Another potential advantage, even for those not necessarily traveling:

It takes my Achille a good 15-20 minutes to get up to temp where it performs beautifully. I can do extra flushes and such to cheat a shot out prior, but my kettle has enough water for a couple of doubles boiling in well under 5 minutes. So, if you're not one to have your equipment up and running all day, want to have a shot during a work break or (gasp) only enjoy espresso every few days... then there's quite a bit less time needed to get to that first shot with the Twist, even with the "fiddling". Cleanup is far easier on the Twist too, at least compared to my gear (well, the Handpresso and Aeropress are easier to clean, but don't really produce espresso IMO).

The drawback with the pressurized cartridges is you can't fly with them, not even in the baggage. This is a ground travel machine only.

JonR10 wrote:In a hotel room, all you need is a sink and a kettle (or other device to boil water).

... and a grinder.

Mark

Thank you.
And while I'm getting beaten up due to my take on the Twist, JON...
I don't have to try skiing through a revolving door to know I don't want/need to do so.
Based upon Abe and Dan's later takes on the Twist (not trying to put words in their mouths), the tweaks they utilized seemed a bit over and above the manufacturer's "simple" instructions, making it more bother than I would normally choose. YMMV.

That said, I can certainly see the use. If I had an office away from my home, a small kettle, hand grinder and Twist would seem to be a pretty nice combo.

IMAWriter wrote:Based upon Abe and Dan's later takes on the Twist (not trying to put words in their mouths), the tweaks they utilized seemed a bit over and above the manufacturer's "simple" instructions...

We experimented with some preheating techniques, thinking it might improve the results. In the end, I find no fault with the manufacturer's instructions or Jon's posted instructions. For temperature-sensitive coffees, it is likely worth doing the preheat fill-dump routine twice, however, I haven't done enough "cold start" tests to say with certainty.

Whether these steps are burdensome or not is a matter for each person to judge. With a little practice, I'm fairly certain I could streamline the steps for "cold start to espresso poured" time to around 5 minutes (*); most of that time would be waiting for the water to boil and preheating the TWIST. Even a sloth-barista could finish in under 10 minutes, which is faster than the majority of espresso machines I've used (e.g., the La Pavoni Europiccola and Elektra Microcasa a Leva are fast cold starters at ~7 and ~12 minutes respectively).

UPDATE: My actual time was 6 minutes 8 seconds as reported in Let's do the mypressi TWIST.

Yes, Dan, I suppose the 10 minute (or perhaps less) readiness of the Twist is a nice feature, especially for those who do not leave their machines on full time. (mainly lever dudes and dudettes)

However, as you well know, most machines, even some lever operated machines can stay on all day/all night.

The following is also a bit off topic, for which I apologize, and promise to leave this thread in peace.

I guess it must be the "romance' of the traditional espresso machine and the ageless ritual entailed that has me a bit ornery.
I'll further admit, that even if the coffee from the Twist were equal to my Cremina or other equally fine machine (as you have mentioned), I'd most likely still continue pullin' and prayin', as I have for 10+ years now.

However, as my great friend Jon, intimated, "different strokes."

BTW, Abe and Dan, you did a fine job with this review, just saying.

IMAWriter wrote:However, as my great friend Jon, intimated, "different strokes."

Yes, but there's something I can't figure out...
Can you please help me understand how to make espresso by skiing through a revolving door?


It's all well and good if you don't want to try the new toy because you don't want to stray from the old-world charm of your lever machine, that's your prerogative. But it's no reason to diss a product you've never used or tasted (and BTW - it can make surprisingly good espresso).


We have an electric kettle in the kitchen area at work that I could use with the Twist (I hope to pair it with the Baratza Vario grinder rather than grinding by hand). I think I can pull a couple of shots and be all cleaned up inside of a 10 minute break at work with that setup.

There's no way I could do that with a lever machine

Jon, I'm not dissing the product, just the reasoning behind using it OVER (IMO) more convenient HOME methods of making espresso.

I have NOT ONCE intimated that the QUALITY of espresso isn't as stated by our resident experts Abe and Dan. I AM curious as to what a rank and file, less experienced espresso amateur will produce.

Jon, you know me to be the LAST person to diss a product with which I have no experience.
Again, it's only an opinion, but I'm just stating that for all it's UNIQUENESS of the espresso delivery system, portability and such, lets not lose focus that it IS the uniqueness that has many here urinating in their britches. New gear has that effect on all of us, myself included. I was quick to jump on the Vario train, as many have.

That said, I hope the Twist works great for all that feel the need for another espresso tool.

BTW, it's kinda different joining the ranks of other resident curmudgeons around here, some of us armed NOT with facts, but biases!

IMAWriter wrote:I AM curious as to what a rank and file, less experienced espresso amateur will produce.

I covered this earlier, but excerpt my summary below for reference:

HB wrote:I noted from day one that it was very easy to dial in. Given a reasonably even distribution of the coffee grounds in the basket, dose in the range of 15 to 18 grams, level tamp, and a grind setting comparable with pump-driven espresso machines, the pours proceed smoothly and evenly.

Plainly stated, the TWIST is easier to dial in than most equipment less experienced espresso amateurs have before them, though it would take more testing with a wider audience to quantify a "morning after" score like in the Buyer's Guides. My hope is that future designs consider the smarter ideas from the TWIST and integrate them into a standalone unit. Its high forgiveness factor, tolerant brew profile, and idiot-proof cleaning are worth emulating.

IMAWriter wrote:Jon, I'm not dissing the product, just the reasoning behind using it OVER (IMO) more convenient HOME methods of making espresso.

Maybe "diss" was the wrong word. It does seem to me like you are indicating that you believe it is fidgety or difficult to use, when I would argue the opposite (i.e. less fidgety than your typical lever machine).


Only time will tell, but my initial impressions are very positive