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I like the heavy and expensive one... lol.. but most of the 20 dollars tamper will be fine for home use. Just don't use the plastic tamper. And don't get the aluminum cheap temper. Those seem to have little effect on the taste. Stainless Steele.
 
Kenya AA isn't the best choice for espresso for most palates. Would work well as part of a blend, but would be a bit too acidic/citrus/floral to be used solo. I find it to be outstanding for press as East African coffees are among my favorites for that method. For espresso I prefer Brazilian coffees. The roast I used successfully commercially is still my all time favorite and I still use it daily at home. It's a single origin Brazil Ipanema that is batch split so half is roasted slightly darker for sweetness and less acid, the other half is roasted lighter for a bit more nuttiness and blended afterward. Gives the absolute best espresso that I've ever pulled and I've sampled some fantastic coffees from some great artisan roasters across the country. The end result is like unsweetened baker's chocolate with a smooth almond finish. Works great in milk or straight. It stood out commercially because it wasn't the same boring dark/oily espresso that many are led to believe is the "standard" of what espresso should be.
 
Coffeeshop Depot Used them commercially and still buy from them for home use. Local to me and always roasted/shipped to order. VERY fair pricing too... I buy 5# per order, let it sit at room temp for 4-5 days to mature a bit, then vacuum pack using a Food Saver machine/canister then store in our deep freezer at -30 average. I am able to squeeze 156 grams per pint size Mason jar, which is good for 9 double shots, which I consume in 2-3 days. Buying in bulk is a great way to save money and most coffees can be kept fresh enough for espresso for up to 7-8 weeks. Deep freezing doesn't eliminate staling, but definitely slows the process down drastically. I've churned through thousands of pounds of this particular coffee in a 3-4 year time frame and have yet to find anything to dethrone it for me personally. FWIW the roast master does a SUPERB job of keeping the coffees as consistent as possible even with seasonal crop changes. **Would like to add that you shouldn't let the affordable pricing fool you as this company is actually all about the customer and want to offer the very best coffees based on current crop prices. Too many artisan roasters get caught up in the belief that their coffees are leaps/bounds over all others and try charging outrageously for it. I totally understand the process of farming, processing, shipping, roasting, etc., but great coffee doesn't have to cost $16+ per lb.
 
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Pulled my first decent shot today and it was very enjoyable. Need to work on the tamp pressure in my opinion. Purchased some fresh espresso beans from a local roaster. The fresh beans with the correct grind really do make a difference. Thank you one and all for all the tips.
 
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