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a civilian at the Canadian Navy ship repair unit in Victoria [British Columbia]. I worked there for 10 years, gaining most of my knowledge. In 1995 I left the public service and wanted to open a coffee shop. I traveled to Seattle to learn and this is where I saw the big chunk of aluminum known as a tamper. I thought to myself, "I can do better than that!" I came home and made my very first RB coffee tamper. I sent it off to Seattle and I received my very first order. SA: Did you talk to baristas about what they needed from a tamper? RB: Back then I was just designing for myself. The tamper I saw was uncomfortable, and didn't look very good either. Barista championships hadn't even started yet, so I was just going on my own experience. SA: How have tampers changed through the years—specifically, how have your tampers changed over the years? RB: The first tampers I made had wood handles and aluminum bases, all with flat bottoms. They started as short tampers, but then I got a call from a customer wanting a taller tamper and so I made one and sent it to him. Then I started making taller tampers. After that I made a tamper handle in the tall ball shape followed by a short ball. These were all in wood, and usually only in a choice of maple or bubinga. It was in 2003 when I got my big CNC lathe. This enabled me to make handles in aluminum, and I started powder-coating them and anodizing them. The bases before my CNC lathe were made by local machine shops. The CNC machine allowed me to be more creative with my bases. I made flat, U.S. curve, Euro curve—shapes that were already in use in the industry. Then I created the C-flat, a hybrid between the Euro curve and the flat. And then came the ripple line. I'm always having fun making unique tampers that aren't in my regular production, too: glass, caste resin, different woods, laminations, etc. And baristas are always asking for something they want, just for them. I made a tamper for my friend, Midori, in Japan. It was a tamper that was midway between a tall handle and a short handle, and so I called it a Midori. SA: Now tell us about the trophies. When did that start? RB: I am totally self-taught as a woodworker and have just experimented until I get it right. My first trophies were for the United States Barista Championship in Long Beach, California. Each base had a bronze cast of a La Marzocco espresso machine on top. Then in 2008, I did the trophies for the World Barista Championship in Copenhagen. This year I will be making 33 trophies for various competitions. I really only make tampers on the side now! I just think it is a small thing I can do for the baristas for allowing me to travel the world in the name of coffee, and I enjoy it. all new first public launch at WOC Nice 2013 World Of Coffee Nice, 26-28 June 2013 booth C20 78 barista magazine