sweaner wrote:Has anyone seen this device? It looks like a Handpresso on steroids.
Found it second hour of first day (Friday) and they were severely underdosing the 53mm baskets. Note the way the pours converge inward due to surface tension. After some discussion watched while they dosed correctly (young lady filling the baskets was definitely not a barista) and got an excellent pour, slightly underextracted due to temperature issues but reasonable colour, tiger striping, good viscosity and excellent taste. Better than the espresso I got from "The Slayer", FWIW.
It's the CONCEPT that excites me, though. Enclosed, fixed dose water chamber. Potential for temperature control within the chamber. Potential to control/adjust brew pressure. You could hook it up to an air compressor rather than gas cartridges. The domed water chamber reminds me of a cylinder head, imagine a DOHC espresso machine with water injection on one stroke and gas injection on the next, multiple groups etc. etc. Be the first to buy the all new V-12 alloy head LM! Unfortunately they wouldn't let me take a photo of the complex valve system that regulates the pressure, but I'm sure pictures will pop up soon.
I don't know how many people remember the ill-fated Versalab espresso machine, but this could be the start of a whole new machine paradigm. Gas groups, anyone?
Alan