To negotiate the best possible price for our customers, we agree to hide prices prior to logging in.
210 requests
Product Description
Make espresso at the campsite, in the park, or in the library with this simple device from Cafflano, a company known for its wide range of coffee gear. All you need to supply is some fine-ground coffee and hot water and the Kompresso will take care of the rest Read More
Ok, so this is basically an Aeropress optimized for the higher pressures required for espresso ? Sounds like the ideal piece of kit for a camping partner to carry :)
I'd say I get roughly 150 pounds downforce on my aeropress, essentially balancing all but 20 or 30 pounds of my weight on the plunger. The area of my 2 1/8 diameter circle mesh filter is ~3.5 in2.
P = F/A = (150 lb/in2)/(3.5 in2) = 43 psi = 3 bar
We'll assume negligible pressure drop across the screen filter.
For the Cafflano the area on the filter side (shower screen) is ~2 in2 so
P = (150 lb/in2)/(2 in2) = 75 psi = 5bar.
Closer. But they are pressing through holes and they weren't pressing that hard.
With the grid of holes in place of a screen filter, which there look to be ~170 of at lets say ~3/64. So the area of the hole is 0.00173 in2 times 170 holes = .2941 in2.
That squeezing action looks nowhere close to 150lbs, I'd say it's closer to ~15 lbs, so
P = F/A = (15 lb/in2)/(.2941 in2) = 51 psi = 3.5 bar
It might be possible to hit 9 bar, but you need to press at 38 lbs, which is pretty hard for just your fingertips.
EDIT: Just tried it with a scale. 30 lbs is reasonably easy to reach (and re-watching they may indeed be hitting this with only that amount of force), I don't strain to hold it constant until ~ 50. If I also pressed the scale against a surface while still squeezing it I could easily reach 38 lbs. Seems that the 9 bar may be reasonably achieved!
DarkNalelI just read a thing (http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/handgrip.htm) that talks about very poor grip strength topping out at 44 lbs. I'm not sure if this is a different measure than you're talking about, but it seems like 38 lbs would be reasonable for an adult to reach. Unless I'm reading it wrong.
I got mine off the kickstarter campaign. I find it a challenge to get reliable, repeatable results. My success rate when it comes to getting a cup I'm happy with, is like 50-50. Probably user error but when I have an Aeropress and a Hario V60 within reach, I'm honestly not that inclined to work that hard with this when I know how to get what I want with the other two. The washing up is also a bit more involved as there are more parts that need washing. If you're happy with your Aeropress, you're seriously not missing anything. Seems like a more fussy/finicky system overall. I still try it from time to time in the hopes that it 'clicks' for me, but I don't see it ever becoming a go-to.
Welcome! Just to add, there are a couple of reviewers who seem to have found success with the right grind size, so for those who are itching for a challenge with a new 'system', this might be it. I have the hario skerton and mini porlex, but haven't gotten around to working out the right grind. Again, I'll state that my experience is probably indicative of user error and laziness :p (Actually bought a nespresso recently for those mornings where I'm in a rush!)
serifVery interesting observation. I decided to give it a whirl and find out for myself. I have metal filters in the Aeropress, though I use them with paper as well. The biggest problem with Aeropress to me is that it starts leaking within a year, so I end up buying a new one once a year. Their customer support tells me that if I empty out the grinds immediately and store the parts separately, the plunger will retain its resiliency longer, but that only goes sofar, for if you allow it to dry out a bit after each run, the coffee becomes a nice hockey puck and easy to discard, versus washing off the messy grinds every time. I guess soon I will experience the difference first hand. Plus, the cafflano seems better for a travel solution.
At the end of the day, you can buy a replacement seal for the end of the plunger on your Aeropress, so at $3.50 per year, that is pretty minimal maintenance.
This product might produce good coffee, but judging by the amount of "crema" in the promotion video, this coffee isn't espresso. Get a Handpresso if you're looking for a portable device that does produce espresso. I'm using one for several years (with a Hario mini grinder) and am very happy with it, enough to take it with me every time I travel abroad.
Lack of crema is a very good indicator that the produced coffee is not espresso. Even machines that are known to produce small amount of crema (like the Elektra Microcasa a Leva, which I use at home) still produce incomparably more crema than what's in this video.
Also, why would they use old beans for a promotional video? and are there other videos that show actual crema produced from the Kompresso machine?
If you own the Kompresso and have access to a good espresso machine, here's a little challenge that does not involve crema. Try making 25ml of espresso using 7 gram of ground coffee and compare the result in terms of coffee strength. Just make sure that it takes the electric espresso machine about 25 seconds (plus minus a few seconds) to extract the coffee. I would guess the Kompresso will produce a more thin/watery coffee, but I'd be very happy to learn otherwise.
YirgI'm disagreeing with your statement that based on the amount of crema alone, this device is not making espresso, that it is only making coffee. You can use crema enhancing device like a pressurized filter to produce great crema even with stale coffee that was grind over a month ago. There is more to espresso. The description claims it does the press with over 9 bars, if that is true, it is espresso. I think where this product has it's greatest challenge is the fact it's hard to be consistent since your hand pressure is what is controlling the bar pressure as you push down. I would like to be able to try this out to see for myself how it works, I think this device is prone to user error.
I do not own this press and I'm not sold on it, I'm just not dismissing it based on a video showing lack of crema. I'm looking for a portable backpacking solution. At 7oz this is borderline on the reasonable weight to add to pack weight to enjoy a cup of espresso in the morning on a multi day backpacking trip. Something like the Handpresso doing a 50 ml shot at a weight of over a pound is not an option vs a 7oz device that does up to a 80 ml shot might meet my needs, the jury is still out.
I have this for my coffee station in the office and I can say it creates a good espresso with a decent crema. It uses a lot more pressure to press the kompresso compared to the aeropress.
Interesting. Yeah I was wondering if my L2 would be sufficient or I would need a LE. Good to know the L3 works!
I mean, I didn't buy it. But maybe next time I'll have the scratch.
It’s clear from the video that this product creates strong coffee. If it was espresso, there’d be a nice layer of crema. There is not. Crema is only possible when certain physical conditions are met (temperature and pressure). These )among others) will enable the chemical and physical reactions that produce espresso as it is defined by various specialty coffee associations. Do your homework if you want real espresso from a portable device. H-u-g-e difference between good, strong coffee and espresso. This thing produces coffee. It cannot produce espresso. Neither can a stovetop “espresso” maker (moka pot) but that’s often an emotional argument. A steam-powered system can produce, at the very most, 2 atmospheres of pressure. Espresso requires at least 9 For the chemistry to happen.
By definition, espresso is made with 9+ Bars of pressure. An aeropress puts out about .75 bars , so these products are not similar. One makes coffee, the other makes espresso.
Is this an AeroPress rip-off? Hmmm AeroPress made in USA and cheaper, less complicated, original with same output. Why would Massdrop support this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroPress
JOYCEfromNSThis is similar to the Aeropress in mechanism but not output. I haven't used the Kompresso personally but, theoretically, it should produce a richer, more concentrated coffee than an Aeropress ever could. I suppose you could attempt to modify an Aeropress to make something similar to the Kompresso but you'd probably spend as much as it's going for here just attempting that.