sweaner wrote:I believe you can use either gas.

Correct. Either gas is fine. For some reason CO2 (excuse my lack of subscript) escaped onto the blogs, but we prefer the nitrous oxide whipped cream chargers. However, if you were using CO2 you would find that it does not easily absorb into a hot liquid such as the water in the TWIST's chamber. It can be absorbed into colder water (such as oceans, unfortunately) much more easily. The gas also doesn't bubble through the water on entry, so actual time for contact is very limited.

By the way, we were able to give Gourmet, Wine Spectator, the New York Times and Good Housekeeping the chance to use the TWIST and, more importantly, taste test the results. We were using fresh ground Heartbreaker from Cafe Grumpy. This isn't a shameless self-promotion, but I did want to share some independent thoughts on the results. You can read them here http://bit.ly/4jM0D and here http://bit.ly/u8DQW. I know some of you also had the opportunity to taste test at the show. We made about 1,000 shots at the show, and because we were running like an assembly line I will certainly admit that not all of them were great. But if you put this in the hands of an experienced barista, a good grinder and a good roast (my current favorite is Barefoot Coffee's 'The Boss'), you will get one delicious shot after another. I kid you not. The device might be small, but it produces a fabulous result.

If I may go into some of the technical reasons, the primary benefit of the TWIST's pneumatic control system and the use of pressurized cartridges is that it provides a consistent high pressure throughout the entire shot. Consistent high pressure is just one of the vital components required for an incredible espresso extraction, but you don't get espresso without it.

The pressure also has a gradual ramp-up that permits a typical 5 second delay and brief pre-infusion before it starts to pour. You can provide a longer pre-infusion with a quick squeeze of the trigger before starting the main extraction.

The taste is very clean compared to many espresso machines. (The TWIST also stays clean itself, which probably helps.) Even over extractions tend to taste strong rather than bitter, providing a more forgiving experience.

We also worked hard to ensure the water stays at as high a temperature as possible. The mass of metal in the water chamber serves as an excellent temperature regulator. You can pre-heat the chamber for a higher temperature shot, but the need for this will be dictated by the roast you are using and personal preference. Our experience has been that it works best simply filled with freely boiling water such as from a kettle.

So, if you've read this far, thank you. I'll end by saying we're looking forward to sending out the production samples so many more of you can test it for yourself. We're working hard to do that just as quick as we can.

Thanks again,
Stephen

mypressi wrote:I'll end by saying we're looking forward to sending out the production samples so many more of you can test it for yourself. We're working hard to do that just as quick as we can.

So Stephen, we will all be getting one to test then?

Just got this in the mail from Amazon.

I went to the Intelligentsia across from Millenium Park in Chicago, got a pound of Black Cat beans.

My usual espresso machine is an old(er) (but very nice) Isomac Amica. I installed a PID a couple years ago. I'm able to pull great shots with the Amica and Black Cat (ground with a Mazzer Mini). I don't use the Amica as much as I used to because I sorta tired of the mess and the labor involved -- but I dearly miss the espresso.

Anyway, long story short: the Mypressi Twist amazing device.

Is it as good as my PID'd Amica? No.

But it's every bit as good as I remember the Amica was *before* the PID -- if not 1000 times better because of the ease of use, ease of clean-up, and downright coolness factor. You've essentially got a portafilter with a trigger. It's awesome.

I'm using a Zojirushi hotpot to keep my water at 205F, so I suspect I'll be able to bump up the quality once I tinker a bit with the water temp and mess around with the grind on the Mazzer. Plus, I'll pick up roasting again in my Beamor this winter, so I'm hoping to be able to test it out with a variety of beans.

What's great about this thing is that within five minutes -- literally -- of pulling the package off my porch this evening, I was pulling a shot. No kidding. Yeah, I shoulda read the instruction book -- but the thing is nicely intuitive. You immediately "get" it -- and immediately see how all the parts click together. Everything has a great weight to it -- and I'm still astounded at how easy it to pull quick, consecutive shots. I pulled three in a row. First shot I didn't tamp tight enough -- but by shot #3 I was getting the tiger striping and the crema.

I wish this thing came around before I plunked all the cash in the Rancilio --> Amica --> Amica PID cycle. (And the hours and hours and hours spent reading the CoffeeGeek forums).

I'm really pleased by this. I still get my espresso fix at Intelligentsia during my lunch hour -- but this will do when I'm at home.

And cleaning this thing is great. Everything clicks apart, you wash it out, let it dry. No backflushing. No scale. It's fantastic.

Really, really impressed!

(And no -- I didn't get it free, don't know anyone at Mypressi, etc. etc. I paid full price at Amazon -- $149, I think -- and had it on order for three months.)

Bravo!

(BTW -- don't let the first post freak you out. I've been a long time lurker.)

bobbytuck wrote:(BTW -- don't let the first post freak you out. I've been a long time lurker.)

Welcome out of the shadows! I posted my story in Lurkers years ago. Back to the OP, Abe has posted the introduction to the Mypressi TWIST - Second Look review. Once the introductory posts are complete, it will be open to public comments/questions.

Wow, that shot looks very nice, with a naked portafilter to boot!

I'm happy to see that the bottomless portafilter feature is included.

Has anyone measured the basket diameter? I can't bear the thought of using the plastic tamper -- not even once. I would like to preorder tampers for the Twists which should arrive soon.

