It occurred to me a few days ago that it really is ok if not every post includes a recipe, (hence the Indian Food post). Although I do prefer to post recipes, as this is supposed to be a vehicle to communicate with friends what’s been cooking lately and also to serve as a convenient recipe repository, it really is communicating anything culinary that has sparked an interest.
So what is on my mind? It’s 4:30 AM and I am sitting in my lab being momentarily distracted from my thesis by the thoughts of coffee… And not just crappy coffee used as a source for caffeine–I’ve got pills for that–but good coffee; at the moment it happens to be the espresso sort. No milk or sugar needed for quality espresso, just the black and tan liquid joy. (Side note, not the only black and tan liquid joy: A recent Br. Caracole Nostradamus and Malheur Dark Brut come to mind.)
Anyway, I happened across this interesting little gadget in my sleepy state, and I think it is pretty cool. I mean it might be a bit ridiculous, and over priced, but could you really beat hiking to the top of a mountain and enjoying a fresh cup of espresso as you take in the mountin view? Or what if your car breaks down on a cold and rainy night in the middle of Pennsylvania, 4 hours from anyone you know–boiling some water and pumping the little device would be well worth the trouble of finding some solace in a good shot of espresso. Heck, even in your own kitchen this would give you more control over each aspect of the process than any espresso machine I’ve ever used: you can control the pressure, temperature, and tamping (although the pressure is not constant so it needs to start higher, and if you’re not quick the water will cool down). There are two versions–one that uses pods and one that is for straightup ground coffee. It even goes up to 16 bar (230 psi)! So if someone wants to buy me one, just leave me a note in the comments and we can make the arrangments. It’s $100 here. Thanks. Oh and I want the one that is made for graound coffee, not pods (kind of goes without saying, but just to be clear).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270401274222
$80 with free shipping on eBay.
Timothy Dietz
June 5th, 2009
http://www.mypressi.com/index.php
Some one beat me to the punch. My first thought when I saw how the Handpresso work was that they needed to make one that just used a CO2 cartridge. Well click that link, and there you go.
Timothy Dietz
June 5th, 2009
I take that back, it uses whippits (you know the little nitrous oxide cartridges that some places use to make whipped cream quickly). I have no idea where to get those.
Timothy Dietz
June 5th, 2009
That’s totally awesome! I like the idea of hand pumping it… assuming you can generate enough continuous pressure.
dan
August 19th, 2009
You pump it up and then release it, so there is no continuous pressure. That’s why the initial pressure is higher than what would be normal.
Timothy
August 19th, 2009