Generally speaking, dish towels are something that I like to buy in bulk. Drive to Ikea, pick out some of the blues ones and some of the reds ones, and I’m done for at least a year. But with so many amazing fabrics and linens available, does it pay to get nice kitchen towels?
Continue reading “Should You Buy Fancy Dish Towels? Here Are Some Favorites”
Do you have Verizon FIOS fiber internet? Have you been hearing a weird, intermittent beeping from your FIOS equipment? And it’s not from the modem or router by your television, but rather that strange box hidden away in a closet by your power box? Then you probably need a new ONT battery. Verizon calls this a Battery Backup Unit (BBU).
Continue reading “Verizon FIOS Battery Box Beeping? Here’s The Fix”
If you are serious about coffee at home then you are serious about grinders. The single most important component of coffee-making equipment is the grinder, even more so than the coffee machine, espresso machine, boiler, pourover basket, filter, or anything else you can think of. That means any dollar spent on a grinder will be a dollar invested in making great coffee and it will be better spent here than on anything else.
Espresso is all about pressure. The tamper is the human side of the pressure equation.
If you are in the market for a 49mm espresso tamper, you’ve come to the right place. The only goals of this site are to connect you with the right tamper for your espresso machine and to advocate for 49mm portafilters. Sure, the commercial world has settled on the 58mm tamper, and we’re totally fine with that, but 49mm tampers shouldn’t have to be second class citizens! This site will identify and connect coffee lovers with the best 49mm tampers sold today.
Good sleep is aided by the right conditions. If you are a baby or toddler then there are very few items that can help in creating those conditions as a sleepsack (also known as a wearable blanket).
In this article we’ll run through some of our favorite sleepsacks as well as some of the most recommended ones that we have less experience with.
Continue reading “The Best Sleepsacks For Babies and Toddlers”
If you are looking for a new vacuum and you want to go cordless then you need something with the power and versatility to replace a full-on canister vacuum. A smaller Dyson, like the V6 cordless or V7 cordless, will work if you have no rugs and a reasonably clean home, but bigger messes require bigger fixes.
In this article we’ll compare Dyson’s full-power cordless vacuums: the Dyson Cyclone V10 and the Cyclone V11. Since “Cyclone” sounds cool but means nothing, this is the last time we’ll use that particular bit of branding.
All professional espresso tampers, from all manufacturers, are 58mm in diameter. It’s the chosen standard for all commercial espresso machines and most home ones. While a number of good espresso machines uses other size portafilters (and thus tampers), it’s generally a good size to see 58mm equipment.
If you are in the market for a 58mm espresso tamper, we are here to help. The cafe world has settled on 58mm tampers as being the standard, which means there are a huge number of options, but navigating those options can be a challenge.
An espresso tamper is a basic tool: it’s designed to apply pressure to finely ground coffee which is contained within a portafilter basket. The application of pressure is important because otherwise the water from the espresso machine would simply run through the grinds, leaving you with hot, brown water instead of thick, sweet espresso. Tampers come in a huge range of materials, a wide range of prices, with significant levels of difference in precision, style, and technology behind them.
This video is one of our favorites. It’s an fine introduction to espresso tampers…
While espresso tampers come in all shapes and sizes, this article will be focused on 58mm tampers. Other resources can provide help on other sizes, such as the best 49mm espresso tampers. but we’ll focus on 58mm ones for casual, enthusiasts, and professional use, with some examination of high-end “exotics.”
This is a brief list of the most popular espresso machines that use 58mm tampers. It is by no means exhaustive or a list of recommendations, rather it’s sorted by popularity (based on our best guess!).
These are our favorite budget espresso tampers in 58mm size. These are generally affordable tampers designed for home users, but some coffee shops prefer to use cheaper tamper since they get so much wear and tear and have been known to take a drop now and then.
Spending between $30 and $100 will be a sweet spot for many buyers. Under $30 and you might be limited with options won’t see too many premium brands, but spending over $100 on a tamper might seem excessive, even to people with $2000 grinders!
| Type | Materials | Price (USD) | Available? | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reg Barber | Wood, Brs, Cpr, SS, Al | $80+ | Yes | Reg Barber |
| VST | SS | $149+ | Yes | VST |
| Espro | SS | $199 | Yes | Lowest Price |
Yes, yes, we know — this is an article about 58mm tampers, but our evidence suggests that many of you are coming in in the market for a 54mm tamper. So here are some quick suggestions for you…
Modern Breville espresso machines use either a 58mm or 54mm tamper. Make sure you know which machine you have so you get the price tamper for your needs! Breville sells their official tampers if you want something that sticks into the tamper holder in your machine, but any tamper in the right size will work. Here is the official 54mm tamper and the 58mm one.
A tamper is a simple device, but it’s worth brushing on on the basics. The factors you’ll want to keep in mind are Price, Precision, Materials, Weight, Technology, Base, Ergonomics, and Design.
This will mostly be self-explanatory, but some are worth thinking through. For example, you can get a high-end espresso tamper with a polished brass base. It’ll looking amazing… until it tarnishes. Do you want to maintain it over time? Or you can buy a wood handle tamper that matches your kitchen, but how much does the selection of wood type effect the weight? Or lots of espresso tampers are “calibrated” so that they will help you level your tamper. Sounds awesome, right? Do you always use the same 25-30 pound tamper or do you like to experiment with heavier/lighter tamps?
Ultimately the main question for most people will be price. If you are a professional user who is making dozens of drinks a day then ergonomics and durability will be a factor (as will the ability to take a drop) but for the home user price and design tend to be the major factors in making one’s selection.
There are some many pepper grinders sold today that researching one might not seem like it’s worth the effort. Most of them are at least OK and they usually last for a few years… so why bother? If that’s what you thought you wouldn’t be here reading our findings though, so let’s go ahead and track down the best pepper grinder for you.
If you haven’t heard of Gathre yet, then don’t worry, you will soon. The company has been making headlines for its cool materials and appealing aesthetic. This article will be a review of the company’s wonderful mats based on experience with a Gathre Micro infant changing mat and a Mini highchair mat, but Gathre has a whole range of products outside of the world of baby gear.
Kitchen shears are an essential part of every kitchen. The best kitchen shears are those that help to snip herbs and cut open a food package easily and reliably. You could argue that a knife is capable of cutting open a chicken but knives fail miserably when you try to use them to remove the backbone. Shears are also great for lots of assorted tasks, like cutting homemade pizza and opening packages.
Kitchen shears are really the right option more often then you’d think. Read on to learn more about the best kitchen shears on the market.