Best Tamping Station Mat For Espresso Preparation
You Need A Tamping Mat
An espresso tamping station is an environmental upgrade that’ll make your coffee space look and feel a lot better. Think of all the accessories that lay around looking like a mess. Now, imagine you have a dedicated place for your tamper, WDT, and your knock box, doesn’t that look neat?
While I don’t have the tamping station that I’m going to recommend, a friend of mine has purchased one and it’s one of my next purchases for sure!
Beyond ergonomics and convenience, an espresso tamping station will improve your consistency in your puck preparation and as a result, your coffee.
To be honest, though, it’s just a tamping mat, it’s not a complex item, so let’s not over-do it. right?
I’ll provide you with 4 options, 1 of which is the best
- MGCM - a wooden station that includes a knock box and 58mm tamper and leveler.
- Luriseminger - A simple black tamping mat.
- Yolococa - A Tamping mad, like a long mouse pad that is easy to clean
- A wide mouse pad - I used to rock this until it got so dirty my wife threw it.
The MGCM - The best value
I love that the MGCM offers a knock box along the tamper and distributor holders, plus it’s wooden and looks great in a coffee space. A dedicated knock box isn’t cheap, so the MGCM including a knock box looks like a great investment to me.
If you’re like me, and your espresso machines share space on the kitchen counter, you’re quite limited, and the greater the space you occupy, the greater the risk of your partner complaining. Personally, I make sure to keep everything clean and tidy as often as possible. With all the items lying around it’s easy to have a big mess near your espresso machine, coffee beans, tampers, grinder, coffee bean storage, kitchen scale, portafilters, baskets, and whatnot.
An organizer like the MGCM is what I’d get as soon as I can afford to spend some extra cash on my hobby. Currently, I have a mouse pad that is my tamping mat and an old Nespresso pods bowl that serves as a Knock box.
However keep in mind, that, while it’s all wooden and stuff, it isn’t top-quality wood furniture-level wood.
There are some other alternatives that are a bit cheaper than this but are less rated than the MGCM. There are other options from BGKD for $77 and a decent plastic alternative by MHW-3Bomber for just $50.
Luriseminger - Budget, Easy To Clean.
This is a silicone tamping mat that is easy to clean, while still offering plenty of organizing capabilities. It’s relatively cheaper, it has got plenty of room for all of your puck-prep tools, and it’s very easy to clean.
The only drawback is that you still have to purchase a dedicated knock box which costs money and requires more space.
On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about messing up in the process of your puck-prep because it’s so easy to clean. It can be seen as an advantage over the MGMC that includes the knock box because you’re not prepping your puck on top of your knock box and coffee is still going to be around the table/counter.
The best thing is it’s 20% the price of the MGCM
A Mouse Pad - A Mouse Pad?!
Yes, a mouse pad!
Ever since I got myself the Profitec 800, I allocated my huge mouse pad from my computer setup over to my espresso setup. It has got the world map over it and looks very complimentary of my overall setup. It isn’t ideal in terms of efficiency and convenience, because washing it means it takes a lot of time to dry and the stains are disturbing over time.
My wife much preferred the look of this mouse pad over some solid black espresso mat and even the clunky box thing (the MGCM).
Summary
The best espresso tamping mat is the one that you’ve got or the one that you’ll get, meaning, there isn’t too much to it, so just get one. Look for customer reviews before getting a cheap one. I personally saw the MGCM and I liked it for what it is.
Just make sure you get one that fits best your space, portafilter, and style. This is an investment you shouldn’t be looking to upgrade unless it wears naturally over time.
FAQ
What Is The Best Espresso Tamping Mat?
I provided the best tamping mats suiting various budget needs, from a $100 option to a $10 option, while stating that the most expensive isn't necessarily the best, it just offers a complete solution with a knockbox, whereas others do not include a knock box.
Do you really need a tamping mat?
Yes. You can kinda get by without a tamping mat, i.e. scratching your kitchen counter, preforming inconsistent tamping. A tamping mat provides a better angle to tamp your coffee, hence improving your puck-preparation consistency shot after shot. You'll have the same spot and the same angle for tamping which will turn into a habit, a muscle memory activity. Besides, everything will look and feel more organized and neat, that alone worth the money.
What does a tamping mat do?
Tamping mat is a mat or a stand that provides a stable, angled access for your portafilter to allow for consistent tamping shot after shot. It's a small investment into a better workflow.
Why do you tamp espresso?
Tamping is essential for creating resistance between the coffee and the water, which allows for beautiful and special extraction of oils, crema, flavor notes, etc.