One of the things that usually happens to those who venture into the espresso rabbit hole spiral is that they begin an almost obsessive search for accessories that make espresso preparation easier. This was the reason that led me to search for the best possible accessories to pair with my Bambino Plus, and it was in that circumstance when I came across Normcore.
Normcore is one of the many accessory manufacturers that delegate manufacturing to China, but Normcore distinguishes itself in this case by offering superior quality compared to other Chinese manufacturers, something that is also reflected in its price.
The truth is that they have a good reputation in barista circles, and if you search for barista accessories on Amazon you’ll see that Normcore’s are among the best-selling and highest-rated. There are several Normcore accessories that I’ve tried, and here I give you my opinion about them.
Bottomless Portafilter
The bottomless portafilter is the first accessory we usually notice when we begin our journey as home baristas, especially because of how striking it is to watch that “espresso stream,” as some call it, during espresso extraction. Beyond the aesthetics, the bottomless portafilter is useful for checking possible defects during extraction, in order to correct them.
The Normcore portafilter is their most popular accessory and it’s perfect: it’s very good quality, made of 304 stainless steel, with a removable handle and, in addition, it comes with a filter included, of course a non-pressurized filter. It’s available in 58 mm sizes, with variations depending on the type of machine (Gaggia, La Marzocco, Sage or E61 groups), in 54 mm for Sage coffee makers, and in 51 mm, for other coffee makers, such as De’Longhi.
As you can see, in my case I opted for the black handle, which matches very well with the coffee maker’s casing, but it’s also available in white and walnut wood. Normcore also has other interesting portafilters, such as the 3-in-1, convertible to a bottomless portafilter but with two optional bottoms, with one or two spouts, which can be very handy depending on the circumstance.
The calibrated tamper, another of Normcore’s star accessories
Apart from the bottomless portafilter, another of Normcore’s most recommended accessories is its tamper. Normcore has launched up to four versions of its tamper, with the most recent being the V4 calibrated tamper .
A calibrated tamper is a highly recommended purchase, almost mandatory, I’d say not only for beginners but for anyone looking for consistency in home espresso preparation. A calibrated tamper is better because it always applies the same tamping force, thanks to an internal spring. This provides two key advantages over a regular tamper, mainly fewer errors and channeling: by always having the same pressure and staying level, the risk of uneven extraction is reduced, and greater consistency, since each coffee is tamped the same way, even if you unintentionally change the force.
In the case of Normcore’s V4 tamper, there’s also a rim that sits on top of the edge of the portafilter basket, which positions the tamper in a completely perpendicular position during tamping, leveling the coffee puck and generating uniform tamping.
The spring that comes installed in the tamper is 25 pounds, but it comes with two others, calibrated to 15 or 30 pounds; you can change the springs depending on whether you need more or less tamping force, although the one that comes by default is more than sufficient.
In addition to how incredibly easy, practical, and comfortable this tamper is to use, its design must be highlighted, especially in the version I bought, with an American walnut wood handle. The tamper’s appearance is wonderful and holding it in your hand is a pleasure, feeling robust, sturdy, made with very high-quality materials. The truth is that, after using it, one can perfectly understand why it’s 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 a flat or rippled base, and even with optional waffle-shaped bases, although those types of shaped bases usually cause channeling problems and are more aesthetic than something practical.
Dosing funnel and WDT distributor
Two other accessories of fantastic quality from Normcore are the dosing funnel and the WDT distributor.
The Normcore V2 funnel is made of anodized aluminum, and underneath it has 9 magnetized dots so it stays still when we place it on top of the portafilter basket. Something I really liked is that, unlike most funnels with similar characteristics, this one doesn’t go inside the basket but stays positioned just above the edge of the basket. The funnel is also very wide, something very convenient if you’re going to use it under a grinder with portafilter support, but also to be able to use the WDT tool afterwards without fear of spilling coffee outside.
Precisely, that WDT tool is another of Normcore’s popular accessories. It comes with optional needles of 0.25 mm and 0.3 mm thickness that are easily removed and attached, but once attached they stay very well fixed and feel sturdy, not like other WDTs I’ve used before, which give the constant feeling that they’re going to bend at any moment.
Thus, Normcore’s WDT allows you to stir and distribute the coffee particles safely and confidently, being able to submerge the needles to the bottom of the filter. In case you have a grinder with static problems that generates many clumps during grinding, the WDT will help you break up those clumps, which during extraction would be a more than likely cause of channeling.
Normcore sells the WDT separately or with a nice stand that allows you to store it comfortably, with the needles suspended to ensure they don’t get damaged or bent. It’s worth buying it with the base, even if it’s twice as expensive just for that.
Cleaning brush for the grinder and RDT spray
The Normcore cleaning brush surprised me because it’s bigger than it appears in photos. Also because of its quality: the handle is made of American walnut wood, like the tamper I mentioned earlier, and it also conveys tremendous quality. At the time it served me to regularly brush the hopper and output of the Fellow Opus grinder, but it has served me equally well to do the same on the – even better – DF54 grinder.
The bristles are also very soft but sturdy, so you can brush the grinder burrs without fear of damaging it and with the assurance that none of the bristles will come loose inside the grinder. It is true that over time they have frayed a little (you can see it in the image) but nothing out of the ordinary and from continuous use for more than a year.
The last accessory I’ll talk about in this article is the RDT spray bottle , an indispensable accessory to use with any grinder that suffers from retention or static problems. Without a doubt, it’s 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 spreads the water droplets very well on the coffee beans. Other RDT sprays I’ve 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 advantage over the competition.
My conclusion on Normcore: somewhat more expensive accessories, but of unquestionable quality
The usual criticism I’ve read about Normcore is that they’re more expensive accessories than others that do exactly the same function, and many wonder why pay more when you can have cheaper accessories that do the same thing.
In my case, I’m clear that, in the long run, cheap comes out expensive, and I prefer to spend a little more to have accessories that I know will last me longer and that I’ll be more satisfied with in day-to-day use. In this regard, Normcore has absolutely met expectations.
In the image above you can see two other accessories I had previously, a dosing funnel and another WDT. You can see that the dosing funnel looks worse and has poorer finishes; yes, it can do the same thing for a fraction of what the Normcore costs, but personally I feel better spending money on something of higher quality. Additionally, the Normcore one has better magnetic attachment and doesn’t go inside the basket, as I mentioned before.
In the case of the WDT, you can see that the needles are bent. This happened from a fall, but the truth is that even before, the needles proved to be very flimsy and had already started to bend a little. This hasn’t happened with Normcore’s WDT, with much higher quality and durability needles that have remained rigid despite the occasional knock they’ve taken.
So yes, I can totally recommend Normcore as a brand to stock up on reliable barista accessories for everyday use. Personally, I have my eye on other accessories from the brand, like the tamping and storage mat or the milk pitcher ; of course I’ll update the article to give you my opinion if I end up buying them.
