Cinoart Precision Tamp 2 (PT2) 58.3mm Automatic Coffee Tamper

This tamper review is for home coffee lovers with Breville espresso machines. Q: Does the Cinoart PT2 tamper work with Breville-size 54mm portafilters? A: I can report yes! Just order the 53mm tamp-head. Q: Does a home user really need to fork out for an electric tamper? A: If there is just one barista at home, perhaps not. But if there is trouble getting tamping “right”, or if there are two or more users… in our home different hands on a hand tamper bring big shifts in coffee taste. At sub-$1000, this appliance has solved our home’s frustration at variation between different baristas. Of the sub-$1000 electric tampers, the Cinoart PT2 has by far the smallest footprint on a kitchen bench. Online you will find good reviews - by cafe owners with professional-grade 58mm portafilters. On my enquiry the great people at Auspresso showroom took the trouble to try out the 53mm tamper head, at which I stumped up the $$ to get one. The item received is changed a bit from online descriptions. Additions are an optional push-on base, and a large plastic gadget not explained in the instructions. A spacer for setting the portafilter height is no longer included. Evidently the factory is making changes in response to feedback, and the instruction leaflet has not kept up. It turns out that (1) the spacer absence is deliberate because setup needs a tighter fit than the spacer allowed, (2) the plastic gadget is an insert that allows the head to come down to be cleaned without disassembling, a huge improvement. A great feature of the Cinoart tamper is its spring-loaded head, which levels the tamp within the coffee basket as it presses. Before use, you the user must set the portafilter height just right. By right I mean fractions of a millimetre up or down; too tight and it jams, too loose and it wobbles. There are lines marked for levelling. But once set and screwed tight, our Breville-type 54mm portafilter is held appropriately. Simple buttons control up to 3 tamps at a choice of pressures. We find that grind adjustment is required with any change in tamp settings; when both are correct and held constant then great espresso results every time. A note on cleaning, for which the instructions tell you to disassemble the forks and tamp head, with the need to reset the portafilter height each time. Fortunately that is history. A sturdy plastic insert is now included which holds the guide plate up when the head is sent down for cleaning: a quick flick with a soft brush and all is done. Perfect. Can the Cinoart PT2 be improved? It is already very good. The maker is adjusting the appliance from feedback, so I offer one suggestion on tamping perfection and a couple on user convenience. First the goal of tamping perfection, which is in fractions of a millimetre. Unlike most professional portafilters, the Breville has 3 lugs and one faces directly forwards, hard against the Cinoart magnet switch that activates the head. That switch’s fixed position prevents perfect insertion of the portafilter, which needs to be located about 0.3mm further in. Yes that’s right, just 0.3mm and it may not affect professional 58mm portafilters with their different design. We use IMS straight-wall coffee baskets (internal diameter 53.7mm) and the 53.0mm Cinoart tamp comes down at the outer edge. The result is a very thin gap of untamped grounds against the inner edge next to the handle. It’s hard to tell if this affects the taste of the coffee. Could it be improved in a future model by offering fine adjustment of that magnet position, for the user to try as needed? The tamp head could then be widened from 53.0mm to 53.3mm like the better hand tampers. Well, I did say the goal is perfection. Second, also not an issue for a cafe, home users who only make a few espressos in a morning would appreciate an auto-off feature after a few minutes of no activity, as with many grinders and espresso machines. And last, it would be great if Cinoart’s instructions kept up with the very welcome constant development of the appliance… Anyone looking for consistent tamping at home will find that Cinoart’s PT2 delivers. It works with Breville-type 54mm portafilters and stands out for its sub-$1000 price, small footprint, features, and build quality. Our home coffee experience is lifted by having it.