always is with new trainees.)
Thanks for the knowledge!
hey chris whats the best tamper for a black eagle portafilter? and best distribution tool or technique?
I'm a fan of the pullman tamps, but anything used properly will work well.
Nice video as always!
Thanks Alex!
nice. Can I try this with a pressurized portafilter?
Mahesh VR don’t tamp too hard with pressuized portafilter
Soo if pound does not matter that much I am better with a leveler tool?
It's a huge waste to just dump it out if you wreck it. Just dump it into a bowl and loosen it up, then pour the grounds back in and do it again.
Dude, how do I come train with your company? I've trained to roast with the 2017 3rd place world champion and with the 2016 German national barista and latte art champion but feel like I can really soak up some awesome techniques from you. Basically I'm open for boot-camp long hr free labor abuse study rofl
Nice video
You are awesome. Keep it up
I was told that you adjust your tamping pressure based on the humidity that day. Any validity to this?
Nah. Keep tamping pressure consistent and adjust your grind to get the flow-rate you want. (or your dose, or your output - but we just got into the deepest wormhole ever = ruclips.net/video/moffc41OzOA/видео.html )
Do you find with vst tampers + vst baskets cause suction ?
I don't think a normal VST set up has suction issues. We use the BigStep which is a bit bigger than the base Pullman makes for VST. It's stepped to reduce suction, but you can definitely get suction if you rip the tamper out super fast for sure.
AH that makes total sense. thanks!
I've watched a few of this guy's videos and in general didn't like them (cussing, weird roundabout approach). This video, however, is fantastic. I'll give him a fairer chance and watch more of his videos.
it looks so strong .. when you do it.
shot chris,super informative as usual.loving the new series also.do you rekon those pullman tampers cost an arm and a leg to get to nz?
I'm p sure they're from Australia, so likely not too bad
True dat.
does polishing and spinning loosen the puck? Also removing the tamp too quickly can crack the puck as well?
vacuum?
Dino removing to fast create a a vacuum right? I swear someone told me that once :P I dint know what to believe haha
Alistair Pace The vacuum definitely happens to me for that same reason of pulling the tamp out too quickly. I see my puck pull with my tamper just a bit. Trying to break this habit!
There's really nothing wrong with polishing if you do it properly but it definitely has potential for problems - especially with new trainees. Also the more steps there are in your technique the more things there are that can go wrong. Also polishing has zero benefit so it's just an excessive motion.
Removing the tamp very quickly can create a vacuum which can break the seal between the puck and the basket indeed.
very informative .. Thanks 👍
You're welcome!
Love the end!
^__^
awesome vid ty
Thanks!
Oh das da real chris baca!
I have a feeling I know the answer to this, but what are your thoughts on nutation?
I've never really used nutation or found it necessary. Way to many variables that can go wrong to be useful in my opinion. Even Matt is over it: baristahustle.com/blogs/barista-hustle/nutation-an-apology
Edmund Fournier I recently had good results with it, but at the end of the day I think it's just correcting deficiencies of a badly distributed basket. Better to improve your distribution and level tamp.
who needs to tamp when you have a puq press!? ahah jp sick vid dude
Sex appeal
thanks, man.
Hey man I know you use a Joakim Karud song and I love his music but holy bleep I’ve searched and searched on Spotify and Soundcloud and unless I’m crazy I canNOT find the song you use.
did you ever find it??
@@deanbordignon no :(
1:43 for the ladies
Awesome!!
gracias, el jefe
You're oh so welcome.
Cool !
next video??
Are you a barista?
Right, I’ve been doing it wrong, I’m an idiot.
i just use knock