Update: The $40 espresso tamper I almost skipped saved my mornings

Tbh I was about to return my new 51mm tamper after a week of use. I figured the old plastic one worked fine so why bother. Then I found out my shots were pulling in 18 seconds instead of 25, and my puck had cracks all over. A buddy at the coffee shop on 3rd St let me borrow his calibrated tamper and the difference was immediate. Even pressure at the base, no more channeling, and I finally got that honey texture in the cup. The store gave me a 30 day return window so I had time to test it side by side. Has anyone else noticed how much tamping actually matters, or is my machine just picky about grind size too?

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grant_hart7d ago

Skip the fancy tamper, your grind size is doing all the heavy lifting anyway.