A new BOSeTamper on display at the recent SCA Expo in Portland. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.
Startup Radik Labs has kicked off retail sales of its flagship handheld auto tamper, the BOSeTamper. The name, a portmanteau of Boston Electronic Tamper, is pronounced “Boss E-Tamper.”
Available in multiple colors with a 58.5-millimeter diameter flat steel tamping surface, the wireless, battery-powered auto-tamper applies between 25-30 pounds of downward pressure to a maximum depth of approximately 20 millimeters into a portafilter basket. Users can adjust the depth, speed and number of tamps per activation.
Users thread the device onto the top of a loaded espresso portafilter. An optical sensor embedded in the unit’s groove detects when the ears of a portafilter are in place, triggering automatic tamping. The fit of the ears within the groove serves as leverage and leveling for the tamp, as the tamper essentially hugs the portafilter through the quick action.
Courtesy photo.
The BOSeTamper joins a number of automatic tamping devices that have entered the commercial espresso market in recent years, although its portability sets it apart from stationary plug-in countertop solutions such as the Puqpress, Cinoart or Compak Cube.
Radik Labs parent company DK Automations was founded in 2019 by Indonesian-American entrepreneur and BOSeTamper creator Daniel Kurnianto. An engineer by trade, Kurnianto has lived in the United States since 2005 while also maintaining engineering and manufacturing facilities in Indonesia.
Kurnianto is also founder of BOStempeh, a Boston-based company shipping fresh Indonesian-style tempeh to customers nationwide.
The Radik Labs crew at the SCA Expo. Daniel Kurnianto is pictured far right. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.
“I am originally from Indonesia, one of the major coffee producers in the world,” Daniel Kurnianto told Daily Coffee News. “I love tinkering and engineering many kinds of mechanisms. BOSeTamper is the latest project I am working on, with a pending international patent and trademark. I’m super excited about customers’ response around the world.”
Kurnianto initially revealed a prototype of the BOSeTamper in a 3D-printed housing at the 2022 SCA Expo last year in Boston. Now in production in Indonesia, the device has been updated with an injection-molded plastic case and new power-management features.
Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.
Sales of the tamper officially launched with the company’s appearance at the 2023 SCA Expo in Portland last month. Pre-orders start at $250 per unit.
Additional features of the tamper include automatic wake-up upon use, automatic shutoff when not in use and auto-stop of battery charging to avoid overcharging, to maximize battery live. Capacitive sensor buttons on the top of the device are also now water resistant.
Color options include black, white or transparent.
“The reasoning behind the transparent housing is the interest of being an engineering mind,” said Kurnianto. “The ability to see the inside of the mechanism is magical. This is not just me, but many people have the same feeling.”
Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.
The earlier 3D-printed finish with customizable wood veneer on the top will also remain available, as will a tamper surface of 53.5 millimeters. In response to user feedback, rippled and convex tamping surfaces are also in development, according to Kurnianto.
Pre-orders are expected to begin shipping to the U.S. from Indonesia next month.
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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