Coffee Tamp
"Where is the bottle of Emeril's Original Essence?"
"We used it up."
"But where's the bottle?"
"In the dumpster out back. We used it up."
"All I need is the bottle! It's exactly two inches in diameter. It's the only round item that fits in the espresso basket as a coffee tamper!"
With luck, someone will give me a 2-inch coffee tamper for my birthday next week. It's always been out of stock when I've looked in coffee shops or stores.
Comments
desfontaines on Jun. 12, 2010 7:22 PM
Or another bottle of Emeril's Original Essence? Much more multi-functional than a coffee tamper. ;)
matt-arnold on Jun. 12, 2010 7:38 PM
I don't know. I don't want essence of Emiril's origin on my food.
desfontaines on Jun. 12, 2010 7:54 PM
What if it was holding something else useful?
matt-arnold on Jun. 12, 2010 8:07 PM
Oooooh...
trav13369 on Jun. 12, 2010 9:24 PM
HEY!! NO hating on Emeril's Essence LOL! Try it on a steak or chicken breast while grilling sometime.....
sarahmichigan on Jun. 14, 2010 12:32 PM
I must be a coffee philistine, because I'd never even heard of a tamper. The idea is to spread the coffee out evenly over the filter for better flavor?
matt-arnold on Jun. 14, 2010 3:15 PM
Brewed coffee should never be tamped down. In an espresso machine, tamping the metal filter basket serves to pack finely-ground coffee into a dense puck, so that the steam meets resistance and takes time to build up enough pressure to flow through.
Instead of a heating element under the carafe, an espresso machine has a grill to catch spills. This is because the process does not produce enough coffee that you would leave it there to stay warm and come back for the rest. It produces a few tablespoons of incredibly concentrated coffee extract, used as a flavoring ingredient for dairy-based beverages, kind of like the way chocolate syrup is used.
The remaining steam is then vented through the steaming wand to foam the milk. This method of heating milk never results in that slimy film that you get from other methods. It also releases the milk's sugars, making it slightly sweet.
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