Excellent review. Now that it's over a year later I'm wondering how things turned out for this? I'm intrigued by this press for it's simplicity. I'm hesitant to in getting a automatic machine due to their reliability and prohibitive cost in most instances and would opt for manual as I like French presses so this fits the bill. The creams in this looks prettyy decent.
Presso Espresso Coffee Machine - Overview
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- #22
It has turned out well. I purchased with low expectations, and it has exceeded them all. Once you get the grinder and water temperature dialed in, you can get consistent results. The best thing I did was to also get a Pharos grinder from OrphanExpresso, as its stepless settings allowed me to fine tune the shot pressure and get better results. I would estimate about 750 shots pulled so far, most of them being used to make Americanos.
Thank you. Everything from the grind, tamp, pour of the H2o, press and final results look straight forward and clean up doesn't look to difficult. Portable too! My wife and I travel at least once a month somewhere and have at time wished for a coffee ouse nearby. Unfortunately that was some drive away. A lot of pluses with this machine. Ay issues with build quality? After 750+ pulls how is the hardware holding up? The geears, lever etc.
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- #24
I have not had any issues and all the hardware is original. I might have expected to see some deterioration with the o-ring or dispersion screen but both perform like when new. They must be made from silicone rubber or similar durable material.
I have seen reports of people breaking the handles or cracking the pressure chamber, but I have no idea of how common these incidents are. Of course you can grind fine enough to stall the pull, so it does not surprise me if some people used the machine as a test of strength and imagine they are Arnold Schwarzenegger when trying to pull a stalled shot. But common sense around everyday usability factors would indicate that any force beyond what a small adult can generate is probably going too far. It does take some significant force to make a good shot, but if I grind so fine that the machine stalls I do not try to force it beyond a certain point (hard to describe exactly, but that sense you develop after over torquing a few bolts during a car repair). It also helps that I also have a La Pavoni lever to compare and calibrate against. All that said, I believe the new Rok model increased the pressure chamber's strength which would be a good upgrade, as that part should be over engineered for strength.
I have seen reports of people breaking the handles or cracking the pressure chamber, but I have no idea of how common these incidents are. Of course you can grind fine enough to stall the pull, so it does not surprise me if some people used the machine as a test of strength and imagine they are Arnold Schwarzenegger when trying to pull a stalled shot. But common sense around everyday usability factors would indicate that any force beyond what a small adult can generate is probably going too far. It does take some significant force to make a good shot, but if I grind so fine that the machine stalls I do not try to force it beyond a certain point (hard to describe exactly, but that sense you develop after over torquing a few bolts during a car repair). It also helps that I also have a La Pavoni lever to compare and calibrate against. All that said, I believe the new Rok model increased the pressure chamber's strength which would be a good upgrade, as that part should be over engineered for strength.
Interesting write up. I just purchased a ROK which looks similar. I am looking forward to its arrival. 
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- #26
Nice. I will be curious what you think of it after using it for a while.
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