Stay tuned for the Mypressi Twist vs. Synesso shootout.

MIke

Stay tuned for the Mypressi Twist vs. Synesso shootout.

While traveling cross-country on a softail, of course.

Has anyone measured the basket diameter? I can't bear the thought of using the plastic tamper -- not even once. I would like to preorder tampers for the Twists which should arrive soon.

I just checked my manual and it doesn't list the baskets' dimensions, but at the link below it says the tamper is 53mm. Truth be told, for being a plastic tamper it works very very well. Fits the basket perfectly, at least the double/triple non-pressurized basket... I've yet to try the pressurized/coarse one. Maybe someday when I let my older toddler play barista we will.

http://shop.mypressi.com/Detail.bok?no=1

My two very first pulls gave out a couple of spritzes around mid-shot, but a bit of WDT and concentrating more on what I was doing with the new tamper fixed that. Although I promptly moved up to 16-17g doses as well, so there might be more going on. Oh, zero channeling too. Again, I feel it's not bad for being plastic.

On a side note, does anyone else who's used one feel these are severely under-priced? Considering how well the device works, and its ground-breaking design I honestly could see this belonging up in the high $200 to low $300s. No, it's not infatuation speaking... I mean, if their numbers make sense for business now- I feel that at the higher price range they might have been able to ensure they knock everyone's socks off by 1) Upgrading the casting/fit and finish/feel from "decidedly functional Gaggia" to "heirloom quality Olympia" and 2) Moving production to the USA. (Or would that last one push it up to the $500s???)
Still, even with these things as they are, it really seems like quite a bargain (at day three of ownership). I guess I just want it to be an astounding success in every regard... but I'm no marketing guru. Or maybe I'm thinking about a better device just for the device's sake and "joie de ownership" versus what's the best way to make quality espresso available to as many people as possible (wherever they might go).

jester747 wrote:Moving production to the USA. (Or would that last one push it up to the $500s???)

If you want quality, you need to invest in QC en quality procedures. Moving production to another country will do little when you don't have those. And if you still insist, let's just put it like this; Only Americans think 'made in the USA' stands for quality.

If you want quality, you need to invest in QC en quality procedures. Moving production to another country will do little when you don't have those. And if you still insist, let's just put it like this; Only Americans think 'made in the USA' stands for quality.

Oh, wow... is that really how my post read??? If so, I apologize, but what I think I suggested, and re-reading it... insist I did, was just that a higher price might allow for one (both??) of the following:
1)Producing an even higher grade item. (No mention of country here; very few factory-built items have their quality tied to geography per se).
2)Allow for manufacture in the USA... for same quality achieved elsewhere, hopefully.

I only mention point number two for the sake of our many unemployed and on principle due to our dire trade deficit, nothing else. If I really wanted to follow stereotypes I would have suggested Switzerland or Germany.

So, to be clear, I'm sure that most on this board are aware that brands with perfectly acceptable, if not highly perceived, quality levels such as Dell, Sony and Apple successfully build in China... I even remember reading of a Japanese report finding that the defect rate of US-made products that the Japanese imported was almost three times as high as similar products they imported from China.

My opinion was just that a niche item as I perceived the MyPressi to be would not see sales volume affected by a higher price point, but this is only true if the product itself is the goal... and saying this I found out that all of this is moot anyway... first, because I doubt anyone cares about my opinion. And second, because as I allowed for at the end of my previous post, it turns out that the goal of the company is indeed to bring quality espresso to the masses, not to build a museum piece. Their goal is to break open the niche! This being the case, they are absolutely on track.

From their "About Us" page:
At Espressi, Inc. we live espresso. Our company is continually energized by our mission to bring true coffee quality and unprecedented convenience to espresso lovers everywhere. We believe that truly great espresso should be an affordable luxury easily shared between friends and accessible to all.

Good job MyPressi! (Though I still can't believe how low the price is for what you get.)

Some updates to my original post:

The most vexing -- and probably complex thing about the Mypressi -- is the temperature control. After a few days of experimenting with Black Cat, I've managed to get what appears to be an acceptable grind (from my MM) and a decent tamp. I'm using the plastic tamper that came with the unit. Yeah, I know. But it's not bad. It works.

Anyway, my experience continues to be that the temperature control is crazy variable. I've got a thermapen that I use for my homebrewing, and I'm seeing that the 208F coming out of my Zojirushi is around 203. It's been a while since I fired up the Amica (I've moved from espresso to brewing beer -- one obsession at a time) -- but I'm recalling that this was about the ballpark for the espresso in my Amica w/PID.

But here it's too cold. Tonight I plan to dig out the electric hotpot and experiment with water just off the boil. But while the shot coming out of the mypressi is tasty for home espresso -- it's not quite there yet. I think the metal in the mypressi chamber (even after preheating) is cooling down the water before it's able to get gassed out via the NO2 (or maybe the NO2 is impacting the temp).

It may be that the Mypressi needs a pairing with espresso beans able to handle the lower temps. I'm only using 3+ day old Black Cat -- so that's another variable to investigate.

Another minor complaint: the mechanism on the end of the handle for the gas cannisters is *very* hard to attach with wet hands. Sorta annoying -- but it'd be nice have a more ruggedly rubberized grip-tip.