Handpresso gets unboxed: how did we ever get by without?

Actually, that headline is a bit misleading, since we'd never actually subscribe to a method of coffee production that required any sort of effort before the coffee is actually in our body -- clearly defeating the purpose -- but this Handpresso thing is still quite the little gizmo in its own right. It works pretty much exactly like you'd expect: pump the handle to the right pressure level, add an espresso pod and hot water, flip the switch and blammo, you've got a few waking hours in a cup. Apparently the box is all fancy too, which is always nice.

[Esat @ Jan 21st 2008 11:43AM]

How did you ever get by without it?


Observe:





Thats how you got by without it.

[Reginald @ Jan 21st 2008 12:02PM]

Meh. Redbull is easier. It just has a simple pop tab.

[a ham sandwich @ Jan 21st 2008 12:05PM]

meh, yeah but its gross.

[silverblackvoid @ Jan 21st 2008 12:53PM]

nothing beats a good cup of coffee. energy drinks are just fancy shite.

[Cal @ Jan 21st 2008 12:07PM]

Pods are bad...

[Andrew @ Jan 21st 2008 4:08PM]

Uh, why? They're just coffee and filter paper. Not bad for the environment, and save you TONS of time on mess cleanup.

[Cal @ Jan 21st 2008 5:32PM]

Proprietary pods with bad quality 'coffee' inside are bad...

Happy?

[Simon Skoog @ Jan 21st 2008 12:12PM]

Al you need is a nice
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417USxY5gYL.jpg

[Superprime @ Jan 21st 2008 12:16PM]

Amen to that

[Maurizio @ Jan 21st 2008 1:42PM]

That is truly all you need!

[Russ @ Jan 21st 2008 5:16PM]

over the holidays i bought a 'proper' espresso maker: http://www.sunbeam.com.au/products/product_details.cfm?rec_id=495&sec_id=2
makes good coffee, but more hassle than the stove-top.

[eric @ Jan 21st 2008 12:18PM]

Pneumatic safety 101, don't mess around with charged systems. This thing instructs you to pump up pressure first, then pour in boiling water. Now you accidentally hit the "release" button and bam, face full of scalding water. Especially dangerous in the pre-caffinated state.

[Sam @ Jan 21st 2008 12:34PM]

as mentioned above, Pods are BAD - you really want the AeroPress, granted it does need filters but that can be replaced with a nice reusable gold one :-)

[aj_robins @ Jan 21st 2008 12:37PM]

Looks interesting, but it appears to use proprietary expresso pods (likely expensive, and of unknown quality). Hardcore expresso lovers are going to want to use their own, and those are the people probably most likely to buy this unit.

I don't see this product lasting more than a few months. This is something that really should have been released for the Christmas season, as I think that it's one of those marginally-useful gifts that friends give to one another. I imagine that sales would have been decent then; now, they're probably, "meh".

[Anthony @ Jan 21st 2008 12:45PM]

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/01/make_your_own_coffee_pods.html

[KR @ Jan 21st 2008 12:57PM]

Hardcore espresso lovers will also probably spell it right...

[swag @ Jan 21st 2008 1:28PM]

LOL. "Ghetto pods". If there was ever a sign that an idea is doomed, it's when coffee production follows the world of inkjet printers.

[swag @ Jan 21st 2008 1:20PM]

Somebody's public relations staff needs a bonus this week...

[midiwall @ Jan 21st 2008 1:13PM]

peh...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/candy/9f5d/

squirt-squirt-squirt = 1 cup. much easier, quicker, cheaper and doesn't leave you with coffee breath.

[ck @ Jan 21st 2008 1:39PM]

I'll stick with my one-button espresso machine, thanks. I'm not allowed to handle boiling water first thing in the morning.

[Paul @ Jan 21st 2008 2:06PM]

this looks like it'd break real easily. also, i don't like the coffee pouches - what if i want locally roasted beans? i'll stick to my aeropress. it's better than a french press and produces espresso-strength coffee.

http://www.gizmag.com/go/5051/

[szamot @ Jan 21st 2008 2:36PM]

How can anything that comes out of a tampon like this taste good -- certainly not espresso... at least if they had a little string with that thing it could go down the kinky way but not like this. Blasphemy!

[hs-l @ Jan 21st 2008 3:07PM]

nice device, but i like the dutch design of the box a lot more!

:-)

[hs-l @ Jan 21st 2008 3:11PM]

szamot,.. maybe this looks like a senseo tampon, but this is real coffee, illy and a lot of other (real coffee) brands make and sell them.. not everybody wants to grind and dose their own roasted beans!

Even some expensive devices from quickmill just work with the servings.. nothing wrong with that, although i like it to grind and dose it myself. :) but for on the road this would be really nice!

[Rocketboy @ Jan 21st 2008 3:13PM]

PODS ARE NOT ESPRESSO!

The fact that the people who are making this cannot figure out that simple fact means that if it's not doomed to failure due to it's bike pump + boiling water combo, it still should be.

Why not try to sell a Aveo as a sports car, because they both have 4 wheels while they are at it?

(Oh, and Pod coffee is Damn good. Better than that drip crap at the very least.)

[Bad Beaver @ Jan 21st 2008 3:16PM]

The motion required to "load" this abomination matches the sad target-group of pod-coffee-consumers 100%.

[mic_dee @ Jan 21st 2008 6:07PM]

I think a lot of you are confusing proprietary coffee pods with ESE espresso pods. ESE is a standard that, as mentioned before, a lot of different makers, from Illy and Lavazza to Starbucks adhere to. There are literally dozens of roasters in Italy that sell their coffee in this form. When I was getting into making espresso at home, I started using Illy pods. They are pre dosed, pre-tamped and if you can find it, individually packaged in oxygen-free pouches. The end results on a decent machine are better than what you would get using stale beans and/or a cheap grinder, or for that matter, a stovetop moka pot.

I'm curious about this thing. The trick is, you really need very hot water. Espresso should be brewed at about 190°F, but even boiling water will loose a lot of heat in the time it takes to pour the water into the device, close it up and turn it over. The price is also insane.

[soto @ Jan 22nd 2008 7:17AM]

Hi,
It takes 10 minutes to roast your own coffee beans for a whole week!
(For beans goto www.sweetmarias.com)
It takes 2 minutes to grind the coffee and 5 minutes to make a cup of Turkish coffee. Its stronger then an espresso and when you drink it in the morning before breakfast, it feels like someone punched you in the face.
(This chepo grinder is perfect for a Turkish grind:

http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-5679-01USA-C-Mill-Blade-Grinder/dp/B00006F2LR/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1201001826&sr=8-1 )

[Rex @ Jan 22nd 2008 8:26AM]

no, i would rather stick with my tea and scones, thank you ;-)
btw funfact, a green apple makes you wake up more quickly than coffee, so STOP SPENDING YOUR COLLEGE FUND ON COFFEE!
(That shout was for my friend, who literally spent more on coffee than on food...sigh;-)

[soto @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:19AM]

Rex, your right and wrong. Your right about people using too much money on crap aka starbucks etc.
But your wrong about spending money on coffee, especially when good quality coffee is dirt cheap!
Good quality brewed coffee holds for 10-15 minutes, after that you can throw it away. Roast, grind and brew your own coffee!
For the amount of "Handpresso" you can get a year or two worth of coffee supply!

http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.greencoffee.mvc.shtml

Green beans from 4.50$ for 1 lb!