Being able to make a consistent cup of coffee or shot of espresso is important, especially for professional baristas and coffee shops. Achieving that consistency, however, requires the same level of care and attention with every step of the process, and the best way to accomplish that is with the right set of tools.
Among those tools that will help you create more consistent cups of coffee are your espresso shot glasses, steaming pitchers, tampers, and your tamping mats.
What are Coffee Tampers for?
When brewing espresso, baristas must “dose” espresso grounds into their machine’s portafilter. To be able to achieve a balanced shot these grounds must be tamped firmly and evenly the espresso shot extracts evenly as well.
To accomplish this, that means a barista must put pressure on the tamper. This means baristas make use of the cafe countertop to be able to apply the necessary amount of pressure.
What Are Tamping Mats for?
The main purpose of a tamping mat is to give more consistency to evenly tamping espresso grounds. However, there are also other additional advantages to using a tamping mat.
Depending on the countertop that’s available in your cafe, constantly using your tamper on a bare counter’s surface can inflict damage on the surface over time. A tamping mat helps prevent that damage and saves you the trouble of spending to repair or replace your countertops.
Additionally, when tamping espresso grounds you can’t always expect to come away from the process without spilling some grounds onto your counter. For that reason, a tamping mat is an easy solution to quickly cleaning and clearing your workstation. Simply throw the grounds that have spilled into your knockbox and you’re good to keep the line moving.
Two Different Types of Tamping Mats
Now there are two different types of tamping mats that are usually available in the market: flat tamping mats and edge tamping mats.
The main difference between the two types of tamp mats is that an edge tamp mat neatly fits into the corner of your countertop, giving you a little bit more leverage and support if you’re more used to tamping grounds close to the edge of your tabletop surface.
Get Quality Tamping Mats for Your Coffee Shop
The advantages of using a tamp mat are few but important and valuable, especially if your café sees and serves a lot of regular customers. As much as possible you want all of your barista tools to be top tier to be able to help you serve consistently quality coffee.
If you’re on the lookout for barista tools that will help you achieve that perfect brew, then take some time to visit Visions Espresso’s website. Stocked with quality tools such as tamps, shot glasses, steaming pitchers, and tamping mats, you’re certain to find everything you need to serve your customers to the best of your abilities.
