Normcore58.5mm Coffee Tamper V4 - Spring-Loaded Tamper with 15lb / 25lb / 30lbs Replacement Springs - Anodized Aluminum Handle and Stand - Stainless Steel Flat Base,Black

It's difficult, nigh on impossible to build up the consistency of a barista working at a busy coffee shop, especially if (like me) you limit yourself to one coffee per day before setting off to work, and occasionally have three across a whole weekend. So my tamping (like my latte art) was more miss than hit. After much deliberation I bought the Normcore V4 and what a revelation! What a lovely presentation box it came in, but looks aside, it appears to be incredibly well made with a choice of three spring-loaded tamping adjustments. It also feels good in the hand being neither too small (like my Sage tamper) or too large. But at last I now have the tamping consistency to remove one of the (many) variables to making a decent tasting coffee. For me, the Normcore V4 is an essential tool, just as a calculator is essential to someone doing calculus.

This tamper feels very premium. Has a lovely weight to it and is consistent when using. It feels easy to get a decent tamp every time. It also fits very snuggly so you don't get a ring of non tamped grounds around the outside. Would very much recommend.

This is built like a tank and helps me achieve a level tamp each time, effortlessly. Yes, it’s more expensive than an inexpensive conventional tamper, but it’s worth the price difference based on product quality and how well and easily it performs the task at hand. It comes with three springs, each associated with a different level of pressure, however, I found that all that is needed is the smallest / lightest and job’s done without any fuss. Easy to disassemble and easy to clean. I would recommend.

Expensive but it feels like a high quality item in the hand, good weight to it and the mechanism works very well for a nice consistent tamp.Fits all my 58mm portfilters perfectly (as you'd expect) and looks very smart in my little coffee corner.The only minor negative note (hence the docked star) is that coffee can find its way between the tamper and the body of the device which is a bit of a pain to clean. Not a major issue but enough of an inconvenience that it's worth mentioning.

Great product. Love Normcore. Quality is great, the rippled effect is nice but needs more cleaning.This was my first spring tamper, doesn't work as well with the original sage portafilter as it is tapered.

This is the best pressurised tamper I’ve had. It really feels like a quality item. It has a nice weight to it and is comfortable to use. It performs so well and has definitely improved my espressos. It’s solid in your hand giving great confidence. The spring which it comes fitted with and which I haven’t changed has just enough pressure. The flange, that sits nicely on the rim of the basket, allows the ground coffee to be flattened/tampered evenly which is really good. I really wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is or deliver such excellent results. No problems recommending it at all. So glad I decided to go for it.

So I'm unsure how I feel about this tamper. First off, it's beautifully built, solid and well made with a pleasing weight. Coffee does tend to stick to the tamper base, not sure if there is coatings on my other tampers that stop this, but it seems worse on the Normcore.The issue I have though with this tamper is that it is NOT a calibrated tamper, or a tamper that tamps to a pressure. Using an 18g VST basket the tamper will bottom out before you feel any feedback to know you're tamping to a pressure, such as a click on the (much more expensive) Force Tamper. The tamper does come with 3 more springs but they don't actually serve any extra function than to make your tamping process require more or less force.At the end of the day the results are in the taste of not one espresso, but of multiple espressos. The tamper does tamp the coffee bed perfectly level and to a known pressure, so the results are repeatable and also, in my opinion, excellent. As mentioned using a 18g VST basket, combined with a DF64 grinder and a Legit Mara X, I can make one espresso after another after another and they all give the same flavour profile and extraction time.If you're after a good value tamper which gives repeatable results, this will give you that. If you're looking for a good value version of The Force Tamper with a calibrated click to know you're tamping the same pressure, this is not the tamper for you.As I say, mixed feelings, but going by the taste of my favourite drink, it's a good tamper, just misleadingly advertised.

With it been spring loaded and have different springs to adjust settings it ensures you get a perfect ratio each time. No messing around just press the coffee grounds and it's all good. Had it a long time now and no signs of springs given up.