The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

A short, disc-like object that is usually two or three inches in length. It is commonly made of metal or plastic, and the handle part can be wrapped in wood. Tampers are often hand-held accessories or attached to espresso grinders.

Author’s note:
Attached tampers allow baristas to handle the tamping operation with one-handed flair, but is slightly harder to get proper compression and hand tamping is preferred. Commercial machines like the La Marzocco Swift Espresso Grinder can dispense beans and tamp the grounds automatically.