The ultimate off-grid coffee maker is fiddly to operate, but delivers excellent results. Like many things in life, it is best enjoyed alone.
What Is It?
Hand pump espresso maker. You pump it by hand, it makes espresso.
Why Is It?
Coz, coffee. On the road, off the grid, up a mountain, on a boat.
How Much Is It?
99 Euros, my good man.
The Taste Test
With our end goal being taste, let’s work back from there; the Handpresso makes truly excellent coffee. This little weighty (480g) hand-held gadget makes legit, better-than-kitchen-worktop espresso machine espresso. I became indoctrinated in Handpresso on a trimaran sailboat, cruising down the North Sea coast of Holland this autumn. The coffee I produced with it at sea was every bit as good as that which we drunk at the very finest cafés in The Hague when stormbound. And they were pretty fucking good.
A Word on Pressure
Pressure, like coffee itself, is vital to our very existence. But just the right amount is crucial. Different folk have differing views on pressure, and react to it differently. When Mercury and Bowie laid down their separate vocals for Under Pressure in Montreux, it is alleged that The Thin White Duke cheated by listening in on Freddie’s. Hmmm.
“Pressure… is vital to our very existence”
“There’s no such thing as pressure,” legendary photographer Ted Grambeau once told me, referring to mental aspect of elite sporting performance, “mentally at least.” Hmmmmmm.
“You need at least 16 bar of pressure to make espresso” said Captain Peter of the aforementioned sailing vessel, whilst explaining the functioning of the Handpresso. Turns out Peter has PhDs in both maths and physics, so we’ll assume his testimony is reliable.
