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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Coffee Maker Color: Black

This is the worst thing that I bought on Amazon. Coffee maker broke the next day and I threw it.

The money that I paid for it will not return.

I had to buy another coffee maker, which works fine.

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Francis Francis X7 Espresso Machine for Easy Serving Espresso and Ground Coffee

This is my second Francis Francis X7 the first one I returned due to leaking (it was leaking immediately when I first used it). The second one did not even make it a full year before it started to leak above the brew head (where it bolts to the machine). illy customer service has been less than responsive. I called them about the first machine and about a reset issues I had after cleaning the second machine. Every time I call the person I speak with doesn't even seem to know anything about the machine. When I told them I sent the warranty card in I was told "we still need the proof of purchase because we may have lost your warranty card" ....WHAT? Really? Thankfully a proof of purchase is easy to come by when you use Amazon. I would not recommend anyone buying this machine, mainly because illy's customer service is awful and for the price this machine does not hold up.

I was very disappointed that after paying $495 for this machine it broke just 10 months later. When the decalcification light came on I followed the instructions and the machine wouldn't decalcify and stopped functioning. I returned it to the manufacturer for a warranty exchange and received a new machine. The new machine did the exact same thing the first time I ran the decalcification cycle. The customer service rep at the iLLy 1-800# told me her sister had purchased the same machine and had similar problems, so she just ignored the decalcification warning light and continued to use it. I told the rep that that voided the warranty according to the instructions and for $495 I wanted a machine that worked. She agreed to exchange my machine for a refurbished unit. I received the refurbished unit and it worked fine for a while, then it stopped functioning. It overheated and water would not pass through. This time when I called iLLy customer service I was told that since the warranty had expired they could not help me and they referred me to their authorized post warranty service provider. The authorized post warranty service provider told me it would cost a minimum of $120 plus shipping for them to examine the machine and make repairs, and that was the minimum fee even if it was determined to be unrepairable. I decided it was not worth it given the likelihood that it will break again soon. I consider this completely unacceptable for a $495 espresso machine.

On the good side, it did make good espresso when it worked.

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Looks great in kitchen and after a bit of trial and error trying different makes of ground espresso coffee I can get a decent espresso using the ground coffee holder. The ESE pod holder on the other hand has been a pain from day one I use Illy's own ESE pods but nearly every time I do, hot water and steam sprays out from behind the pod holder head.

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There isn't much to say the product we received had a large water leak at the brewhead and was returned. It's disappointing that this condition wasn't caught by the manufacturer.

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Keurig Vue Small Office V1255

Keurig has amazing single cup brewers. I enjoyed my previous generation one for a long time. However I needed somehign that can do more, and provide a deeper stronger brew. This unit was the answer.

Previous k-cup unit tend to produce a weaker brew. The Vue with V-cups does not suffer from that. You can select yoru brew strength, and that really works. Even with medium blend coffee's, you get a rich, full body, strong cup of coffee when you select strong as the strength on the touch panel.

Brew over ice (lowers temp), 2 step café brewing for the special coffee blends (latte's and more). You can set the time the unit turns on in the am, and off. Change the temperature setting, and more.

This brewer is amazing. The con is it doesn't use regular k-cups, but V-cups are a better choice for picky coffee drinkers. THey are available at all major stores.

Say good bye to weak coffee and hello to coffee perfection.

Had the base model Keurig for 18 months and then it quit. Did a lot of research looking for one that would last (including other brands like Cuisenart) before selecting this one.

On the plus side:

very well made

heavy duty, long power cord

large capacity water tank

can brew several sizes up to 18 oz

can do coffee, cocoa, tea, iced tea, and cafe drinks (latte, cappuccino)

machine has smart pump that mixes pressure, air, temp according to the kind of drink you are making, where k-cup machine does everything the same way

vue cups are recyclable! K-cup are not and are filling landfills by the billion.

pump is pretty quiet

touch screen is very easy to use and works great

removable tray at base of cup to suit larger go-cups, etc

coffee tastes better to me than standard k-cup machine. Vanilla Latte is a favorite of mine it's delicious!

Negative:

vue cups are slightly more expensive (but make better drinks and can be recycled)

price of the V1255

Conclusion:

The v1255 is worth the cost, its extremely well built, full featured and works great. Makes great tasting beverages. Shop around for best price, I got mine for $229 from Office Depot if Amazon currently does not have the best price.

At that price this is no more expensive than the best k-cup machine with better technology and features.

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