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tampering with coffee
a now sadly departed member of the velo club peloton was apt to join the sunday ride bereft of any personal emergency services. there was regularly the absence of anything resembling a spare inner tube, pump, tyre lever or even anything so basic as a puncture repair kit. and while i mean no disrespect to the departed, on the two occasions that i remember his experiencing a puncture in company, he was comfortable to stand well back and allow the more mechanically adept to carry out the repair with their inner tube and their bicycle pump.
approaching the ranks of the cycle-repairer is a more acceptable trait, though principally for those locally resident, but in my scattery past as bicycle repair man, it never ceased to amaze that those on extended travels across the word and the hebrides were often without even the basics. no inner tube from germany and no gear wire or brake cable from ireland. this is no doubt single-minded, but naive folly on a scale likey to lead to trouble.
there is an addition to those rudiments now to be considered, and one that may tip the scales awkwardly if weight-weeniness is your mindset.
it is an incontovertible truth that loosely packed coffee in the machine filter leads to less of the strength hoped for, and a distinct lack of that all-important crema. espresso is the basis of the coffees we love; for a cappuccino is but either a single or double with froth on the top. aside from correctly temperate water forced through the finely ground beans at optimal pressure, one has to consider the packing density of that espresso grind. as inferred above, leave those grains with room to play, and the water simply says 'hello' on its way to the cup. the description barely imitates strong black coffee, and at least a few of those grounds will join the dark brown liquid in the cup.
success is in the tamping. compress those coffee grounds tightly within the perforated filter and they will manfully (or womanfully) resist the strength of water under pressure, providing more time and friction for the flavour to accompany the water to the cup. this demonstrably provides a crema worthy of admiration and results in an espresso that provides new meaning to the word smooth.
it may be tempting fate to point this out to the barista resident in your nearest designer coffee emporium, particularly if you'd prefer to drink the result of their labours on your behalf rather than wear them. but as a nation of non-complainers, it may be that this is the only solution to less than palatable coffee. advice from the considerably more experienced behind the espresso machine lends us to believe that frothing of milk in other than a stainless steel jug will result in a less than homogenous froth atop that wide lipped cup. advice worth mentioning in the same breath as that regarding the tamping process.
perhaps.
i cast no aspersions regarding the effectiveness of the local cafe, but the prudent man looketh well to his going, and there is an effective armament that should be considered an important and effective addition to the portable repair kit: the chris king espresso tamper.
specifications should not go unheeded. for in perhaps the sole occasion regarding a cycle component (only the seriously uninitiated would plea to differ), an increase in weight provides more beneficial end results. in this case the optimum resides at 446 grams. numbers that pertain just as agreeably (they will ask) are a stack height of 83.5mm and a stainless steel base depth of 10mm. do not be misled by suspicions of leg-pulling; the stack height has greater bearing on the pressure that can be brought to bear on the espresso grind of choice than you may think relevant, and those ten millimetres... well, if you have to ask.
the chris king espresso tamper has been made available in three diameters: the brasilia machine in situ at debbie's is comfortable with the 56mm, but both 53mm and 58mm may be required for other brands. you are advised to enquire further of your local barista for the exact specifications to which you should adhere.
this is no hypothesis, for today, accompanying my crank brothers multi tool, a pedro's milk duds tyre lever and a schwalbe inner tube in the zimbale leather saddle/bar bag was a pink anodised, 56mm chris king espresso tamper. henry, the mighty dave t and myself were treated to a masterclass in coffee making by deb's mum, resulting in state of the art cappuccinos (both dairy and soya) and a regular black coffee with a crema to die for.
of course, if you're intent on transporting an espresso tamper of your own (other colours include brown, gold and red) the bicycle really ought to have a chris king headset at the very least, or shameful accusations may be hard to avoid midst the peloton at rest. in this case, affirmation was brought to bear by a chris king cielo with headset, bottom bracket and hubs from nw nela street.
no matter the size or colour of choice, a superbly precision engineered chris king espresso tamper, handbuilt in portland, oregon, will cost $75. prospective uk customers may wish to enquire further of evolution imports where the only size on offer is the 58mm at a cost of £75. i'd like to thank chris distefano and cameron larson of chris king precision components in portland for their assistance with this review.
chris king | evolution imports
posted monday 7th february 2011
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