58mm Coffee Distributor and Tamper, CoreReplace Dual Head Coffee Leveler Fits for 58mm Portafilter, Professional Adjustable Depth Espresso Hand Tamper

Product reviewed: 51mm Coffee Distributor and Tamper, CoreReplace Dual Head Coffee LevelerMachine: Mr Coffee Café BaristaUPDATED 3/29/2022Still loving this tamper!Finding the leveler to be more useful than I original thought it would be.For the Café Barista users: Below I had wondered if a 52mm would work. I am now fully convinced that this 51mm is the best size. It really fits perfectly and get perfect tamps across the whole puck surface, no untamped sides. I'm pretty sure a 52mm would either not fit at all or scrape the side or even bend the porta filter.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Original ReviewThis is a very welcome upgrade to what I had! This has a great weight to it. It feels solid and constructed well. It is easy to adjust. I got it simply because I clearly needed a replacement for the pathetic original plastic scoop/tamper. Even though the Mr Coffee machine is clearly an entry level machine, it gets really good results and this tamper has immediately and substantially improved the quality and consistency of my pucks - and in turn has made a markedly better brew! I really didn't need or care so much about the distributor, but figured it would be nice to try a 2-in-1 tool. In a former life I was a barista and always found traditional tamper shapes to be a bit awkward in getting an even and consistent tamp, so I wanted to try this style thinking it might be easier to get a nice even pressure. So far I really like this tamper, and more importantly I'm really liking the resulting brew!For others who may have the Café Barista - the original plastic tamper/scoop measures at 50mm (measurement from Mr. Coffee). The basket itself measures at about 52mm (my own measurement). This results in the plastic tamper/scoop being horribly inadequate in several ways. It also left me wondering what size replacement to get. I was worried the 52mm might just be slightly too big, so I settled on the 51mm. That appears to be a really good choice. I'm not noticing any lip or buildup of grinds along the basket edge which means that this tamper is fitting the basket nicely. I still wonder if the 52mm would fit, but its hard to find fault when this 51mm is working so well!

I bought this for my Hugh/IMS 51mm basket and it works great. It's made well and has a good weight.

I am using this for my Gaggia Classic Pro. It fits my portafilter but there is a little play, just enough to leave grinds on the walls of the filter. This is still good product for being dual purpose.

I purchased this because my teens started drinking latte's (decaf) and I wanted to "child proof" the puck preparation to enable them to have a consistent and simple entry into making espresso. It takes a little trial and error for the initial setup but the results are good. It also needs to be recalibrated every time I roast, but it's usually just a little tweak to the tamper so the black ring can be bottomed out

I was looking for a two in one distributor tamper that had adjustable heights for both. Most of the two in one styles on Amazon are basically of the same design. While this CoreReplace one does not have it, there are some on Amazon that have a depth scale. Maybe this is important to you.Speaking of depth, the distributor depth is adjustable from 6 to 9 mm, and the tamper depth is adjustable from 6 to 10 mm. Any more, and there isn't enough thread catching and keeping the parts together.The CoreReplace Amazon product page doesn't mention it, but this does come with a black round silicone tamper mat. You can see this in some of the photos I posted. This round silicone mat is about $6 to $10 on Amazon.

The tool works great, appears well made, and is worth it. It also feels heavier than it looks, but this is not a negative, just an observation, its weighty in your hands. The other observation I noticed is that there is a maximum you can have both sides set to. I currently have the tamper at 10 mm depth, and distributor at 7 mm depth, and this appears to be close to the maximum combined depth the tool will support, which is a total of 17 mm, and still have plenty screw to keep the two halves attached internally. This works fine for my espresso, as 10 mm depth is equivalent to a 30 lb tamp for 18 grams in my basket, which is what its rated for.

This is a well-made and sturdy leveler. It is adjustable, but only up to about 10 mm. My Gaggia Classico portafilter needs about 16 mm. So it doesn't work for me.

I'm typically not one to write 5-star reviews, because frankly, I don't believe in them. 4-stars are more honest. HOWEVER, this product definitely deserves 5-stars. Here's why:2 years ago, I went on a search for a 51mm distributor and only found 1 custom option for around $200 bucks. I couldn't see value in that, so I continued pulling mediocre shots with pucks that were loose and not fully saturated. I started to CAD-draw a 51mm distributor and about 3 hours in, just took a look on Amazon, and viola! There it was! I purchased with some skepticism, but once the package arrived, the weight felt nice. Upon opening the package, it was obvious that this was good quality. I pulled a solid puck on the first try! Some minor adjustments were made, but now it's dialed after 1 month of use. The quality of espresso coming from my cheap Breville machine are dramatically improved and I use the machine much more frequently than before. The satisfaction I get, not only from the drink, but also the nice consistent pucks that I drop afterwards, is very nice.The price-point of this one makes me feel good about my purchase. I estimate that brewing at home, I'm annually spending about $1000/year, not including the cost of my machine. Any time I can get a cheap piece of equipment that enhances my experience and product, I feel enjoyment! Once I upgrade machines to a more professional unit (58mm portafilter), I'll be looking for this same model in the larger size!