Just found this lightning deal in my wish list.
Not history cheaper.
But still good price.
CamelCamelCamel.
This is more of a distributor than a tamp. Although you can use the other side of it to tamp. You'll find the ones with the handle more comfortable to tamp your grounds with
thank you. Sounds like I don't have to purchase a new one
Not sure why Calcifer said that. I use it to tamp every day. If you never mastered how to use one with a handle this is much easier to get consistent results because of the rebate and depth adjustment.
@WatchNerd: I prefer the rounded narrower plastic!/ wood handle in the palm of my hand, over the wide metal in my hand. It's preference. You can certainly use the other side to tamp.
@WatchNerd: I also use this to tamp everyday. I find it a lot more comfortable to press down with a good amount of pressure than the handle one that came with my breville barista machine.
Hardly necessary, as long as you have a heavy good quality tamper (and throw away the light plastic one that comes with it). If you don't then you could get one if These style ones.
It's the same results-wise, you may look for the self leveling tamper instead (where the edge of the tamper stays on the bucket rim, to ensure the tamp is level), it makes the consistent tamping task easier.
The problem I have is the coffee powder seems to have higher density on one side (can feel slightly higher resistance on one side when I push the tamper down) even according to the bucket rim all sides are seated properly without any gaps. I have also tried using another pressurised basket as a cover to shake the coffee powder to hope it spreads evenly but doesn’t help much.
You need a WDT tool. Use it to declump the grounds prior to distributing and tamping. Apparently a WDT is essential to take your espresso technique to the next level..
https://alternativebrewing.com.au/products/normcore-wdt-tool
@theguyrules: Do you have a link to the needles? Thingiverse has a good collection of templates but I wouldn’t have a clue what needles they’d use.
@Chazzozz: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/324471387767
These are the ones I ordered. I actually got them for free with a eBay plus coupon! I use my homemade WDT daily and it's been fantastic.
@Cyb3rGlitch: If you think the difference between 0.4mm and 0.78mm makes a massive difference, then good for you. Who came up with this ‘rule’? And on what basis?
@dtc: The difference has been tested to death. The reason thin needles are necessary is because you want to break up the clumps and fill any voids without moving the grounds too much. Thicker needles cause voids in the puck which induce channeling and reduce extraction. If it works for you all good, but it's definitely not the same.
@OzViper: WDT is certainly a much better way to distribute coffee, I had the best results with WDT + self leveling tamper, without other distribution tools. I also found the magnetic busket ring/funnel to be quite useful, to avoid the mess while using WDT.
Just press harder and turn it as you do it, gets pretty close to level. Just make sure the shot is around 30s, maybe it's too fine or coarse.
@G-rig: ha. Forgot how serious this coffee making business is, neggs
Not bad advice though, just get the basic technique right. People are just supporting their purchases.
It's a newer style, and heavier than the other tampers I've used.
I use the 44mm version of this, as I find pressing down with my palm more comfortable than the usual stabbing motion.
Quick question, am I supposed to turn it clockwise or counterclockwise when using the distributor?
Depends on the distributor. For this one, clockwise is best based on direction of the protruding parts
So which side is down? the flat side or the side with waves
Waves for distribution
Flat for tamping
Depends Northern hemisphere vs Southern hemisphere
If you are making coffee in the Southern Hemisphere the distributor needs to be turned anti-clockwise.
I have this one
Pretty decent for a cheaper distributor. Feels hefty in the hand (doesnt feel cheap)
Anyone use this with the breville dual boiler? Much better?
Get a wdt tool
I've got this one
AU $34.88 | WDT Espresso Distribution Tool 10 Needles Distributor 0.3mm Coffee Stirrer, Nature Wood Handle with Stand
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0YbceU
Use WDT instead of these as they create waves. I previously used a toothpick to declump but finally bought a WDT tool.
You still need this with WDT, it's hard to level with WDT, it does get the air pockets but you still need to level the top. I am seriously thinking to buy it but first need naked portafilter to up my game lol
You level the top by raking with the WDT tool. These distributors don't work at all, they give the illusion of a flat surface but the density varies throughout the puck
Any recommendations on wdt?
I 3D printed mine, then bought some acupuncture needles to assemble it.
Thinking aloud, get a champagne bottle cork and fix the needles to it?
This is pretty common, works well enough.
Thats what I did. Looked up some YouTube videos and used a cork with acupuncture needles. Works fine. I use mine with a coffee ring so it doesn't spill everywhere and afterwards use OP's distributor for levelling and tamping.
Yeh I still just double tap on mat and tooth pick if I can be bothered. WDT seems the proper way to go if you're going to bother.
No matter what you do, you are making the surface uneven :S
Do you think the even surface is important?
@DmytroP: If the surface is uneven or wedged after you use tamper, then it's not good for the shot. Thin side poses less resistance to the water. Distribution tool helps tamp it evenly. Pro barista probably won't tamper un evenly.
@sqheaven: I mean, after WDT it's reasonably distributed (even if not perfectly flat), after tamping, especially self leveling the surface is even and flat. I don't really see how the distribution tool from the topic would help.
@DmytroP: 'studies' (or maybe experiments) by various internet coffee geeks has found (according to them) that having an even surface is more important than the tamping pressure (unless you dont tamp at all, I guess).
@dtc: That's what I am saying. WDT to get the air pockets, clumps out, then distribute tamp to get the puck nice and even. No fingering required lol
You're right, but I guess if we're going to the nth degree its impossible to be perfectly even if you do it manually. Somebody somewhere will invent the perfect automatic coffee maker if they haven't already.
