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Permalink Reply by emily jackson on December 26, 2009 at 2:39pm

we tried it a few weeks ago, in the training lab. i do have to say that it pulled a pretty good shot. it didnt taste like it should have. i think that this is a heat issue.i think that if you were to use coffee that was roasted a little darker than i used, that you would be satisfied with it's performance. even with preheating the water chamber before putting in the water you use for extraction and preheating the portafilter basket, you still lose a few degrees that can be monumental in affecting the flavor of your spro.
we started brainstorming for ideas on how to keep the chamber hot after preheating. ideas such as lining the inside of the chamber with copper coil or using some kind of heat conducive element to help insulate it, would aid in getting proper extraction.
i would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars for an at home espresso machine. it's pretty user-friendly, it gives a pretty good shot, it's easy to clean and maintain. you could totally mod it out yourself too. there is room to "play".

now can someone please make a handheld grinder worth a damn???

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Permalink Reply by Billy Kangas on December 26, 2009 at 3:27pm

My friend Scot swears by his Zassenhaus... but I haven't tried it

emily jackson said:

now can someone please make a handheld grinder worth a damn???

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on December 26, 2009 at 4:13pm

Emily,
Germans did make the grinder you describe many years ago. A hand held portable, grinds from Turkish to course. Zassenhaus Turkish model. Available on eBay on occasion. I paid 80.00 for mine. Any thing of this quality or size would pale in comparison. As far as I know there is nothing on the market today to compare this grinder to. As always, I'm open to suggestions.
Joe
--
Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.

emily jackson said:

we tried it a few weeks ago, in the training lab. i do have to say that it pulled a pretty good shot. it didnt taste like it should have. i think that this is a heat issue.i think that if you were to use coffee that was roasted a little darker than i used, that you would be satisfied with it's performance. even with preheating the water chamber before putting in the water you use for extraction and preheating the portafilter basket, you still lose a few degrees that can be monumental in affecting the flavor of your spro.
we started brainstorming for ideas on how to keep the chamber hot after preheating. ideas such as lining the inside of the chamber with copper coil or using some kind of heat conducive element to help insulate it, would aid in getting proper extraction. i would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars for an at home espresso machine. it's pretty user-friendly, it gives a pretty good shot, it's easy to clean and maintain. you could totally mod it out yourself too. there is room to "play".
now can someone please make a handheld grinder worth a damn???

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Permalink Reply by Shadow on December 26, 2009 at 7:54pm

There are great hand grinders to be had..... just none of the brand new ones based on what I've been reading. Awhile back I stumbled onto a great refurbished KyM Turkish style mill Orphan Espresso had for sale. It was made back in the 1950's and the build quality is exceptional with a very nice set of tool steel conical burrs, housed in a steel cage which is captured in a copper tube, not the typical brass type. I use it daily with my Olympia Cremina and get superb results from the pair.

Have not read too many positives regarding the new ceramic burr hand mills as well as the newer Zass units and similar brands. Just don't have the build quality and function of the much older designs. Later!

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on December 26, 2009 at 8:56pm

That's what I found with the new units. Doesn't seem like there is much craft left in this day in age when it comes to hand grinders. Not enough demand I guess.
Joe

Shadow said:

There are great hand grinders to be had..... just none of the brand new ones based on what I've been reading. Awhile back I stumbled onto a great refurbished KyM Turkish style mill Orphan Espresso had for sale. It was made back in the 1950's and the build quality is exceptional with a very nice set of tool steel conical burrs, housed in a steel cage which is captured in a copper tube, not the typical brass type. I use it daily with my Olympia Cremina and get superb results from the pair.

Have not read too many positives regarding the new ceramic burr hand mills as well as the newer Zass units and similar brands. Just don't have the build quality and function of the much older designs. Later!

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Permalink Reply by Matt Swenson on December 27, 2009 at 12:36am

emily jackson said:

we tried it a few weeks ago, in the training lab. i do have to say that it pulled a pretty good shot. it didnt taste like it should have. i think that this is a heat issue.i think that if you were to use coffee that was roasted a little darker than i used, that you would be satisfied with it's performance. even with preheating the water chamber before putting in the water you use for extraction and preheating the portafilter basket, you still lose a few degrees that can be monumental in affecting the flavor of your spro.
we started brainstorming for ideas on how to keep the chamber hot after preheating. ideas such as lining the inside of the chamber with copper coil or using some kind of heat conducive element to help insulate it, would aid in getting proper extraction. i would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars for an at home espresso machine. it's pretty user-friendly, it gives a pretty good shot, it's easy to clean and maintain. you could totally mod it out yourself too. there is room to "play".

I had the same experience with a prototype i tested several years ago. It wasn't a mypressi, but one very similar, using cartridges. Without giving it much thought or scientific divulgence, I accredited it to the cartridge only because...when you let off compressed air, propane, or many other things similar, the housing chamber usually becomes ice cold (which i would assume makes the air significantly colder). I tested the pre/post temperature with a digital thermometer and if i remember correctly there was about a 20 degree difference (with a preheated chamber). In the application of espresso extraction, this "bright shot" could be attributed to under extraction, creating a more acidic shot.

**I wasn't using a MyPresso, but a prototype with a very similar concept**

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Permalink Reply by Billy Kangas on December 27, 2009 at 5:19am

I know that you are supposed to use boiling water with the TWIST... 212 gives the water some room for cool down. This also means the TWIST will work better in low altitude enviroments since the boiling point is lower in low alt enviroments... (Sorry Denver)


Matt Swenson said:

I tested the pre/post temperature with a digital thermometer and if i remember correctly there was about a 20 degree difference (with a preheated chamber). In the application of espresso extraction, this "bright shot" could be attributed to under extraction, creating a more acidic shot.

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Permalink Reply by Billy Kangas on December 28, 2009 at 11:58am

Anyone else have hands on experience with this thing?

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