I had the privilege of attending a presentation at the Coffee and Tea Festival 2010 last week called “Great Coffee: Brewing the Best at Home and Finding the Best in NYC,” by Anne Nylander from TampTamp Inc.

Who is Anne Nylander?

According to the TampTamp website, “Anne Nylander is Founder and President of TampTamp Inc., a coffee-services company in New York City founded in 2008. The Seattle native’s lifelong passion for coffee bloomed into a career after leaving retail management in 2006. Anne began her coffee career at Joe the Art of Coffee in 2006, managing their 13th St. location until leaving to help open another store.”

What does TampTamp do?

Tamp means to force or pack down firmly by repeated blows. When it comes to coffee, as Ms. Nylander explained, tamping is a process used in making espresso. It is actually a very important part of the espresso-making process and if not done properly, can affect the outcome in your cup. Thus the name of the company seems to be as well thought out as the company itself.

TampTamp doesn’t make your coffee. They are not another specialty coffee shop or roaster on the scene, but if you drink coffee in New York City, they may have helped your specialty coffee shop to make their coffee better.

For the coffee world, TampTamp provides coffee education (TampCamp), temporary barista staffing (TempTamp) and consulting services. For us average Joes, they also provide coffee education, public cuppings, workshops and entertaining events like “throw-downs and jams.”

The presentation was very informative with generous samples throughout. Here are a few tips we picked up during her presentation on how to make our coffee at home better:

-Weigh coffee (more accurate than measuring and will ensure consistent flavor)
-Grind fresh (coffee flavor deteriorates quickly after grinding)
-Get the water temperature right for the method or maker

We learned of many new tools on the market like the Chemex Coffee Maker which, as its name suggests, was created by a chemist and definitely looks like a much cooler and more modern version of a beaker we used in my junior high school chemistry lab. She demonstrated tools that ensure the accurate weight and temperature, a must for the perfect cup of coffee, according to Ms. Nylander. She also gave us the inside info on their best picks for coffee shops to visit in NYC. If you’d like to see the list of TampTamp’s best coffee shop picks for 2009, you can check them out on their website. After all, they should know.

I think TampTamp is a brilliant example of entrepreneurial genius.

About TampTamp

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The TampTamp Best Coffee Shop Picks for 2009