Reverence: Chris King Espresso Tamper

Even if you don’t own an espresso machine, you might want to own one of these. It’s art. It’s form and function in a seamless little object. If you do own an espresso machine and you call yourself a Cyclist, you will be very happy if you do own one. This tool is reason enough to obey Rule #56.

Chris King is a fanatical company; fanatical for all the right reasons. In a world full of “good enough” someone has to draw the line.

Coffee is fundamentally important at Chris King, and our espresso tampers are an expression of how much we value that deliciously potent drink. We worked with the Portland, Oregon based America Barista & Coffee School to develop a professional grade espresso tamper. Each part is machined in-house for aerospace quality precision that results in an Espresso Tamper with exceptional feel and the iconic shape of our legendary NoThreadSet headset.  -Chris King

When mine arrived, I thought they had mistakenly sent two. The box was much too heavy for one. But no, at almost a half kilo, it must be one of the heavier items Chris King ships out of its factory. Even if you are not a closeted machinist, the feel of this in the hand really defies description. The “58” inscribed into the curved stainless steel face of the tamper is machined into it, no stamps, no lasers…fanatical. Mine is Giro pink and stainless steel. I get pleasure from it every time I hold it and this pleasure will probably never wear off. When it has, I’m the walking dead.

I have it on good authority the Campagnolo wine cork puller is also the best in show for manual pullers and why not? A perfect tool is a perfect tool; if you need a tool it might as well be perfect.