Presso?

[ethant]

I was going to start this topic in the Other thread but the results with the Presso are so close to espresso machines I figured I'd start it here.

Anyone else using one of these yet? I'm not affiliated with them in any form or matter but am really digging my Presso.

Thanks to the Sweet Maria's library I quickly realized my old burr grinder couldn't come close to a fine enough grind for espresso. So I quickly picked up a Le'Lit PL53. It's been great, especially for the cost, with the one exception that a lot of the metal edges are really sharp. I've cut myself on it twice now.

Anyway, once I nailed down my grind I started using their hot tip of overfilling the water cup to get more pressure and then pulling the shot after it hit 1 1/2 to 2 ounces for the double. Preheating the Presso, portafilter, and cups has helped with shot quality, too.

I've done one demo at our HQ and am planning to do another soon. My Intellegentsia barista friend Katie is quite enamored with the Presso, too.

Presso Demo at Trystero Coffee HQ by G.E.T., on Flickr

I had always wanted to get a Mypressi but was turned off by the cartridges. And I saw one other Australian simple, manual espresso maker, too, but it was something like $500 US.

Cheers,
Greg

[H Wyman]

Wow. Okay -- I'd never heard of this thing, and now I'm intrigued. I'd still have to hold out for one used or refurbed -- but the intrigue is there. I had just assumed that the headline "presso" was short for "handpresso," which is also a fascinating design but doesn't seem to have garnered the following of the Twist. I share your concerns over the Twist's reliance on cartridges, and there's an undeniable elegance to the design of the Presso. Seems like it takes the principle of the Aeropress to its logical conclusion -- a hand-powered press that actually generates enough pressure to get the job done.

How hard to do you really need to push/squeeze to hit 9 bars (130 psi) on that thing? How do you manage to maintain the pressure consistently while also drawing out the process to allow for a 20-25 sec extraction? The video clip (http://vimeo.com/18794871) looked like the operator finished the shot in less than 20 sec, although I recognize that could've just been the way it was edited. It did also look like he barely tamped it, though, and it doesn't seem to come packaged with much by way of a tamper. Does it not need tamping? And, finally, there's temperature: Do you do a preheating press of boiling water before putting your coffee in there?

I just did a little snooping and it seems there's been a flaw identified, and recitified, by a tinkerer. Here's that link: http://users.ameritech.net/jim_schulman ... eport.html
It's something about a gap in the inner workings resulting in pressure loss before water contact, resulting in thin shots and meek crema. Have you run into that problem and addressed it?

How would you rate your cups against pro baristas' on pro machines?

And, I gotta ask... Does it open wine bottles, too?

[margot]

I'm intrigued by the Presso, too, but I noticed one big problem: it's made of aluminum. I stay away from any device made of a reactive material to brew coffee. Any thoughts?

[Ian_G]

I have a Presso and up until recently had been using it for about 5 years. I can't say that I ever got anything great out of it, but it was better than the Mokka I had been using. In recent months I have learned a great deal more about coffee making than I knew before i.e. when using the Presso. So maybe it's time I reassessed it.

I'll get back with an updated opinion.

Ian

[Ian_G]

OK, updated opinion? Same as before - it's not great. Seems like it should be a great idea, but for whatever reason, in my opinion, it just does n 't deliver.

[ethant]

OK, updated opinion? Same as before - it's not great. Seems like it should be a great idea, but for whatever reason, in my opinion, it just does n 't deliver.

Whoa, people finally started responding to this thread. I'll start with this one and work back.

Are you sure you're grinding your beans fine enough? Do you also have a mypressi or espresso machine to compare with?

[ethant]

I'm intrigued by the Presso, too, but I noticed one big problem: it's made of aluminum. I stay away from any device made of a reactive material to brew coffee. Any thoughts?

It shouldn't be an issue, I'll double-check but neither the hot water nor the grinds come in contact with the aluminum parts.

[ethant]

Wow. Okay -- I'd never heard of this thing, and now I'm intrigued. I'd still have to hold out for one used or refurbed -- but the intrigue is there. I had just assumed that the headline "presso" was short for "handpresso," which is also a fascinating design but doesn't seem to have garnered the following of the Twist. I share your concerns over the Twist's reliance on cartridges, and there's an undeniable elegance to the design of the Presso. Seems like it takes the principle of the Aeropress to its logical conclusion -- a hand-powered press that actually generates enough pressure to get the job done.

