Review Hookup

Well, we are fortunate enough to have a Handpresso Wild in for review and I thought I would offer a few pictures of the coolest little espresso gadget I have ever seen. The Handpresso is a hand-pump espresso maker that allows you to pump up the handle to 16 bar, add hot water and an ESE Espresso pod to the brewing chamber flip the switch and go. The result is a freshly brewed authentic tasting espresso wherever you can access hot water.

The Handpresso in its box:

Four Easy Steps: 1) Pump the handle to get 16 bar, 2) Add Hot Water, 3) Add an ESE Pod, 4) Press the brew button to get your Espresso:

The unit comes well packed and secure from the maker in France. “Well Packed” in an understatement. I mean Apple could learn a thing or two from Handpresso. The Handpresso comes packed in a box that I would say is more like a presentation quality box that a fine Cognac would come in:

The Handpresso in a nice inner case. Slide the overbox off to find a textured, inner, heavy weight case:

Slide open the inner case that slides open to reveal its contents the foam packing:

Pull away the instruction manuals and the foam packing to see the Handpresso seated safely in its cocoon:

The water chamber unscrews where you insert the ESE pod and pour in the hot water:

On the top side you have 1) The water reservoir that holds 50mls, 2) The pressure gauge 16 bar (over 200PSI), and 3) The release or brew button:

With the pump handle extended; the Handpresso is only a little more than a foot long.

I cranked out a little more than a dozen shots this week and after a very short learning curve, I have to say that I like the espresso maker for a bunch of reasons. The unit is solid, I mean better built than my bike pumps. It is certainly precision made and I would expect it to last with proper care. Along the way I learned a few things that I think I’ll share:

1) Pre-heat the Handpresso – If you can, add hot water to the reservoir to pre-heat, then dump it after about 10-20 seconds and add fresh hot water. Without a boiler upstream of the brewing, like an electric home brewer, you can get a cool espresso shot pretty quickly.

2) Pre-heat the cup – same reasoning here, I like hotter shots. The fact that things are chilly up here near Boston in the wintertime probably doesn’t help.

3) Hold the end of the Handpresso with your “static” hand while pumping, not the stock (like they tell you in the instructions). I say this because it’s easy to pinch yourself when pumping the handle.

4) It only takes about 25 – 30 pumps to get the full 16 bar on the pressure gauge. May seem like a lot but it goes fast.

Overall, I love the fact that I can take this with me. While I got a few weird looks at work, I loved having a fresh shot of my own espresso whenever I wanted.

1. Pump the Handpresso up to 16 Bar, then pre-heat with hot water:

2. Let it rip with 16 bars of pressure:

3. You even get a little foam/crema:

I have found that the crema is more like a bit of foam to top the shot and that shorter shots are better shots, as the unit doesn’t hold the 16 bar of pressure through the whole brewing process; it goes down as the compressed air runs out. I found that a shot slightly on the short side was best, and pretty darn flavorful. The differences between a home brewed shot and the Handpresso Wild wasn’t as huge as I originally was thinking, and is very passable for a decent pick-me-up where ever you want.

[thanks to single serve expresso via cc]