Handpresso Wild ESE in RED

I have had this product for a couple of months now. I have a rich history of trying to find something to take with me on the road to the improve hotel coffee situation. I started with a single cup Melitta electric drip coffee maker (remember those!), a Krups, a Velox, an electric Bialetti moka pot, an Aeropress, etc. I hate to go to a hotel, find a maker with coffee filters and think things are fine until 6 AM in the morning when you realize BOTH filters are de-caf! The hotel coffee makers range from OK to horrible! The coffee too!

I purchased the HandPresso out of desperation! I have a semi-professional espresso machine (VBM) and roast my own beans. I was not impressed with the ESE pods, but am VERY happy with them in the HandPresso! I like the idea I do not have to touch grounds in the morning like with the Aeropress. I carry a cup, some pods, and the HandPresso. I boil water (I am still looking for a very small electric boiling pot, but have an immersion coil), pump up the HandPresso, pre-heat my espresso cup and the water cup on the HandPresso, dump both, re-fill the HandPresso, pop in a pod, and in 25-seconds or so have a great shot of espresso! Got carried away one morning and had 4 in a row! WOW!

This device is extremely well made and and will probably last a long time. It will get field testing from me. Hope the TSA does not think it is some sort of nasty device in my bag!! The coffee pods give it away.

I've had my Handpresso for over six months now. Being Italian-born and raised, I live on a steady diet of espresso and need my fix at least twice a day. My workplace only has a small coffee stand which makes the worst espresso in the world, and there aren't any other coffee shops in a 2 miles radius, so brewing my own was the only way to satisfy my coffee needs.

I previously bought a AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker, which is advertised as an espresso maker but actually produces something closer to a french press drip coffee. Granted, it was cheap but that's pretty much the only good thing about it: it does not make a real espresso and is definitely more high-maintenance and labor-intensive, requiring filters and thorough cleaning after each use. I stopped using it after a couple of days because it was too much of a hassle and the espresso wasn't very good anyway.

The Handpresso on the other hand is simplicity itself. All you need is hot water and ESE coffee pods (I use 150 Lavazza Gran Crema Espresso Pods). I've been using it 2 o 3 times a day for six months and couldn't be happier. Yes, it's a bit expensive but being able to get a decent cup of espresso makes it worthy of the premium price tag for me.

The device is very sturdy and requires only minimal maintenance (just rinse it out) since the coffee and filters are self-contained in the ESE pods. If you have access to hot water, it takes less than a minute to prepare the Handpresso, stick the coffee pod in it, brew a shot of espresso, discard the pod and clean the machine.

Customer support from the distributor is also outstanding -I misplaced one of the little rubber gaskets that come with the Handpresso (the only moving/replaceable part) and wrote to the distributor (Importika) and they mailed me a replacement free of charge. I was very impressed.

If you are an espresso-freak and want a truly portable and easy-to-use device, this is it.

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Initial Impression

I was a bit skeptical that I could get a decent shot of espresso from a portable machine. And while it doesn't develop as much crema as my home machine (and I wouldn't expect it to considering that machine is over $1,500) this thing is a GREAT way for me to get my espresso fix at work.

Value

The build quality of the Handpresso is top notch, commensurate with its price (i.e. you get what you pay for). It should last quite a while. I was pleased to find that it comes with an extra O-ring gasket.

It's already paid for itself in savings I don't buy espresso at Starbuck's anymore. It also IMHO brews a way more drinkable shot than Starbucks ever did they really need to clean their machines and train their alleged "baristas".

Tips

For hot water, I use my office kitchen's hot water dispenser and you really need very hot water to get a good shot, so take some care not to scald yourself. The only downside is I'm getting a lot of requests from co-workers to brew them a shot.

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Pros: Small size. Fun to pump up in the morning; it wakes you up! Nice to use just one espresso pod and neatly toss it away when finished (like a tea bag). Easy to rinse out handpresso and lid after use.