How hard to do you really need to push/squeeze to hit 9 bars (130 psi) on that thing? How do you manage to maintain the pressure consistently while also drawing out the process to allow for a 20-25 sec extraction? The video clip (http://vimeo.com/18794871) looked like the operator finished the shot in less than 20 sec, although I recognize that could've just been the way it was edited. It did also look like he barely tamped it, though, and it doesn't seem to come packaged with much by way of a tamper. Does it not need tamping? And, finally, there's temperature: Do you do a preheating press of boiling water before putting your coffee in there?

I just did a little snooping and it seems there's been a flaw identified, and recitified, by a tinkerer. Here's that link: http://users.ameritech.net/jim_schulman ... eport.html
It's something about a gap in the inner workings resulting in pressure loss before water contact, resulting in thin shots and meek crema. Have you run into that problem and addressed it?

How would you rate your cups against pro baristas' on pro machines?

And, I gotta ask... Does it open wine bottles, too?

Awesome questions, especially the last one. heh heh

I moved from an Aeropress to the Presso and I haven't used my Aeropress since. I just don't want to pick up an espresso machine due to our kitchen layout so when I found the Presso I figure I'd be set. And, I believe I am set.

That Presso report you found is an excellent reference. I haven't had the pressure issues that he resolves but keeping everything to temp is difficult. I can't tell if he was double-pumping the Presso or not, but a quick double-pump for me maintains the pressure.

I've had about 12 people (all coffee fanatics and working baristas) over so far in the last month to try it out and no one has trouble pushing the arms down, that goes from me all the way down to my 100lb barista friend from Intelligentsia Venice. 3 have since picked up Pressos on Ebay, actually I wish they'd supported http://presso.us instead.

I've nailed down my grind, dose, and tamping (yes, I tamp at the same pressure that my barista friends have taught me), and I've timed myself enough that I'm getting 25-30 second extractions. BTW, the tamper that comes with it is just dumb. It's a combo scoop and tamper and it does neither well. I picked up a 49mm tamper because of this and I don't even use what came with the Presso for a scoop.

I'm pulling shots with it that are far better than espresso I've had at places other than the likes of Intelligentsia, Ritual, Blue Bottle, etc. I doubt I could get really close to the quality of a shot at a place with well-trained and enthusiastic baristas working on good equipment, but I love the results. In fact, I love it so much I'm not even considering getting an espresso machine when we move to our new place, a place where we'll actually have room.

Oh, and back to temps. I let hot water sit in the filling chamber for several minutes, and then push a couple of ounces of water through, I keep my portafilter very hot, and then go for it. Otherwise, you will get sour shots as mentioned on that report you found.

Cheers,
Greg

[ethant]

Here's a double shot of Sweet Maria's Ethiopia Dry Process Limu -Nigusie Lemma roasted to between city + and full city. I've never gotten much crema or body with this bean, this is after running around looking for my phone for a couple of minutes.

shot.jpg (210.42 KiB) Viewed 2734 times

[Ian_G]

Are you sure you're grinding your beans fine enough? Do you also have a mypressi or espresso machine to compare with?

Hi

Sorry not to get back sooner. Actually the last time I used it I more or less choked it. I put in 15g of coffee that I had ground myself and it took about 40 seconds to pull. I use a stovetop machine called a Bacchi and on that I was using the same grind, and pulling in 30 seconds. The difference was night and day, with the Bacchi easily coming out on top.

With regard to your shot with the crema, I regard that as a miracle. Not once in 5 years did I ever get any crema with my Presso. I suppose for most of that time I was n't using especially fresh beans - but seriously, not once did I get crema. Using the Bacchi on the other hand I got crema from day one.

Like I said the Presso seems like it should be great, and God Knows I tried with it, but for me, after the Bacchi, there is no going back. OK the Bacchi costs about 2.5 to 3 times as much as a Presso, so it's unfair to draw comparisons. For it's price I'd say the Presso is hard to beat.