The presso seems right at home out on the green grass surrounded by chickens. I guess one could say it’s only natural as the Presso is one of the lightest and transportable espresso maker in the world. If you love the taste of a fresh espresso and a cafe is not close by you might just want to give the Presso Espresso maker a try.
We Presso folk tend to be pretty simple, but there are certain things that we think are really important in making a great cup of coffee.
Ask any coffee lover and they will tell you, the fresher the grind the better the coffee. If you really want to take your coffee making seriously you must invest in a grinder so that you can grind your own coffee at home. Do you need the most expensive one on the market? Probably not. But it’s a great idea to invest in a conical burr style grinder. This kind of grinder won’t heat the beans up while it grinds the coffee, which means the flavour of the coffee isn’t compromised. You can get manual or electric burr grinders (manual grinders are great for those times when you are off the grid with your Presso).
Grinding your own coffee is all about experimentation. Try altering the coarseness of your grind. Traditionally, you want a finer grind for espresso but you want to make sure that it’s not too fine. If when you begin to press the Presso arms down you feel a tremendous amount of pressure and no liquid is coming through the portafilter, then you know you have gone too fine. If the coffee starts pouring through the filter at warp speed, you’ve probably ground your coffee a bit too course.
At Presso headquarters, after a little bit of playing around, we have found the perfect grind from our machine. Our grinder produces that perfect consistency when it is set on a fairly course setting. Who woulda thunk?
Another important aspect of your grind, is how you tamp. Fill your portafilter with your desired amount of coffee, and then using the tamper press down on the coffee (once again, you will have to experiment with your tamp- you need to find a level of strength somewhere between dainty and He-Man). It’s important to keep the portafilter level when you tamp-resting it on a counter top usually helps. Some people go as far as tamping on a scale to make sure they are applying the correct amount of pressure (usually around 30 lbs), but after some experimentation you will know what works best for you and your Presso.
Grind at home, play around with your technique, and start drinking some really delicious coffee!
To enter twitter
“I’m in the draw to win a Presso. Follow @pressoaustralia &
@Beanhunter and RT to enter.”
Bonus. A custom Presso Pullman Tamper and the smartest sugar spoon on planet.
Total Prize value over $300.
Ends 5/8/09. Australia only.
Big thanks to co sponsors the Beanhunter.com
This past weekened Slow Food Byron Bay put on a 100 Mile Lunch at the Cromwell Farm in Goonengerry, NSW. All food and drink was grown and produced within 100 miles, including the coffee which came from Green Cauldron Coffee just around the corner in Federal. The Presso was used to press out quite a few beverages for the Slow Food crowd, who loved the coffee as well as the world’s youngest barista who was taking their orders.
Morley, the eight-year-old barista in the making, couldn’t resist trying the Presso when she saw her Dad using it. Once she got going, she couldn’t be stopped. Flat White? Long Black? Barista College? Maybe in a few years…
As people stirred their instant coffee into their camping mugs, I could feel their eyes burning holes in the back of my head. Making a Presso at a caravan park is something that draws some serious attention—and jealousy. Espresso in a campground kitchen isn’t something you normally see, but times are a changin’.
The Manly Sustainability Fair took place in Sydney last weekend—an event that exists to promote the awareness of sustainable products and practices.
Presso made a lovely and successful appearance at the Red Earth Coffee booth where Pressos were being sold. We demonstrated how clean and green it is to make great coffee using the Presso and had many impressed bystanders—it’s hard for greenies to resist anything without a plug.
We also had an experienced barista give the Presso a try for the first time and she loved it! Like many first time Presso users, she was completely impressed by the quality of the coffee it produced and how easy it was to use. It was a beautiful, green experience for all.
Sleeping outdoors is no excuse for bad coffee. On a recent trip to Rainbow Beach, we didn’t have to sacrifice our morning ritual even though we were miles away from a kitchen. Instead of using our electric kettle, we heated our water over our camping stove—that was the only difference. We had hot, delicious espresso, as we gazed out over the waves—not a bad way to start your morning. The only problem is, it’s been hard to convince people that we were “roughing it.”
Espresso makers like most type of equipment need maintenance and occasionally parts need to be replaced. The Presso espresso maker is in a class of its own when it comes to maintainance and repairs. With espresso makers that need plugging in you had better have a degree in electronics if you stand a chance of understanding why your espresso maker is not working the way it used to.
Maintaining your presso is as simple as running some hot water over it when it has finished performing its coffee making duties. Note this is a good idea to do before you use it too so the body is clean and warm for the first shot you pull out. It’s also a good idea to give your presso a nice rub down with a soft cloth after the rinse to keep it looking shiny and new.
If something gets worn out in your presso or breaks it’s not too hard to pull the presso apart and replace parts. For example the O – Ring after 1000′s of presses may start to get a bit thin, as will your espresso shots if you don’t have enough pressure. No problems with the presso. Simply take a slot head screw driver to the crown of your presso, take out the screw. Pull up the plunger. Take off the worn out O – ring. Put a new one on. Screw it back together and you are back in business. Replacement parts for the presso are available for sale in Canada, United States and Australia.
The Presso is backed by a 12 month guarantee against manufacturing faults (under normal use).
Deputy Editor of Real Living Magazine Natalie picked the Presso as her best gadget in their April edition. Natalie “I love my Presso espresso maker. It’s so easy to clean, doesn’t take up too much bench space and makes a really good cup of coffee.”
Our frinds at Bean Scene featured the Presso in their Premiere Issue. Good luck Bean Scene, glad to be on your team in Australia.
Australia: www.presso.com.au
Canada: www.presso.ca
New Zealand: www.presso.co.nz
USA:
www.presso.us
We love coffee.