News
20 August, 2008 (top of page)
Epic Espresso take delivery of Barista tampers
Epic Espresso have long been at the bleeding edge of espresso evolution in Western Australia, and indeed Australia-wide. Headed up by SCAA Accredited Judge Corey Diamond, Epic has forged itself a name in Australian espresso culture as a progressive espresso shop that is constantly raising the bar on espresso quality and barista performance. They were the first commercial bar in Western Australia to install hand-made Synesso espresso machines, and they've just taken delivery of two custom-engraved Pullman Barista tampers to become the first commercial espresso bar in Australia to use the new tamper.
As a team of experts taking a no-compromise view of espresso, Epic were heavily involved in a critical development stage of the Barista tamper during early 2007 where three months of intensive prototyping took place instore. During this time the Barista tamper evolved from a series of different concept tampers into the substantial form that led to the production units. People like Corey Diamond himself, 2006 WA Barista Champion Jeremy Hulsdunk and 2006 WA Latte Art Champion Megan Aguero provided extensive on-the-job expert feedback about the various components of each tamper, all of which were combined to produce a specification to which the Barista tamper has been made.
Epic were thrilled to retire their old Canadian tampers and start using the Barista and instantly got into the groove of the new tamper. We checked back after a week and they had this to say about their experiences:
- Megan: "This is undoubtedly the most comfortable tamper for everyday use I have ever used. For a long shift the balance is perfect and I far prefer it to the heavier unbalanced units we were using before"
- Natalie: "A very comfortable soft feel tamper and extremely easy to control."
- Dan: "If it was legal I would marry this tamper!"
- Vanessa: "Extremely comfortable! The TrueTamp rings add that little bit of assistance in getting the tamp flat though it's easy to do just by feel - and aesthetically it's great!"
- Ryan: "I find it so easy to tamp perfectly flat with this tamper. I'm from Canada, but I have to say with our previous Canadian units I was commonly getting at least a millimetre of skew on the tamp. With the Pullman Barista it's regularly below 0.5mm which translates into richer and more consistent extractions and better results all round in the cup. That's what I call measurable results!"
Thanks for all your help during the development of the Barista tamper. We're sure you'll remain a frontrunner in the Australian espresso scene as you once again raise the bar on quality!
18 April, 2008 (top of page)
Pullman Tampers accepted into Australian Made Campaign
The Australian Made Australian Grown campaign promotes businesses who use Australian materials and labour to produce their end product. The requirements of the Australian Made / Product of Australia logo are very stringent; access to the highest tier in the program, the 'Product of Australia' logo, demonstrates that:
- all significant components or ingredients originate from Australia, and
- all, or virtually all, of the production processes must take place in Australia
Pullman Tampers have always been 100% Australian Made, but the 'Product of Australia' logo proves it. This means you can be confident the stainless steel tamper bases are made from Australian steel using Australian labour; the wooden handles are hand-turned by an Australian wood turner; all the assembly, measurement and support is done by Australians, in Australia. Even the retail presentation boxes are, you guessed it, made in Australia.
The cost of producing a coffee tamper in Australia is a lot higher than employing cheap labour and cheap materials offshore, and some manufacturers choose this path to gain a bigger profit margin or to undercut those who truly supply Australian products; however we're confident the quality of our product speaks for itself and we're determined to continue supporting the local businesses who help us produce a world-class product. By purchasing a Pullman Tamper, you not only get one of the world's leading hand-crafted coffee tampers, you can also rest assured the money you spend will stay right here in Australia.
Thanks for supporting us!
22 February, 2008 (top of page)
Ian Callahan wins SA State Barista Championship with Pullman Deluxe tamper
Ian Callahan, winner of SA State Barista Championship (centre), and (L, R) using the Pullman Deluxe tamper he used to win the competition
On Feb 21, 2008, Ian Callahan comfortably won the South Australian Barista Championship ahead of some very good competition. Ian will now travel to Melbourne in May to represent South Australia in the National Barista Championship.
Ian was pleased to inform us he chose to use his Pullman Deluxe tamper for the competition in preference to a Canadian aluminium tamper he'd used in previous competitions, and as used by the other competitors. "I find it a lot easier to be precise with the Pullman (compared to the Canadian unit)", Ian said today. "The TrueTamp rings obviously help but just the general finish on it too. Plus it had a better fit in the FB80 competition machine so the choice was a no-brainer". The choice of tamper isn't the only factor which led Ian to his win, but it demonstrates the Pullman Deluxe tamper is has what it takes to come out on top not only in domestic and commercial situations, but in the high-pressure, high-accuracy environment of professional barista competitions, and that industry professionals recognise it as such.
Congratulations Ian, and best wishes for the nationals!
15 November, 2007 (top of page)
New website features
To make online shopping easier for you, we have replaced our previous single page order form with a proper shopping cart system. The previous order form was adequate for when it was written, however the increasing range of products meant it was reaching the limitations of its code. We feel the new system is a lot clearer and easier for selecting products to purchase, provides real-time calculations of postage options and prices, as well as providing the ability to easily review all your past orders placed via the shopping cart.
