quick, easy tamp that seldom has spritzers

[SwingT]

OK - took me a while, and some input from members here to get where I consistently have little or no spritzers.

I've got a small scale that sits under the doser of the major, and the coffee goes right into a cut down yogurt cup that weighs four grams, so I always subtract four grams from the total weight, and know the weight of each shot. The dosered Major does a great job, I have never had a clumping issue.

I go from the yogurt cup to the portafilter, thwacking the portafilter four or five times, helps settle and distribute.

I do a really quick series of circular rotating motions that overlap thru the top of the grounds with a needle - mainly to ensure that the grounds distribute evenly with no gaps around the edges of the portafilter. I don't really go very far down into the basket probably not even halfway down.

Finishing in the center of the portafilter, this leaves a slight amount less coffee in the center of the portafilter

I'm trying to guess at it being the same amount less in the center that the convex tamper is. Then I do a firm nutating tamp, leveling the edges with my fingers on the edge of the portafilter as I finish. I'm using a Bumper convex tamper that Mary at Chris Coffee suggested. Someone here (mgwolf?) suggested that the S1 did a lot better with a nutating tamp - I think that was when I started to pull better shots

Hell of a lot harder to write up than it is to do.

This is a quick easy consistent way for me to get a shot with no spritzers consistently on the s1

The Vivaldi has a nut hanging down from the screens, that holds the screens to the group head. I'm thinking the method I use allows for the nut.

[Endo]

I do the same, except I don't distribute. Instead I do a light tilted NSEW tap of the filled PF on the table to get the grounds to the edges. Call it a light "nutation tap". (Soon to be copied by the home-boristas I'm sure).

I follow this with the normal nutation I've been using for the last year (a must on all tall baskets IMO).

I like the convex tamper. I agree, it helps reduce the nut indentation (but not completely).

[JmanEspresso]

Quite similar to how I operate.

I used to single dose the grinder, and dose right into the portafilter. Then I stopped single dosing.

So, Id have a full hopper, and dose right into the portafilter, using the simple tap-down method to updose, or not. To inconsistent for me. Im sure, had I given it more time, Id still be using this technique... It was definitely the quickest, but, not consistent enough for me.

So now... I keep a bags worth of beans in the hopper.

I dose into the basket out of the portafilter. Well, first I tare the basket. Then I dose into the basket. Then weigh it again to verify. The MXK makes it quite easy to get a good distribution, so long as you move the basket around properly, under the doser.

For tamping, Im a NESW kinda guy, but Ive also long been a fan of nutating. I do both, in no particular order, at not particular time. Whatever Im in the mood for.

Lock in, and pull.

The result is: Instant on, 100% even, 100% consistent.. time after time. Sinks shots only happen when dialing in... I cant remember the last time I sinked a shot that wasn't a dial in shot.


Ive also been dosing at 18-19grams the past.. idk.. 2 weeks? The past 6 coffees, which were all coffees that do well updosing(blends), Ive been between 18, 18.5, or 19grams, with great success. YMMV.