If you have ever searched for barista tools, such as tampers or distributors, you may have come across a brand called Normcore. It is an American brand, but it manufactures its products in China. However, unlike most Chinese manufacturers selling barista accessories on Amazon, Normcore stands out from all of them for superior quality.
This has earned it a good reputation and prestige in the barista world, with many coffee enthusiasts recommending its products, despite the fact that the prices of the accessories sold by Normcore are higher than average. Attracted by this fame and popularity, I have purchased five accessories from this brand that I needed to pair with my Bambino Plus, and I have taken the opportunity to analyze them and share with you my experience and opinion with them.
The calibrated tamper, the best accessory from Normcore
Looking for opinions on the brand, I quickly realized that the most recommended accessory from Normcore is its tamper. Normcore has released up to four versions of its tamper, and currently, the V4 tamper is the most advanced.
It is a tamper with a calibrated spring, which means that the same pressing force is always applied regardless of the technique of the user, eliminating inconsistencies and greatly facilitating the preparation of ground coffee inside the filter.
In the case of the Normcore V4 tamper , there is also an edge that rests on top of the portafilter basket’s edge, which positions the tamper completely perpendicular during pressing, leveling the coffee puck and generating uniform pressure.
The spring installed in the tamper is 25 pounds, but there are two others, calibrated to 15 or 30 pounds; you can change the springs depending on whether you need more or less pressing force, although the default one is more than sufficient.
Besides being incredibly easy, practical, and comfortable to use, this tamper’s design is noteworthy, especially in the version I bought, with an American walnut wood handle. The tamper’s appearance is excellent, and holding it in hand is a pleasure, feeling robust, durable, and made with very high-quality materials. The truth is, after using it, one can perfectly understand why it is such a recommended tamper.
Normcore sells its tamper in a multitude of diameters compatible with countless portafilters, with sizes ranging from 45.5 mm to 58 mm, in addition to multiple colors, and with flat or wavy bases, and even with optional waffle-shaped bases, although in my experience and that of many others, these shaped bases tend to cause channeling problems and are more aesthetic than practical.
Dosing funnel and WDT distributor
Two other fantastic quality accessories from Normcore are the dosing funnel and the WDT distributor.
The Normcore V2 funnel is made of anodized aluminum, and underneath it has 9 magnetic dots to keep it steady when placed on top of the portafilter basket. Something I really liked is that, unlike most funnels with similar characteristics, this one does not go inside the basket but stays just above the basket’s edge, facilitating an even distribution of coffee. The funnel is also very wide, which is very convenient if you are going to use it under a grinder with a portafilter holder, but also to be able to use the WDT tool later without fear of spilling coffee outside.
Precisely, that WDT tool is another popular accessory from Normcore. It comes with needles of 0.25 mm and 0.3 mm thickness that are easily removed and attached, but once attached, they are very well secured and feel sturdy, unlike other WDTs I have used before, which constantly feel like they are going to bend at any moment.
Thus, the Normcore WDT allows you to stir and distribute coffee particles with safety and confidence, being able to submerge the needles to the bottom of the filter. In case you have a grinder that generates a lot of clumps during grinding, the WDT will help break those clumps, which during extraction would be a likely cause of channeling.
Normcore sells the WDT alone or with a nice stand that allows for convenient storage, with the needles suspended to ensure they do not suffer damage or bend. It is worth buying it with the base, even if it is twice as expensive.
Grinder cleaning brush and RDT spray
The Normcore cleaning brush surprised me because it is larger than it appears in photos. Also, for its quality: the handle is made of American walnut wood, like the tamper I mentioned earlier, and it also conveys a lot of quality. In my case, I wanted a brush to clean the burrs, the hopper, and the outlet of the Fellow Opus grinder, and for that purpose, it has more than fulfilled.
The bristles are also very soft but sturdy, so you can brush the grinder’s burrs without fear of damaging it and with the assurance that none of the bristles will come off inside the grinder.
The last accessory I will talk about in this article is the RDT spray bottle , an essential accessory for use with any grinder that suffers from retention or static problems. Without a doubt, it is the most basic accessory of all and the only one that has given me the feeling of being overpriced.
Even so, the bottle is made of glass, and the spray disperses the water droplets very well on the coffee beans. Other RDT sprays I have seen on Amazon use a plastic bottle and have negative reviews about the overall quality of the product, so it seems that Normcore, also in this case, seems to offer a quality plus compared to the competition.
My conclusions on Normcore: a manufacturer slightly more expensive than average that also offers superior quality
A comment I have frequently read while searching for information on Normcore is that their products are overpriced. It may seem so if we compare their prices with those of other Chinese manufacturers of similar accessories, but I can assure you that, having tried them, and comparing them with other accessories from Chinese manufacturers I have used in the past, the quality difference is very large in favor of Normcore.
I am of the opinion that, in products and tools we expect to use for a long time, it is better to invest and spend a little more money if it means getting higher quality tools that make the task they are designed for easier. I believe this is precisely the case with Normcore, and after my experience, I can recommend their products to you with total certainty and confidence, assuring you that you will not be disappointed if you buy them.