We also took the opportunity to freshen up the menu structure to more accurately match the structure of our information. View the new shopping cart facility.
8 October, 2007 (top of page)
Synesso filter baskets available
We are pleased to announce that a full range of filter baskets are once again available for order. We are now offering Synesso single and double filter baskets. Synesso are a premium quality espresso machine manufacturer and we have been very impressed with the quality of the baskets and the shots they produce - Synesso appear to put the same attention to detail into their filter baskets as we do into our tampers, so they're a great pair!
The Synesso double baskets are available with or without a portafilter spring ridge, and genuine springs are also available with the ridgeless baskets if your machine was designed for ridged baskets.
10 September, 2007 (top of page)
La Marzocco double basket supply problems
We are committed to selling quality products and have full control over the quality of what we sell. However the quality of goods manufactured by other companies and resold by us, such as the La Marzocco double filter baskets, are beyond our control. Unfortunately, a quality control issue with the La Marzocco double filter baskets has meant we are refusing to offer them for sale at present. We are assisting La Marzocco in identifying and rectifying this problem and hope to be able to offer double filter baskets again by early October. Single baskets are still available for sale.
For more information, see this thread on coffeesnobs.com.au
29 August, 2007 (top of page)
Vanilla tamper deleted
The Vanilla tamper is no longer available for sale.
The Vanilla tamper was the first Pullman tamper to be designed and produced and has many happy owners throughout the country. However its functional shortcomings by comparison to the hugely popular Deluxe tamper have been recognised by ourselves and many prospective buyers who have opted for the Deluxe tamper instead. We have therefore decided to remove it from our product range to consolidate our resources. While it is a little sad to delete the very first product from our range, we feel this will allow us to concentrate our resources on ensuring the Deluxe tamper is the best it can be.
1 July, 2007 (top of page)
The Pullman Tamper now a part of Pullman Espresso Accessories
Tampers has always been a hobby for me, but as a result of the increasing demand I have felt it necessary to convert it to a business.
As of 1 July 2007, all business will take place under the business name 'Pullman Espresso Accessories', ABN 92 493 703 597.
In practice, this will have no effect on customers who purchase a tamper for their own use. It will simply make it easier for resellers to trade, and will keep the Taxation Office happy!
26 June, 2007 (top of page)
Pullman team grows!
As a result of growing demand for the Pullman Tamper, it has become necessary to add another staff member to the Pullman team. Robin Greeney has joined the team as Production Supervisor and will be the first point of contact for correspondence relating to and processing of orders. He can be reached at the general enquiries@coffeetamper.com.au address.
Robin is passionate about coffee and has been a Pullman tamper owner for many months prior to his appointment, and I am confident his input will maintain the high standard of product and service that has become synonomous with the Pullman tamper.
25 May, 2007 (top of page)
Pullman Tamper features in Crema magazine Tamper Showcase
Crema is one of Australia's leading cafe lifestyle magazines and contains columns, feature articles and the latest news from the coffee world. Their autumn 2007 issue carries a showcase of some of the best coffee tampers on the market, including the Pullman Tamper. The blurb states the following:
"Like a fine pen, the tamper has become a design piece as individual as you are. We showcase some of the best..."
The Pullman Tamper is one of the units chosen for this 'showcase of the best', and occupies pride of place in the centrefold.
Look out for it in your local newsagent, or check out the magazine's website www.cremamagazine.com.au.
10 May, 2007 (top of page)
Pullman Tampers chosen for 2006 and 2007 Barista Championships for FoodCo Group
The Foodco Group comprises over 220 Australasian retail outlets trading through the Muffin Break bakery cafe and Jamaica Blue cafe brands.
Foodco hold an annual national barista championship as part of their endeavours to raise the standard of coffee throughout their commercial outlets. Competitors are judged on both their technical ability and the taste profile of each drink. The event is judged by two Tasting Judge as well as two Technical Judges. Each finalist is required to prepare an espresso, flat white, latte, cappuccino and a specialty coffee of their choice. They are then judged on time, technical ability, coffee taste, presentation and coffee knowledge.
To recognise the outstanding efforts of the successful baristi, Foodco chose custom-engraved Pullman Tampers as awards for their regional winners in 2006. As a result of their satisfaction with the quality of the product, Foodco also selected Pullman Tampers for their 2007 championship to reward the successful employees with a functional work of art to further enhance their barista skills.
The successful 2007 regional winners with their Pullman Tampers.
Pictured with Foodco National Operations Manager Matthew Williams (left)
and Foodco National Coffee Consultant Brent Williams (right)
Close-up of the custom engraving on the handles
26 April, 2007 (top of page)
Review of Sunbeam EM6910 and Rancilio Silvia
These two popular machines have polarised the top end of the home espresso market. I was fortunate enough to run them head to head and the results were quite interesting!
16 April, 2007 (top of page)
Western Australian Distributors appointed - Epic Espresso
Western Australians wanting to pick up a Pullman Tamper can now check them out or purchase at Epic Espresso. Full list of distributors.
