The Bumper Espresso Tamp and Tamper Seat is new product from Paul Pratt of www.espresso-restorations.com. This is a cool new idea and approach to tampers and tamp design. If you know anything about Paul's attention to detail, you will appreciate the work he put into this tamp.

For the Bumper "Classic Handle" Paul redesigned and revamped the classic stock La Marzocco plastic hand tamp shape into a very functional tool.

The Bumper Tamp not only looks good and feels good but works great as well. It is an end to dented, damaged and downright ugly looking tampers, and has a strong outer-skin that resists damage. This means that you can tap against the portafilter to distribute the grounds without damaging anything.

The Bumper Espresso Tamp comes in three handle styles "The Classic", "Ball", and "V" with a matching rubber Tamper Seat, and is available in 57 and 58 mm, with a flat or convex surface this tamp is sure to please nearly any professional or home barista.

The bumper is a regular tamper but with an outer skin that is not only great to hold but will resist dents from even the most over-enthusiastic baristas out there. The bumper is technically just the handle part and it will connect with a wide variety of bases.

Why should I use this?

As already mentioned above, if part of your espresso preparation routine involves tapping the tamper against the portafilter then this tamper is designed for you. Using the bumper allows you to tap away without making any noise, and more importantly without damaging either tamper or portafilter.

Personally I have found that it speeds up my routine. Because the entire handle is protected you don't have to be that accurate with where you tap and you can tap without even looking.

Who should use this?

It is designed for both professional use in commercial high-volume settings and for the discerning home barista. In commercial settings it will handle months of punishment and still look good. For the home user it will stay new for much longer - this is great if you had to justify all your silly coffee expenses with your wife/husband as you can argue that it will look and feel great for a long time to come.

What's the quality like?

I know that this is a great point, especially relevant because I am located in Hong Kong. The materials used are the highest quality available to us and is certainly not cheap junk from China. To make the bumper handle alone there are 3 different companies involved. The tamper bases involve 2 different companies. Because we have designed the product it is made exactly to our specifications AND the final detailing and QC is done by us. The tamper bases arrive to us in an unfinished state and then each one is given the final detailing by us. If it is not something I am happy with then it does not get sold and shipped to anyone.

The final finish is a satin brush as opposed to a mirror finish. That does not mean that the base is not smooth, it is, but a mirror finish will start to look awful very quickly. We have provided you with a tamper mat so you can place it in there without fear of scratching the base and it will keep it dry.

Each tamper set consist of: