Handpresso – The Best Non Electical Gadget I’ve Ever Bought
January 23, 2011
I first saw these a few years ago and have wanted one ever since, then last year I bought the Handpresso Domepod (the one that uses fresh ground coffee), but it was a disaster. It was either the coffee grinds I was using or my incompetence at making an espresso, but I just couldn’t make a decent drink. Instead of the coffee slowly flowing into the cup, it squirted through like water from a shower head and I was left with a cup of dirty looking water, so I returned it.
Last week I bought the Handpresso Wild, this one takes 44mm ESE coffee pods and the results have been MUCH better.
It’s so simple to use, you can make an espresso anywhere, at home, at work, on a picnic or up a mountain if you so desire. For anyone that hasn’t seen one of these before or know how they work it basically consists of three section, the pump, the water reservoir and the portafilter.
- Firstly you pump the handle (which works like a bicycle pump) until the pressure reaches 16 bar.
- Warm the water reservoir using boiling water for a few seconds. Throw that away and refill with fresh boiling water.
- Place 1 ESE coffee pod above the reservoir and screw on the Portafilter.
- Place the portafilter over your cup and press the button. Water is forced at pressure through the coffee pod and into your cup, leaving you with 1 shot of freshly made espresso.
Espresso/coffee connoisseurs will probably hate it because the water temp and pressure are incorrect and not consistent. But for anyone else that just wants the ability to make a nice tasting hot espresso or espresso based drink ANYWHERE then I don’t think you will find a better alternative to this.
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4 Comments
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Perfect facts! I have been previously hunting for something such as this for a long time now. Thanks for your insight!
I have Handpresso Domepod that uses ground coffee and the results I get are amazing. Like any machine however it depends on the coffee and grind being used and it took a litle experience to get things right. I set my grinder to fine, use fresh coffee and the results are stunning. I also find that tamp pressure has a lot o influence on the outcome. I bought a little tamper made for Handpresso and find this to be a great aid. Ive also used the pod version of Handpresso with fantastic results so I guess it depends on how fussy you are whether grind or pod version is best. Like you I love new ‘gadgets’ that are simple and useful, being a lover of coffee, my Handpresso is my own personal machine I take everywhere!!……
Hi John thanks for your reply. Like I said in the post, my bad experience with the Domepod model was probably all down to me and the grind I was using. I did ask on twitter at the time and several people said that they were happy with theirs. I was mainly wanting to use it at work so I decided the extra hassle of using fresh grinds wasn’t worth it, the trouble was nobody at that time had the Handpresso Wild available for next day delivery, and I forgot all about it until now. I’m SO glad that I’ve finally got one again, not having to drink instant any more at work is heavenly :-)