Customer Reviews

Handpresso HPWILD Wild 16-Bar Hand-Pump Portable Espresso Machine

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have had this product for a couple of months now. I have a rich history of trying to find something to take with me on the road to the improve hotel coffee situation. I started with a single cup Melitta electric drip coffee maker (remember those!), a Krups, a Velox, an electric Bialetti moka pot, an Aeropress, etc. I hate to go to a hotel, find a maker with coffee filters and think things are fine until 6 AM in the morning when you realize BOTH filters are de-caf! The hotel coffee makers range from OK to horrible! The coffee too!
I purchased the HandPresso out of desperation! I have a semi-professional espresso machine (VBM) and roast my own beans. I was not impressed with the ESE pods, but am VERY happy with them in the HandPresso! I like the idea I do not have to touch grounds in the morning like with the Aeropress. I carry a cup, some pods, and the HandPresso. I boil water (I am still looking for a very small electric boiling pot, but have an immersion coil), pump up the HandPresso, pre-heat my espresso cup and the water cup on the HandPresso, dump both, re-fill the HandPresso, pop in a pod, and in 25-seconds or so have a great shot of espresso! Got carried away one morning and had 4 in a row! WOW!
This device is extremely well made and and will probably last a long time. It will get field testing from me. Hope the TSA does not think it is some sort of nasty device in my bag!! The coffee pods give it away.

Initial Impression
I was a bit skeptical that I could get a decent shot of espresso from a portable machine. And while it doesn't develop as much crema as my home machine (and I wouldn't expect it to considering that machine is over $1,500) - this thing is a GREAT way for me to get my espresso fix at work.

Value
The build quality of the Handpresso is top notch, commensurate with its price (i.e. you get what you pay for). It should last quite a while. I was pleased to find that it comes with an extra O-ring gasket.

It's already paid for itself in savings - I don't buy espresso at Starbuck's anymore. It also IMHO brews a way more drinkable shot than Starbucks ever did - they really need to clean their machines and train their alleged "baristas".

Tips
For hot water, I use my office kitchen's hot water dispenser - and you really need very hot water to get a good shot, so take some care not to scald yourself. The only downside is I'm getting a lot of requests from co-workers to brew them a shot.

I've had my Handpresso for over six months now. Being Italian-born and raised, I live on a steady diet of espresso and need my fix at least twice a day. My workplace only has a small coffee stand which makes the worst espresso in the world, and there aren't any other coffee shops in a 2 miles radius, so brewing my own was the only way to satisfy my coffee needs.

I previously bought a AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker, which is advertised as an espresso maker but actually produces something closer to a french press drip coffee. Granted, it was cheap but that's pretty much the only good thing about it: it does not make a real espresso and is definitely more high-maintenance and labor-intensive, requiring filters and thorough cleaning after each use. I stopped using it after a couple of days because it was too much of a hassle and the espresso wasn't very good anyway.

The Handpresso on the other hand is simplicity itself. All you need is hot water and ESE coffee pods (I use 150 Lavazza Gran Crema Espresso Pods). I've been using it 2 o 3 times a day for six months and couldn't be happier. Yes, it's a bit expensive but being able to get a decent cup of espresso makes it worthy of the premium price tag for me.

The device is very sturdy and requires only minimal maintenance (just rinse it out) since the coffee and filters are self-contained in the ESE pods. If you have access to hot water, it takes less than a minute to prepare the Handpresso, stick the coffee pod in it, brew a shot of espresso, discard the pod and clean the machine.

Customer support from the distributor is also outstanding -- I misplaced one of the little rubber gaskets that come with the Handpresso (the only moving/replaceable part) and wrote to the distributor (Importika) and they mailed me a replacement free of charge. I was very impressed.

If you are an espresso-freak and want a truly portable and easy-to-use device, this is it.

Pros: Small size. Fun to pump up in the morning; it wakes you up! Nice to use just one espresso pod and neatly toss it away when finished (like a tea bag). Easy to rinse out handpresso and lid after use.

Cons: Clunky shape gets clunkier when you need to leave the unit and lid separate to dry between uses. Leaks in two places: the button valve, the sides of cap. When the handpresso is in the last unit of pressure, it spews crema in a wide radius surrounding the cup, not straight down into your waiting cup. Be prepared for a major spew cleanup. This means that you can not dispense espresso directly into a small 3.5 - 6 once cup. The bigger the cup the better so you can put the handpresso as low as possible so that the spewing is contained in the cup. However, you will need to pour from large cup to an espresso/latte/cappucino cup. With each cup change, the espresso cools off. (Yes, I heat the milk. Doing everything I can to keep things hot. :)) Handpresso is not cheap. Required espresso pods are costly.

