Impod Tampers From Øristeriet

Impod Tampers

I have tested five different tampers from Øristeriet, for the last couple of   Weeks. All five tampers are from the brand Impod. They all look good but vary a lot in price and quality. 

I have tested all of them by the same criteria - how they fit the hand, the weight, how we'll they are processed, looks and of course how well they tamp, and fit the basket. 

The first I tested was also the one in which I had highest expectations. 

A very beautiful wooden handled tamper designed by the Swedish barista Dan Stenqvist. 

Dan Stenqvist

Specs:

Weight     318 gr 

Hight       10 cm

Diameter  57,89 mm

Price        47 $

This is a tamper that looks good in every setup, I love the curves and the wooden look,  which should get darker when it's used. 

It has a small curve at the base. 

It is a pretty high tamper, and it doesn't fit my hand very good. I do have a ridiculous small hobbit hand to be fair, but it just doesn't land well in my hand. 

It is exactly 57,89 mm in diameter, and it fits my Silvia basket very well. The weight is on the lighter side in my opinion; I wouldn't like it lighter than that!

I had a friend with a bigger hand to try it, and he had no problems. So if you have a small hand be aware. Besides that it’s a beautiful and well functional tamper. 

ES 4224 blue

Specs:
Weight    166 gr
Hight       9 cm
Diameter 57, (7/9) uneven
Price       33 $

This tamper is made from aluminum, and is therefore very light, but also a lot cheaper because aluminum is soft and can be processed much faster. 

I think it looks good, I like the bright an shining metal, and the plastic handle looks good even though it’s a cheap tamper. 

As mentioned it is light, way to light. Furthermore its uneven in the base, which is also slight curved, the diameter varies from 57,7 to 57,9 mm. It shows in the brewing to, I had several bad shots in the time I used it. It is meant as a cheap solution instead of the stupid plastic thing that comes with a new machine. I believe it's better to save up and buy proper equipment instead, because you would go bigger at some point anyway. 

    Interrogativo

    Specs:

    Weight    467,8 gr

    Hight       9,4 cm

    Diameter 58,0 mm

    Price       52$ 

Now we're talking.

This is not a tamper with lots of pretty fancy stuff. It's short, it's round, well fitted and it is heavy !! 

Like the others it has I small curve at the base, the base is even and has a hight that, gives me a good impression of my tamp, the lines is easy to look at, and see if it’s even. 

The big "ball" looking thing on the top, gives a good grip. The weight makes the tamp really easy. All shots came out really great. But it's not pretty, and I think esthetics are important, because mainly all of this equipment takes up much space, therefor it should be nice to look at. 

    

    Esclamativo 

    Specs:

    Weight    395 gr

    Hight       9 cm

    Diameter 57,9 mm

    Price       46,5 $

This one holds many of the qualities I want from a tamper ! 

I think it looks really good. It's very neutral and simple. It's relatively heavy - the base is even, we'll processed and with a small curve. 

The handle has a shape and height suitable for every type of person. 

Every tamp came out great, and I was left with a feeling of super quality. This is the one which stayed beside the machine after the test. Because of the looks, the qualities and the fact that it is versatile. 

    Aluminu

    Specs:

    Weight    240 gr

    Hight       9,3 cm

    Diameter 57,9 mm

    Price       43,5 $

This is a tamper with a handle made of good looking shinny aluminum, and a solid, small curved, stainless steel base. Some of the good things from both worlds. I do like this one very much to, like the Esclamativo it fits my hand well, and the esthetics lives up to what I expect from a tamper. But it still is a little too light weight for me. When a tamper isn't heavy enough, I have to push harder and by that I don't get the consistency I like in my brewing process. Its priced somewhere in the middle and it properly fits very well there too. 

As I said the Esclamativo is the one that I keep in the kitchen for now. It's a great tamper which looks good side by side a stainless machine. 

Luckily tampers are like shoes to me. I like changing it once in a while, making some difference. 

Along with the tampers I got two tamper mats. 

One regular and one with a stainless steel plate, which has one side bend to hold against the counter. 

Tamper mats aren't rocket science. Most things can be used for the purpose, until now I have been using a piece of rubber found in the garage. Others use a cloth, mousepad mat or stands made for the purpose. 

With that said, I actually like the one with steel plate. With the bend edge holding against the counter, I can easily slide the mat and tamper against or away from me. And I do give more stability. The mat costs 26$. 

The regular one costs 10$ so there is a significant difference.