Espresso & Coffee Maker, Manual Espresso Tool & Machine - Portable, Maintenance Free, Retro Stylish Design, Commercial & Home Purposes - 18 gr Espresso Capacity, Non-Electric - Black

great for espresso fans, but takes time to learn and train

I've owned one of these espresso machines for several years now--bought one from the manufacturer before they were selling on Amazon! It's a great everyday machine, because as long as you get your water temperature right and weigh your beans consistently, you'll pull the same shot everyday. I have the white model, and it is also extremely easy to clean and maintain. Three or so years in, it still looks brand new! It's also a beautiful machine. Guests comment on it every time they're in my kitchen and enjoy seeing how it works. Because I bought mine years ago, I have interacted with the folks who developed it directly, and they are great to deal with. They really want this to be an espresso machine that will last you a lifetime so stand by their product. Can't say enough good things!

When using a lever machine, you require some feed back from the machine. I wouldn't mind the little feedback if there was a gauge but you cannot add a gauge and company doesn't seem to have plans to add one. I give two stars because the build quality is good but the wood is not treated and they do not include a tamper.

I, quite frankly, did not know what to expect from this manual espresso machine but it has certainly exceeded expectations. Surprisingly for a manual machine, there are a lot of instructions to follow and getting the perfect shot takes some fine tuning--from the grind of the beans to the amount of time you take to pull the shots. First off, the whole thing is very well built. It's set up on a wood board that serves as a stand and a counterweight, which is great when you're pushing down on a hard lever. The portafilter is 58 mm, it holds a healthy 18 grams of grounds. However, once you try to put a puck on top (which I highly recommend) you have to bring down your grounds significantly. The water cup gets pretty dirty without a puck. But with a puck, your cup won't fit well onto the portafilter and then it won't fit at all into the machine and it can get very frustrating (see picture). Again, this thing takes fine tuning. But once you manage to pull the espresso shots...it's going to be fantastic. Keep the machine clean, use the proper techniques, and you might even replace your electric machine.

This espresso press by SuperKop is really meant for coffee enthusiasts who are willing to put in the work with this machine, and less so for amateurs like me. This is an entirely manual process with a few parameters that need refinement and practice - not a plug-and-play simple contraption. I would like to say that it's worth the effort to get this machine to work, but I have yet to pull a truly worthy espresso shot despite a number of attempts. Still, I have to acknowledge that the quality of this machine speaks for itself, and it has an inherent "coolness" factor that I find really appealing. For the right person, this manual espresso machine would be the perfect piece. Right when you open the box, you can tell that the premium price goes right into the quality of the Superkop's components. The main press itself has an incredibly smooth mechanism that pressurizes perfectly. The metal housing is clean, minimalist, and aesthetically appealing. The wood base is also a nice aesthetic touch, and a great stabilizer for the heavy components on top. Included is one portafilter (a double shot capacity - only one filter), and the water cup that sits on top of the filter. What is NOT included is a tamp, which turned out to be necessary when brewing espresso. For this price point I would really expect a tamp to be included. There is some very minimal assembly required (2-3 screws) before you are ready to brew, and a few components to clean. I do appreciate how low-maintenance this machine is between uses - just clean the portafilter, water cup, and drip tray. To brew a shot, the company recommends 18g of freshly ground beans, and enough boiling water to fill the water cup up to the 2nd line. Put the water cup + portafilter into the press, and pull the lever slowly 6 times. Sounds simple, but here are a few tips I came up with based on my experience with the machine: - 18g of beans is REALLY tough to pack into the portafilter, and get the water cup to sit properly on top. I recommend 17g of beans. - Grind your beans very finely to help with packing, and reaching proper pressurization. - Use a tamp - this is necessary! Otherwise you won't be able to pack the beans in enough for the water cup to fit. - Test that the water cup + portafilter fits into the espresso press before filling the water cup. - Fill the water cup slightly beyond the second line. Very slightly. The main issue I encountered was getting enough compaction of the ground beans so that the water cup could fit properly on top. It is really tricky to get the water cup + portafilter into the machine unless you compact the beans a lot, and refining this part of the process has been particularly challenging. I managed to get some shots with a decent amount of crema using these methods, and they were quite delicious. That said, getting all of the process parameters right is quite the hassle, and I'm not sure it's worth it for me. I am still getting used to this machine, and maybe in the future it will be easy to consistently pull shots with less fuss. Ultimately, I do find this manual espresso machine intriguing, and think it could be a great item for the right person: a coffee enthusiast who wants a unique manual machine, and is willing to put in the work.

This machine lets you know it’s professional. The packaging is beautiful, they have provided everything you need to be successful along with an authentication certificate. I figured out how to put it together following the instructions and played with the arm quite a bit. There’s definitely a learning curve to this. It’s a substantial weight but I easily picked it up and moved it around. I am waiting on a tamper to really hone my skills but so far, following their learned instructions, I have made a few smooth and tasty shots. Very high end machine of undeniable quality and the results show it. Sits on the counter with graceful style. So happy to enjoy the benifits of superb design. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED