PuqPress is the automatic coffee tamper that you simply must have

What is the PuqPress tamper?

The thematic name PuqPress belongs to an automatic coffee tamper. If we go etymologically, we have Puq press or puq based on the English "puck" - Czech for puck and again the English word "press" or press. So a kind of "puck press".

Well, we are talking about coffee tools, so we will leave the hockey puck aside, but we will talk aboutcoffee pucks. Or rather, the barista name for the compressed batch of ground coffee in the lever. This often retains its compressed puck shape when tipped out of the portafilter after extraction.

How the PuqPress automatic coffee tamper works

Well, so much for the introductory "small talk" and let's take a closer look at this great tool for brewing coffee. At first glance, thePuqPress Q1 and PuqPress Q2 in particular may remind you of a small grinder without a hopper. They have a very similar leverhandle design to whatwe are used to with espresso grinders.

Of course, after inserting the portafilter, the PuqPress does not pour out the ground coffee, but under a given - by you adjustable - load, a metal tamper is applied to the settled ground coffee in the portafilter basket. The strength of the automatic tamper can be adjusted quite easily, on the side of the machine. Do you want to squeeze the coffee with a force of 15 kg or 20 kg? No problem, justset the desired number on the display from 10kg to 30kg.

It only takes a moment for the PuqPress to compress the coffee in the portafilter in this way. What's more, this coffee filling is precise and consistent. Of course, errors in the distribution of ground coffee in the lever will not be solved for you by the PuqPress. Not yet, anyway. However, if you have your coffee well aligned, then the PuqPress works perfectly every time.

After all, automation doesn't always mean that machines steal people's jobs. On the contrary, Puqpress at the coffee bar is a welcome tool that every barista with a sore wrist craves.

Need a 58mm, 58.3mm or other size tamper?

That millimeters matter is definitely true for a coffee tamper. I probably don't need to explain further what happens when you tamp with a small tamper. Wrapping, channelling and poor espresso extraction. With a large tamper, it's pretty clear you're not rushing anything.

So before you order a PuqPress, you need to know how big a tamper diameter you need for your coffee machine. Either measure the basket size or this chart of tamper sizes for the most common professional espresso machines will help you :

Nuova Simonelli	58.0 mm
Victoria Arduino	58.0 mm
VST	58.3 mm
San Remo	58.0 mm
Astoria	58,0 mm
Kees van der Westen	58,3 mm
La Marzocco	58,3 mm
Cimbali	58,0 mm
Dalla Corte	54,3 mm
Faema	58,0 mm

Manual coffee frother vs PuqPress

Now the most important thing: Why invest in a PuqPress when you have a manual coffee tamper by your coffee machine? PuqPress manufacturers highlight 4 major benefits of an automatic tamper in particular .

I certainly agree with them that you get the following with a PuqPress in your coffee shop:

absolutely precisely and evenly pressed coffee in the portafilter,
theprecise tamping of the coffee contributing to perfect extraction or perfect espresso,
much faster espresso preparation as opposed to using a manual tamper,
areliable tool that saves the baristas' wrists in your café.

Since the PuqPress is an automatic machine, it repeats its actions with absolute precision. Whether in the morning, afternoon, Monday or weekend, you will constantly be able to enjoy all its benefits. That means consistently brewed coffee with every espresso, no matter who is currently on shift behind the machine.

How does PuqPress speed up espresso preparation?

Different baristas, different styles of coffee frothing

Speaking of baristas on different shifts, I'd like to demonstrate this issue of different coffee frothing with an example. A little study done by the coffee professionals at Seven Miles. They took a PuqPress and two experienced baristas with manual tamper. They tracked the average results for each espresso preparation within the extraction time achieved.

From the results of this test, it can be stated that one experienced barista who has really practiced tamping (you could say automated, right?) can deliver even slightly more consistent espresso extraction results with a quality manual tamper than the PuqPress. But in terms of consistent coffee extraction compared to two baristas, the PuqPress automatic tamper wins.

I have to point out again that these are two baristas with a lot of experience. So if you employ even so-called junior baristas, temporary workers without the necessary practice, thePuqPresswill be theright way to steady the way of tampering coffee. Not only across shifts, but also within a day with one young barista behind the coffee machine.

A graph of espresso consistency within the extraction time of two baristas with a manual coffee tamper and a PuqPress automatic tamper. Image source sevenmiles.com

Should I replace the classic tamper with the Puq Press?

The paragraphs above describe the effect of automating the coffee tamper on espresso extraction. However, take into account the other operational benefits as well. ThePuqPress saves time when making coffee. With automated tamping, it just inserts the portafilter into the machine, whereas with coffee tamping, the barista has to make several movements:

turn sideways to the worktop,
insert the tamper straight into the portafilter,
with the right grip, squeeze the coffee evenly with the required force,
gently pull the tamper out, so as not to destroy the coffee bed in the lever by careless handling.

PuqPress at the café bar

In addition to saving time, it also saves space on the work surface. ThePuqPress Q1 and Q2 need some space on the bar next to the grinder, but this space is similar in size to the original tamp pad space. In doing so, the PuqPress usually aligns in line with the grinder, leaving the originally occupied front of the bar free.

However, if you have one of the select grinders on your bar for which the manufacturers have designed compatible automatic tamper pads as a grinder base, you're a winner. First of all , these are theMythos 1 and 2 grinders . If you own one of the Mahlkönig grinders , specifically the K30, E65S and E80 or the Fiorenzato F64 or F83, they also make a special PuqPress for them. Such a PuqPress gives you more working area around the coffee machine.

How to use the coffee tamper healthily?

The work of a barista, like any activity in a person's life, can lead to health damage. This is especially when using work tools, i.e. barista tools such as the coffee tamper ,inappropriately. One of the main principles of proper tamper use is the correct position and grip of the coffee tamper. This principle both leads to a good result when pounding coffee and also takes into account thehealth of the barista's hand.

In particular, keeping the wrist perpendicular to the table top while bending the arm at the elbow will help to relieve the wrist when pounding coffee. Bad barista habits are usually hard to relearn. If you are using a tamper and your hand applying pressure to the coffee is bent at the wrist, you are straining your wrist. You're asking for not only uneven tamping, but more importantly, wrist pain or problems like carpal tunnel syndrome. Well, the PuqPress removes all the inconvenience of straining your hand while pushing on the tamper.