I tried, but it's difficult to explain the ins/outs of the handpresso's cons.

I loved this when I got it. I give the concept 5 stars. It was great. Then almost exactly two months after I bought it, it failed to pressurize. I went through the RMA process, and sent it back to Importikia. I received no further communication from Improtika, and five weeks later, I called. I left a message per day for about six days. No calls were returned. On the seventh day, someone accidentally picked up the phone. She was very nice and said that since I had been waiting so long, they would go ahead and send a new one. No problem, right? I got a call today from the same nice lady requesting a credit card she could bill $30 for return shipping. Wha? Clearly there was a mis-communication right? Overlooking the fact that postage between here and there would be about $7.50, this was a product that completely failed in under two months. If anything, you would think that they would say "oops, our bad", and get me a working one ASAP.

The math is pretty quick on this one. Let's say my experience is average, and I can expect my Handpresso to break every two months of use. Let's also assume based on my experience that between shipping time and repair time, Importika will take about 6 weeks to get the unit back to me. That would means in my first year of ownership, I will only have the Handpresso in my possession for 7.5 months, the other 5.5 months, it would be at Importika for repair. Warranty is a concern with such a high maintenance item, and according to the schedule, the Handpresso would break again about two weeks after the 1 year warranty expired, meaning I can expect 8 months of total lifetime use before the thing is a paperweight.

So it is likely based on my experience that I would need to exercise the Handpresso warranty three times in the first year of ownership. Based on my shipping and their fees, the annual total maintenance for the Handpresso comes to $112.50. You know how you buy those home printers that cost about $100 and come to find out it won't work unless you buy $80 in toner every month? Yeah, me too.

To sum up-
Handpresso- $88.99 (with free shipping!)
1 year maintenance cost- $112.50
Actual functional lifespan- 8 months

Conclusion: If they had just asked for the $201.49 up front, and provided a better product, I would probably be happy as a clam. As it stands, they are trying to turn what should be a cost they incur from selling low quality product(their problem), in to a situation in which the customer pays for the "warranty" repairs on the defects (our problem). They can't afford to do the right thing considering the volume of RMAs they must be getting.

Follow Up: I paid the the return freight, and just opened my replacement Handpresso. It looks like they have changed the manufacturing process to cheaper parts as well. The water reservoir had been a nice heavy glass-like material like Pyrex. It is now plastic.

Great gadget for the 3 weeks it worked (used for about 24 espressos)... then it would not hold any pressure. Sent back to the US import company at my cost and it was replaced, but they (Importika) would not cover the costs of shipping (~$25).

Like others on here I got the handpresso to make espresso at work. It worked great for about 5 months, then after it would no longer release the pressure unless you let it sit for over 20 minutes. When I emailed importika they informed me they would repair it, but I would be charged 15 dollars for shipping to and from.

This would be a great product, but however sadly it does not last long and the company that sells it does not stand behind their product.

Since only ESE pods can be used with this device, it severely limits the quality of espresso that you can produce. The crema is at best mediocre. Temperature is mediocre and only hot enough if you "shoot" the shot - no time to sip as it will cool off too quickly.

However, all that said, the quality of design and construction is excellent. I just wish it would work with a larger air chamber, allowing more pressure, longer; that would, in my opinion, generate a better end product with more crema/extraction.

I only use it as a last resort and will probably sell it soon.

This tiny device makes a surprisingly good cup of espresso, with relatively little work and cleanup.

Note that this model _requires_ pre-packaged coffee pods. These are pricey and go stale quickly. Handpresso has a newer model, the "Wild DomePod", which uses a portafilter like device instead. With that model you pack your own grounds, which gives you better choice and quality. (Amazon does not yet appear to stock this model; I imagine they will soon.)

This portable espresso machine has the potential to make a decent cup of espresso. This is the first time that I have used a pod type system, I usually grind my own beans just priod to brewing. While the differences from one ground coffee to another are fairly subtle, the difference from a good pod to a poor one are dramatic. As I have found out, buying an exprensive imported ESE pod from a boutique coffee shop can taste quite bad, while the stuff you can find on the Costco web site tastes quite respectable.
Regarding the Handpresso itself, it comes in a very handsome package. It has a nice feel, and weight. It seems well built. I found that the optional "ristretto" or "intense" filter actually does have quite an impact on the coffee. Without this filter, I found the coffee undrinkably weak.