How To Choose The Right Coffee Tamper Size (+ Bonus Tamper Size Chart)

House of Coffee Australia
How To Choose The Right Coffee Tamper Size (+ Bonus Tamper Size Chart)

Making great espresso starts with the right tools, and one of the most important is your coffee tamper.

Sure, a tamper might look like a fancy paperweight, but don’t let its simplicity fool you. This little tool is the unsung hero of espresso making. Think of it as the MVP of your coffee gear lineup. Get the wrong size, and you’re looking at uneven grounds and a shot that’s more “meh” than marvelous. But don’t stress—this guide is here to help you find the right size tamper that’ll make your espresso truly shine.

I'll walk you through how to measure and choose the right size coffee tamper for your espresso machine. Trust me when I say, get your coffee tamper size wrong and you'll end up with a cup of water flavoured coffee with zero body and oomph (I know, because I've been there).

Why Tamper Size Matters (And How to Measure Your's)

Your coffee tamper is like a key and your portafilter basket is the lock. A good fit ensures you evenly compress the coffee grounds, preventing weak spots and watery disasters.

Here’s the golden rule: your tamper should be slightly smaller than the inside diameter of your filter basket.

So how do you find the right size coffee tamper? If your machine manual didn't specify the perfect tamper size (or let's be honest, you can't be bothered reading the manual or you lost it), then it's time to whip out your measuring tape. 

Steps to Measure Your Portafilter Basket:

1. Grab a Measuring Tool

Machinist calipers are the most accurate measurement but honestly, who has one of these just casually lying around? A steel measuring tape or ruler with millimeter divisions works too—just keep a steady hand.

2. Measure Across the Center

Find the widest inside diameter of your filter basket. This is the part your are measuring.

measuring coffee portafilter size

3. Choose a Tamper

Select a size slightly smaller than your measurement (at least 0.75 mm smaller for a snug but easy fit).

Example:
Measured diameter: 58.74 mm
Best tamper size: 58 mm

Quick Reference Coffee Tamper Size Chart

To save you some guesswork, here’s a cheat sheet of coffee tamper sizes for popular espresso machines.

(Tip: Always measure your filter basket first. Manufacturers sometimes change sizes by model or year.)

Home Coffee Machines

Brand Model Suggested Tamper Size
Ascaso
All models 57 mm
Bodum Granos
51 mm
Breville 800 Series 51 mm

Barista Express, BES870XL & BES860XL, Infuser, BES840XL, Duo-Temp Pro, BES810BSS 53 mm
Dual Boiler, BES900XL & BES920XL 58 mm
Cuisinart All models 51 mm
Delonghi Dedica, La Specialista 51 mm
Older Models 49 mm
ECM Botticelli 58 mm

Cellini, Giotto 58 mm
Gaggia Classic, Carezza 58 mm
Espressione Cafe Retro, Cafe Novecento 58 mm
Estro All models 53 mm
Faema Family 53 mm
Francis!Francis! x1 (new version) 56 mm

x1 (old version) 52 mm
Gaggia Semi-auto machines 58 mm

Factory (lever machines) 51 mm
Innova All models 57 mm
KitchenAid Proline 58 mm
Krups
49 to 52 mm
La Pavoni Club Combo, Duet, Napolitana 57 mm

Lever machines (post-1999) 51 mm

Lever machines (pre-1999) 49 mm

Lusso, Pisa, Si 53 mm
La Riveria All models 45 mm
La Spaziale All models 53 mm
La Valentina All models 58 mm
Mokita All models 55 mm
Mypressi  Twist 53 mm
Olympia Club, Cremina, Express 49 mm
Pasquini Livia 90 58 mm
Quick Mill All models 58 mm
Rancilio Silvia 58 mm
Saeco All models 53 mm
Solis All models 53 mm
Sunbeam Cafe Series EM6910, EM7000 58 mm

 

