Feature 1: "Ball Grip"
The TOBIRA Tamper's design enables precision handling, irrespective of your preferred way of gripping the tamper.

Level Tamping
Keeping the tamping face level, and controlling the tamping strength are the two most important factors concerning tamping. However, the tamping face tends to tamp at an angle when tamping is performed by an inexperienced barista. Until now, the only solution to this phenomenon has been simply to remember that "Tamping requires experience". Is this true? Does the problem exist only with beginner baristi?

level tamping

left-angled tamping

forward-angled tamping

The Tamper is the Key to Effective Tamping
An extensive research on various kinds of tampers has yielded ample evidence proving that the reason a tamping face tamps at a certain angle is due to the tamper, not the barista. One kind of tamper tends to tamp leftward while another tends to tamp forward. This leads to the conclusion that the problem lies with the tamper design, or at least in the compatibility between tampers and baristi.

Ten Baristi have Ten Gripping Styles
Watching the tamping of many baristi, amateurs and professionals alike, one will notice that there are various styles of gripping the tamper. The pictures below show only a few gripping styles.

horizontal grip		slanting grip		vertical grip
simple grabbing grip		stem nipping grip		base touching grip

The Problem of Existing Tampers
Most existing tampers have rounded discs and columnar or conical grips. You can grip the tamper firmly only by holding it at a certain angle and in a certain style.

La Pavoni Tamper

Starbucks Tamper

Reg Barber Tamper

Ergonomic Deficiencies
It is ideal when the gripping style of a barista and the design of a tamper match, but they seldom do; either the design of the tamper dictates how the barista must hold it, or the barista holds it using his/her own personal style while feeling a certain degree of "mismatch".

If this is your preferential grip,

and if you use a tamper like this one,

it tends to slant to one side.

Ball Grip
The ball grip is ideal for every barista unless the tampers are custom-made. In some existing tampers, the upper half of the grip is rounded to a degree, but not sufficient for a barista with a "vertical grip" or "stem nipping grip", for example. The grip should be as close to a real ball as possible. The TOBIRA Tamper is designed to meet this requirement.

The TOBIRA Tamper Solution
It is easy to tamp like a top professional with the TORIBA Tamper!
Simply place your TOBIRA Tamper on the table. Hold with your preferred grip, then start tamping. You will find your grip is firm and comfortable, and the tamping face is level to the table. No more lop-sided tamping!

If this is your preferential grip,

grip the TOBIRA Tamper in the same way,

and just tamp!

Conclusion
Even the TOBIRA Tamper may require some practice before you tamp perfectly. Be sure to hold the filter holder firmly and level with your other hand. The TOBIRA Tamper ensures that tamping will be more steadier and the feel more comfortable than with other tampers currently on the market.