Reg Barber is the design genius who invented tampers as we know them today. Before the two-piece tamper, that he designed, with interchangeable handles and bases, there were only lightweight, all-in-one plastic or aluminium ones. In Reg’s words ‘they were ugly and didn’t do a proper job’. Any barista today would most certainly agree.
Reg’s first experience of tamping was after deciding he wanted to open a cafe. He did a coffee course in Seattle where he learned to tamp using a flimsy piece of plastic, which he found uncomfortable in his hand. Realising too that it didn’t do a good job at compacting the coffee grounds evenly (as the trainer said it was supposed to), his creative mind was set in motion. Reg went home to Victoria in Canada, and hand-made the world’s first two-piece tamper.
Called his ‘old faithful’, Reg still has the very first tamper he made. It represents a very significant milestone in coffee history, as it was the first-ever to have a separate wooden handle. Reg had worked with wood for years when living in the interior of British Columbia where he had a job in a sawmill. He put aside his idea of opening a cafe and brought his woodworking skills to designing and manufacturing tampers – and in the more than 20 years since that decisive moment, has become known worldwide as the original tamper man.
Reg Barber invented the two-piece tamper
Reg explains how it wasn’t difficult to figure out that two pieces were needed to make a tamper that could be custom designed for different-sized hands and for different-sized filter baskets. Consequently, the two-part Reg Barber tamper is made by screwing together a separate base and handle – the perfect tamper for you that will fit both your hand and your filter basket. Reg says ‘it will be right for the type of pour you are looking for as well as the right weight and size for you personally. If it’s beautiful and says something about you, even better.’
In selecting a tamper that fits your hand, Reg Barber has designed several standard models – including tall, short, tall ball and short ball, and more recently the Radical Pro. A Japanese girl named Midori once commissioned Reg to make a special tamp for her particular hand. Later he made others the same, which he called the Midori range.
The base must be designed to fit the filter basket precisely – with the minimum space between the edge of the tamper and the side of the filter basket. All good baristas understand how important it is to have the base of the tamp fit snugly into the filter basket – to get a flat and even surface on the coffee that allows the water to flow evenly through. Since filter baskets come in varying sizes, you can order a tamper to fit yours. All you have to do is measure the width of the filter basket in millimetres (the global standard used for measuring tamps, which Reg also initiated), and Reg can supply you with one that suits.
Reg Barber bases come in various kinds of metal, including copper, aluminium and brass. He even made one in titanium once – just for fun, he says. Stainless steel is the most popular – but one thing many don’t know, is that Reg Barber tampers are made using the best quality, food-grade stainless steel. Reg’s experimentations and innovations are always based on ideas and feedback from baristas. The result has been all kinds of options with curved and ripple bases – the C-Flat, the Ripple, and the C-Ripple models, all serving different purposes and all invented by Reg.
With his creative flair in full flight, Reg now has tampers with powder-coated, anodised, acrylic and resin-cast handles in a myriad of colours and colour combinations to suit the tastes of different baristas. And yes, you can now buy a gold-plated Reg Barber tamper. Baristas are so proud of their tampers; they’re keen to own an immediately recognisable Reg Barber tamper, just because they are the best and from the original tamper man.
Reg invented the custom designed tamper
For a price, you can get Reg to design a tamper that not only fits your hand and your filter basket, also one that’s a totally unique reflection of who you are. You can have it designed from a selection of materials and colours, then add your logo or custom image. Reg says, ‘The laser engraver totally personalises a tamper. It is now possible to own a tamper that no one else in the world has, which is very appealing to discriminating baristas.’ Get Reg talking about custom designing tampers and he will eventually tell you the stories of his unique ones.
Reg is a generous man. I’ve seen him give a tamper to a deserving barista who could not afford one and saw tears in their eyes as a result – the sign of ultimate respect and gratitude.
In 2011 he designed pairs of tampers to raise money for the Red Cross relief effort after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. One tamper had a red cross on it and the other a Japanese flag. In 2014 the winner of the World Barista Championship, Hidenori Izaki, was presented with a polished aluminium tamper with a one half-carat diamond embedded in the handle top.
He also designed a Tiffany tamper, perfectly matching their iconic colour. He even sent a tamper to the Vatican – one with a whole powder-coated aluminium handle and a stainless base, engraved with a simple cross. He received a message from the Pope thanking him for the wonderful gift.
After a visit to the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, Georgia, Reg decided to add to their collection by making a Coca-Cola tamper. Some time later he received a letter back, with the tamper, stating that they thought it was a beautiful object, but that they couldn’t accept gifts. Reg then auctioned it off. It was purchased by Anne Cooper from Australia; and the five hundred dollars raised was donated to Coffee Kids.
Tampers for baristas; trophies for the best
Having developed a special relationship with baristas from all over the world, for 20 years he has dedicated his life’s work to helping them achieve more and more success. They’re the reason he’s in a business he is so passionate about. It’s a win win. Travelling around the world to coffee events is also very special to Reg. He gets to meet the best baristas and hear what they want in tamper developments. Consequently, Reg understands what baristas need and evolves his designs accordingly.
Most of the world’s barista champions have used a Reg Barber tamper. He’s proud of this, and the fact that the last nine World Barista Champions have used one. He explains ‘the C-Flat gives you the best result with its flat centre for the water to flow evenly through the coffee and a curved edge to make a seal between the coffee and the wall of the filter basket to stop channeling. This style has won the WBC many times.’
Reg can recognise a fake in a flash – as can any keen-eyed barista who is one of the many thousands of Reg Barber friends and fans from around the world who have the honour of owning a genuine Reg Barber tamper.
The large bold wooden trophies, topped with over-sized Reg Barber tampers have now become the symbol of barista competitions worldwide. They’re manufactured by Reg himself in his small factory – out of love and respect for the world’s best baristas. Reg loves to accompany trophies to their destinations around the world and his ultimate honour is to have the pleasure of presenting them to the winners. Likewise, winners just love it when it’s Reg Barber shaking their hands and presenting their trophy!
Along with countless other coffee folk around the world, we’re pleased to call Reg Barber a friend. We’ve possibly met up a dozen or so times, sharing coffees and championships around the world. We’ve visited his factory in Canada and we’ve visited the crocodiles and kangaroos at Australia Zoo with Reg. Together we walked 13 kilometres and climbed 25 flights of stairs on the hilly side of Budapest – according to Reg’s pedometer, that was!
With his larger than life personality, Reg Barber exudes friendliness and a genuine love of life. His motto: ‘If it’s not fun, I don’t do it’. Baristas worldwide are mighty pleased Reg has found fun in designing and making their tampers and trophies – and in doing so, he has made an enormous contribution to the global coffee industry.
If there were more people like Reg Barber in the world, it would be a far better place for all.
