It can happen to anyone. At the office, on vacation, even camping. There you are, minding your own beeswax, and BAM. You get fidgety. Sweat beads. Your pulse gallops. You shift your weight, cross your legs, do anything you can think of to get your mind off it. Oh, jeez, can somebody see you? Can they tell? How’d it happen? But there’s no denying the Urge.
You. Need. An. Espresso. …NOW.
And with the Presso Espresso Coffee Maker, you can give in to your hankering literally wherever you can boil water.
“The main strength of Presso,” says company director and inventor Patrick Hunt, “is its simplicity. Gone are the pumps and tubes common in most home espresso machines. Also gone is an electrical plug! Presso uses hot water pre-boiled in a microwave, kettle or on a stove. The necessary pressure required for great espresso comes via the mechanical lever arms.”
Powered entirely by good ol’ fashioned elbow-grease, the Presso looks something like a winged corkscrew and works something like a French press. As with those devices, leverage is the key. First, fill the “portafilter” (it looks like an ice-cream scoop with a sieve for a bottom) with your favorite espresso brand and fit it back into the press. Next, pour pre-boiled hot water into the clear cylinder on top and raise the arms, letting infusion take place. Finally, lower the arms of the Presso; this traps the water in the chamber and forces it through the grounds, producing an instant espresso into the waiting cup below. (Contrary to popular myth—and popular execution—for the perfect espresso, it is hot water that should be pressed through the coffee grounds rather than steam, which can scald the grains.) The process is so direct and reliable that Hunt remarks, “Making a bad coffee with a Presso is really tough.”
Presso Espresso Maker
The sleek simplicity of the Presso is matched by its infinite portability. Electric pumps and heating elements are all fine and good for the commercial espresso unit at your local coffee house (you know, that boxy thing that could take down a charging bull elephant if you gave it enough heft), but the Presso was from the start designed for the home, and if need be, to be moved easily from place to place. Made with aluminum, stainless steel and FDA-approved plastics, the device comes in at an oh-so-travel-ready 2 kg (4.4 lbs). “We hear loads of stories of folks taking it camping,” enthuses Hunt.
And the Presso even allows for some versatility. “While it is designed as an espresso machine,” Hunt explains, “we also include a manual milk frother for those who like to enjoy latte or cappuccino. Some users add extra water to make a lovely Americano in one long pull. Folks can make the drink that best suits their tastes. I wanted to create a simple product that people could engage with and have fun.”
So when you feel that urge, whether it strikes you overlooking the sweeping vistas from your office window or overlooking the sweeping vistas from your perch on Half Dome, know that relief is only a press away.
This article was originally published on GoodLife Report and has been republished by Pursuitist by permission of GoodLife Report