Has anyone seen this device? It looks like a Handpresso on steroids.



http://www.mypressi.com/

That looks cool. Since I can't see where the pressure is coming from, and I hear a hiss at the end of the extraction I suspect a little CO₂ cartridge. I will have to look into this.

This little device was my favorite thing at the SCAA Expo!!

It's a portafilter that has room for a Carbon Dioxide or Nitrous Oxide cartridge (like you use in soda syphons or whipped cream makers) in the handle, along with a pressure regulator.

A little insulated snorkel conducts the pressurized gas to the top of the dome, above the dispersion screen/coffee. It produces 9 bars per pull of the trigger, you get 4 pulls per cartridge. As you can see in the video, you put in the water, so theoretically you could control the temperature of the water with some accuracy (I reckon you'd have to account for temperature loss by the cast aluminum dome and the cold gas coming in the snorkel)

The espresso is quite good, better than most home machines I have ever tried. I can't wait to try it out with my own coffee and temp-controlled water. The portafilter diameter is small, (53mm I think) but I can deal with that.

I like it.

Peter

Do you know how much it will cost?

I agree with PeterG on this, as it was the coolest thing at the show. They were grinding with what looked like a Robur, and the pulls looked very good. The only down side was when I asked what to use for grinding when you want to be portable, they said "grind it at home at take it with you". Not a chance...

Jepy wrote:I agree with PeterG on this, as it was the coolest thing at the show. They were grinding with what looked like a Robur, and the pulls looked very good. The only down side was when I asked what to use for grinding when you want to be portable, they said "grind it at home at take it with you". Not a chance...

I ran into Chris Nachtrieb at the show, and he thought it sort of cool also.
Enjoyed speaking with him i person, for a change.
The device seems like a natural fit for a hand grinder, while on the road.

sweaner wrote:Do you know how much it will cost?

I checked the web site. $129 (although there is a box to type in a discount code).

IMAWriter wrote:I ran into Chris Nachtrieb at the show, and he thought it sort of cool also.
Enjoyed speaking with him i person, for a change.
The device seems like a natural fit for a hand grinder, while on the road.

Geez, Chris was there, too? Damn, I missed speaking to just about everyone. I'm so lost in this world...

I have some pics of this thing, and it was really cool... Not the coolest thing I saw, but it ranked up there.

ddr wrote:That looks cool. Since I can't see where the pressure is coming from, and I hear a hiss at the end of the extraction I suspect a little CO(darn, I don't know the ALT code for subscript)2 cartridge. I will have to look into this.

Select the Small 2 for CO2 or Tiny font2 for CO2
[The Font drop down is the box after URL in the post edit window ]

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

I agree with Alan and, for the life of me now, I can't figure out why folks haven't been using gas pressure to brew espresso all along.

I had a discussion with the Espressi guy about what a "pro" model would look like; full sized basket, active temperature maintenance in the water chamber, run from a large gas tank or compressed air source. As a coffee businessperson, my mind jumps to the commercial potential of such a device: tableside espresso? removing the "giant machine barrier" between the barista and consumer? the mind reels.

Peter G

This looks like a potentially good product, and certainly the first ultracompact hand espresso device that seems to have the potential to produce true, and even good espresso.

I hope that they will have removable/replacable PF spouts.

Let me be the first to suggest here that the device will be even more portable with a bottomless portafilter!

I was thinking about getting a lever machine for my other office and camping, but this just may do.

-Mike

This is an interesting and probably great product. The inventor of the TWIST has resolved a LOT of problems that are not readily apparent like going from 820PSI down to 135. Think of the ~700Lb. pressure on the plastic locking lugs of the dome. Yes, he has done a lot of homework! Just getting through the design iterations and testing had to have been a long and expensive process.
I hope the product makes it in the market place
-Richard!
PS. Cartridges at:
Nitrous oxide
CO2

Hook one up to a computer controlled air pump for pressure profiling...

mivanitsky wrote:This looks like a potentially good product, and certainly the first ultracompact hand espresso device that seems to have the potential to produce true, and even good espresso.

I hope that they will have removable/replacable PF spouts.

Let me be the first to suggest here that the device will be even more portable with a bottomless portafilter!

I was thinking about getting a lever machine for my other office and camping, but this just may do.

-Mike

I'd be afraid of a bottomless, if only for the exposed skin whilst using the "Twist."
As a non engineer, I'd feel safer with the spout(s) as a "pressure relief."
Personally, I like the way things ARE, if only for the pleasure I get just taking a little time away from work fro the "process."
As a traveling device, Yessir! As a replacement for my Cremina/whatever machine, not for me.
This would apply, even if it made the best espresso on earth. Well....
However, Hats way off to the gentleman for this way cool way of bringing excellent espresso to those without the space/bucks etc to have a full blown setup.
You'd hope the grinder first mantra would still hold. I can only imagine this thing without the benefit of a good grind. Was it not a Mazzer of some sort in his booth. I wish I could have tasted some 'spro from the Twist.

Final thing...
Interesting that the best new product was not the Twist, but a device that apparently analyzes bean color post roast. Sort of like closing the barn door, AFTER the horse has escaped.
(I know I'm about to get excoriated by someone for the above pronouncement.)


Dan, if I have crossed over to the dark side, please remove this post.

Very Cool - Scott, thanks for posting, most interesting thing I have seen all day. The grinder problem is vexing, but someone here will figure out an alternative. Funny thing, I am planning a vacation in June, and just the other day it crossed my mind that I was going to be drinking hotel coffee for over a week...maybe not?

One thought - can't board a plane with CO2 (not bothering with subscript) cartridges, so you will have to find them as you go. Not too hard, but adds a touch of inconvenience.

Maybe someone should make contact about a pre-order group buy. Any volunteers?

Hey all, thank you for your very kind comments about the TWIST.

I've put a few photos online here and will post more and videos as soon as I get the chance.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mypressi/PourSequence?feat=directlink

Meanwhile, happy to answer any questions you have.

Couple of things: the spouts are removable. It makes for an awesome naked shot. Also the production versions have better temp control in the dome. The problems regarding pressure during development were substantial. I can't go into details, but the TWIST uses a new type of regulator invented by our incredible engineering team. We actually also have one hooked up to a computer controlled pump right now going through a 5,000 cycle test with the results flowing into a data acquisition system.

The pressure is a very precise 135 psi at the start but it can actually go up during the shot, depending on a number of factors. (This may be a new one for espresso machines. It does mean there are fewer wasted shots from an over-tamped basket or too fine a grind, if you don't mind an over-extraction.)

But really, the cool thing about the TWIST is that it delivers whatever you put into it. We were testing a fantastic Barefoot roast yesterday and it was awesome. One great shot after another.

Anyway, if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

BTW: I'll be in Manhattan at Cafe Grumpy this coming Tuesday (224 W 20th) at 2.30pm. If you want to see the TWIST in action, please stop by.

--Stephen

Stephen, when do you anticipate it being available?

Hmmmm. I've gotta ask, "How many shots do you get out of a CO2 cartridge at $11 a pop (no pun intended)? And then what do you do with all the cartridges that you amass during a 3 week trip to a remote destination? Do they become landfill and another part of the problem or are they recyclable?