Commercial Coffee Machines

Brand Model Suggested Tamper Size
Astoria All models 58 mm
Astra All models 56 mm
Aurora All models 56 mm
Azkoyen All models 58 mm
Bezzera All models 58 mm
Brasilia All models 58 mm
Bunn All models 58 mm
Boema All models 58 mm
Carimali All models 58 mm
Cimbali Other models 57 mm

Junior Casa DT1 58 mm
Conti All models 58 mm
Cuadra All models 58 mm
ECM All models 58 mm
Elektra All models 58 mm
Expobar All models 58 mm
Faema All models 58 mm
Fiorenzato All models 58 mm
Futurmat All models 58 mm
Gaggia All models 58 mm
Grimac All models 58 mm
Isomac All models 58 mm
Iberital All models 58 mm
La Marzocco All models (need to verify though) 57 or 58 mm
La Scala All models 58 mm
La Spaziale All models 52 mm
Nuova Simonelli All models 58 mm
Olympia Cremina 49 mm
Pasquini All models 58 mm
Rancilio All models 58 mm
Reneka All models 56 mm
San Marco All models 55 mm
Synesso All models 58 mm
Unic All models 56 mm
VFA All models 58 mm
Wega All models 58 mm

 

What Makes a Great Coffee Tamper?

Here’s what separates the great tampers from the ones that should stay in the kitchen drawer:

1. Size

First things first—get the size right (see above). Your coffee tamper should fit your portafilter basket like Cinderella’s slipper. Too small, and you’ll have gaps in your coffee bed that turn your espresso into a watery mess. Too big, and—well, it won’t even fit. Measure twice and tamp once!

2. Base Shape: Flat vs. Convex vs. Ripple

Flat: Think of the flat base as the training wheels of tampers—stable, predictable, and perfect for beginners. It evenly presses the coffee grounds into a nice, level puck, ensuring no sneaky water streams ruin your shot.

Convex: This one’s for the espresso adventurers. The convex curved base gently compresses the edges of the coffee bed, reducing channeling and boosting flavor balance. It might take a few tries to master, but once you do, you’ll feel like the James Bond of baristas—smooth and precise.

Ripple: The tamper base with a bit of flair! Ripple designs create subtle grooves in the coffee puck, helping water flow more evenly through the grounds. Some espresso aficionados swear by ripples for consistent extraction and more balanced shots. It’s like giving your espresso puck a fancy hairstyle—stylish and effective.

3. Comfort and Fit

A tamper that doesn’t feel right in your hand is like an espresso machine with no portafilter—it’s just not going to work. Look for a handle that feels like it was designed for you. A wide, comfy top makes all the difference when you’re pressing down with gusto. Bonus points if it doesn’t leave your hand cramping after a few rounds of back-to-back shots—because who pulls just one espresso?

4. Weight

When it comes to tampers, heavier is better. Give the flick to the cheap plastic imitations. Stainless steel is the rock star here—durable, balanced, and with just the right heft to let gravity help out.

Here's a few of our favourites from our own coffee tamper collection:

Wooden handle coffee tamper

Stainless Steel Wooden Handle Tampers

Let Me Check It Out

 

Black adjustable pressure coffee tamper

Stainless Steel Flat Base Coffee Tamper

Let Me Check It Out


Black calibrated spring coffee tamper

Calibrated Spring Coffee Tamper

Let Me Check It Out

Do You Really Need a Fancy Coffee Tamper?

Short answer: absolutely. Long answer: you bet your espresso-loving soul you do. If you’re rocking a pressurised filter basket (those so-called "crema enhancers"), your plastic tamper might survive the job—though it’s about as exciting as instant coffee. But for non-pressurised baskets, a high-quality tamper isn’t just a luxury—it’s a game-changer. It helps you nail that perfect, even tamp, creating a dense coffee puck that gives your espresso the rich, velvety crema dreams are made of. In other words, ditch the plastic and level up—you deserve it.

Now you've picked the right coffee tamper size, it's time to learn how to tamp like a pro.

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