Cons: Clunky shape gets clunkier when you need to leave the unit and lid separate to dry between uses. Leaks in two places: the button valve, the sides of cap. When the handpresso is in the last unit of pressure, it spews crema in a wide radius surrounding the cup, not straight down into your waiting cup. Be prepared for a major spew cleanup. This means that you can not dispense espresso directly into a small 3.5 6 once cup. The bigger the cup the better so you can put the handpresso as low as possible so that the spewing is contained in the cup. However, you will need to pour from large cup to an espresso/latte/cappucino cup. With each cup change, the espresso cools off. (Yes, I heat the milk. Doing everything I can to keep things hot. :)) Handpresso is not cheap. Required espresso pods are costly.

I tried, but it's difficult to explain the ins/outs of the handpresso's cons.

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Like others on here I got the handpresso to make espresso at work. It worked great for about 5 months, then after it would no longer release the pressure unless you let it sit for over 20 minutes. When I emailed importika they informed me they would repair it, but I would be charged 15 dollars for shipping to and from.

This would be a great product, but however sadly it does not last long and the company that sells it does not stand behind their product.

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Aroma cups 4/2

I wanted a simple, beautiful espresso maker, preferably Italian.

The Stella's lovely design caught my eye. It is a looker! Simple,

robust design, easy to clean. Consistent espresso that is piping

hot. A pleasure to have this in my kitchen.

I should give 5 stars for " how good coffee this can make " and i should give 1 star for " how inaccurate product features this have ". This product make 0.5 cup of coffee ( picture ). I have also Nespresso for make hot milk what make my coffee hot even if i add 3/4 milk. Otherwise your coffee will be cold. Im lucky for 2 people its enough. Anyway this product can make best coffee in your home if you dont want to spend $5k for pro machine. Actually Stella-Aroma can be a hard concurrent for expensive machine. Stainless steal is the best way to get better coffee, not aluminium.

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Ilsa Stainless Steel Stovetop Espresso Makers

i own a bialetti 1 cup stovetop espresso maker. i use it for traveling and in my van. it is made of aluminum however, and i wanted a stainless steel maker to take to thailand. the three cup Ilsa was the right size, but for some reason it was priced far higher than either the two cup or the four cup unit but i bought it anyway because it was the size i wanted. the maker is well made. the hinge on the lid is a little loose and sloppy, but it doesn't interfere with the function. the grounds don't get all worked into the threads of the boiler and top, like they tend to do on the bialetti. being stainless steel, the maker cleans better than the aluminum units. The Ilsa has a stainless steel handle that won't burn if the flame from the stove is too high on the handle side. the plastic handle on my bialetti is schorched and flaking. the Ilsa seems to tolerate finely ground coffee better than the bialetti. if you put espresso grind coffee in the bialetti, it clogs and over-pressures. the Ilsa will push the waer through. the Ilsa comes with a little "reducer" screen, for making using a lesser amount of coffee grounds, but i never use it.

We've had the 4 cup for about 2 years now, used daily. I'm not sure why the handle would break off unless you were using it to open the pot. It makes excellent espresso each time. Better than major coffee house chains and much cheaper. We will be buying the 9 cup soon.

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I've had 2 of these--the first was replaced by store (reluctantly) after handle broke off within a month. The replacement's handle broke off after a couple of years of daily use. The handle gets very hot and requires a potholder, and the bottom of the pot is a little narrow, slightly rounded and teeters on my gas burner if I don't place it just exactly right. I'd rather not deal with these potential safety hazards, especially before I've had my morning caffeine!

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I really appreciate my stove top espresso maker. No bulky gadgets taking up space on my counter tops. It's easy to use,clean,store-away,and travel with. My favorite part is that it's 18/10 stainless steel. I'm happy to have found it on Amazon.com at such a great price.:)

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This product makes great expresso. It was sent to me quickly and on time. Now I can enjoy morning expresso.

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