There’s a small but growing breed of handheld espresso machines, of which the Twist is the latest. They all have a similar concept — using pressure to pump pre-heated water through the grounds. The pre-heated water is key, as the lack of a boiler is what makes these gadgets so small.
When you first look at the Twist, and read its name, you will probably make the same assumtion I did — that you somehow twist it to wring the coffee out. Instead, it works much like the Handpresso we’ve seen before, only instead of using a hand-pump to build up the bars, there is a standard gas canister like you’d use in a soda siphon.
If the photos are anything to go by, this works extremely well — the crema on the espresso is thick (although a little dark, which might point to too fine a ground). Because the pressure comes from a known source, the psi remains constant over the shot (135 psi or 9 bar).
These handheld machines are certainly interesting. They make a better cup than the standard stovetop mocha, but are also a pain to use and make just one cup at a time. The biggest failing, though, is the external water source. By the time you have poured it into the cold device, enough degrees have been knocked from the liquid to render the coffee anything but hot. If it were somehow possible to have a chamber for cold water, so you could place the whole handle on the heat to both boil the water and heat the device, these things might finally be both good and convenient enough to use. $130, pre-order.
Product page [MyPressi via Uncrate]
See Also:
- Handpresso Wild: Portable Espresso Maker
- Presso: Manual Drive Espresso Maker
- Review: Delonghi Magnifica Is a Magnanimous Mud Maker
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