For me, it's more about making it reproducible for my level of effort (or lack therof). Not a morning person so just getting it to taste better than the average cafe blend is good enough for me.
Lot of fannying about those 'WDT' things.
I just grind straight into the group handle, shake it sideways a bit and tamp lightly to even it out a few times until you put enough in. Then tampering it flattens it and as level as you need.
Maybe I'm just good at it or lucky.
Thought this was a pancake lens.
I would not recommend this style of tamper or distributor, I have the similar one and don't use it anymore.
The distributor is not very efficient, it may even make it worse.
For the tamper, I'd rather recommend using the self leveling one instead.
I use a normcore v4, does the job!
Better than the bullshit breville include. Bought the 53mm one the other day. Coffee instantly better
I bought the 53mm one of these for my Breville and it's amazing. Not only does it distribute the grinds evenly, but you adjust and set the flip side to tamp perfectly so no need to remember your tamp pressure each time you brew a coffee (I weight my beans so am tamping right on 18g in my portafilter each time).
Hey OP. Any deal for the 53mm one?
These things are so colossally useless. Use a WDT (you can make them yourself) with a dosing ring and never look back.
How come I noticed an improvement in my tamping & better tasting coffee after getting one of these then?
Unless you're doing A/B blind tasting, placebo is always a possibility. But even disregarding that, let's say your technique is awful and you are only achieving 5% of what's possible. You start using this tool and you get to 10% of what's possible. Sure, there's an improvement, but you're still leaving 90% on the table.
My coffee tastes better than a lot of coffee shops so I find that hard to believe.
@mousie: 100% agree.
I order double shot piccolos if I want to tell how good a shop is. Enough milk to tell if the milk is steamed properly, but not enough to mask the actual taste of the coffee.
I order double shot lattes if I know the result will be poor.
Most shops underextract like crazy.
@WatchNerd: Because a lot of coffee shops churn out bad coffee that is masked by milk, and most people don't know the difference.
Walk past many coffee shops when they are closed, and they will have hoppers full of beans sitting there over night.
I regard myself as probably mid pack in terms of coffee knowledge/skill, and I make a coffee better than 90% of cafes, but there are still a handful that make amazing coffees. But there is still so much more for me to learn and my skills have a long way to go, and my equipment still has plenty of capacity to go before my skill exceeds my equipment.
I have one of these MATOW distributors and find it pretty useless compared to a WDT and ring. WDT and ring make a huge difference at a low cost. My grinder produces nice fluffy grinds, but I still find the WDT makes a difference.
I've really stopped using this distributor since spreading things around evenly, tapping the portafilter twice, then tamping using a 58.5mm tamp gives an amazing result. The distributor would just leave a ring of untampted grounds, which would then screw up the actual tamping.
My next purchase will be a Normcore v4
@WatchNerd: I agree WatchNerd, I think some people don't appreciate how simple and easy this tool is.
There is no way you and I are leaving 90% on the table with our coffees.
My approach is, set the distribution tool to a shallow depth to pre-compress the grinds in the basket, and then flip over and do the final compression with the flat tamp. The flat tamp is set to a deeper level to ensure a flat tamp.
I use a timed dose to try to be consistent with the grind quantity.
I love this tool and would highly recommend it for anyone who struggles with keeping the normal tamp flat…
@Jonseey: You're reading a lot in to the numbers I used. It's an analogy. The numbers are pulled from my ass.
@Jonseey: Yeah you can do that with a normal baristas tamp, grind into handle directly, do a light pre-compress to level it and grind some more in etc. This also helps prevent excess grinds going all over the place, so you don't even need the dosing ring either. I've never seen cafes use them, just another gadget to take your money.
A WDT would be the thing to get if anything, I'm more intrigued to test to see if it makes any difference, and AliExpress have some cheap ones i believe.
The main thing is your overall technique and care. Getting the grind right and how hard you tamp is most of it.
100% claimed
Updated to expired
Will this make my coffee taste any different than just grinding and tamping with a handled tamper?
Depends if you've mastered using a good quality tamper with a handle.
The supplied breville one seems pretty cheap to me which is why I bought one of these.
I have a heavy stainless steel sunbeam and seem to get consistent results…
So many elitist WDT snobs in this comment section. I have one of these Matows and have noticed a significant improvement to my tamping ease and overall coffee consistency.
Imagine what you could achieve with a WDT… ;)
Haha.. maybe..
But then I'd become like one of them..?
Because they do have a point?
I have one of these, a WDT and a collar and I almost never use this distributor anymore. If anything I'm finding it a little annoying because it's not a precise enough fit to my basket (58mm vs 58.5mm) so there's a line of grounds around the edge of my basket.
This distributor may make a slight difference over just tamping, but a WDT will do more
WDT is cheaper (as little as a couple of dollars). These distributor tools are all based on a very elitist 'OCD' tool that goes for several hundred dollars.
Damn need the 53mm never seems to be on sale.. Anyone have any leads on that size?
Alternative Brewing might have one. Or get a bigger machine :) I haven't looked back since selling my Breville and moving to 58mm. Much better flavour!
Is for this full frame?
Get a nomcore tamper.
I’ve been using this exact chisel/tamper for 3 years now and have to say it certainly removes one of the variables from making espresso at home. Does this make better coffee… No. Does this make more consistent coffee… Heck yeah it does.
Does the chrome flake off?
Huh
Stainless steel
What about the black parts?
Look like plastic
Anyone got a good cheap WDT from Ali or eBay, $5-10 max would do the job? Although $15 from Amazon is easy.
When you press down it usually levels the grinds anyway but I get some channelling for the first few sec when starting the shot. I think that would happen anyway..
how is this kind of Tamper comparing to the one with handle?