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  • C-man
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    I am seriously looking at this system.

    I like the Idea of profiling and want as much control over things as possible, turning a crank is fine with me and the time it takes is not an issue.

    I also think slow hand grinding is the way to go with good quality beans, the slower the better IMO.

    Any new updates from users and Ross?

    also any second hand ones around for sale?

    Cheers!

    Leave a comment:


  • t0fu
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Is there anywhere in sydney i could try it out? maybe a specialty store has some early units or a demo?

    i have happily put money into manual brewing machines like the pressos, vacpots and whatnot just to try out different ways of brewing coffee but the portapresso looks like a serious machine and is really closer to 468 dollars with a stand to have a go.

    just looking at the design of the portapresso is very confidence inspiring. one of the tricky things with the presso was that its aluminium plastic body didnt heat very well so it couldnt really get good crema or hot temps. it was definately good coffee coming out of the other end but also a bit limited. with the amount of brass that thing is packing and with andys readouts i would be surprised if it barely dropped a degree during a ristretto.

    Leave a comment:


  • Paolo
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    The Rossa and Rosco arrived this morning. They were incredibly well-packaged and accordingly, arrived in pristine condition.

    I am not an engineer but really appreciate the solid yet elegant appearance of both the grinder and the hand press...anywhere that has a surface that is to be tightened or gripped in any way has machining to aid grip. Both items have a substantial and quality feel about them. On opening the packages I was quite impressed with every minute detail of form and function.


    I loaded 18gm of a 4 day old Yirgacheffe into the grinder. I set it at the recommended starting point of 0.8mm from the zero setting and started grinding. A bit of a slip in the setting due to operator error (insufficient tightening of the lockring) but continued with the grind. It grinds directly into the filter basket....fabulous idea...no waste and no mess...none!!

    I pre-heated the press as per instructions...screwed in the basket with tamped grounds and inverted the press...located it into the nifty stand and started turning the handle. The pressure gauge responded very quickly and the shot started to pour.

    Operator error meant a leak due to the basket and pressure gauge sections being under-tightened.

    The next 18gm of beans were ground with no slippage and tamped and screwed into the pre-heated press and tightened. Great success!!

    The pour was a bit fast but I was able to get the extraction to 6bar with no trouble. Another great success!! Mental note: tighten grind a tad.

    The resulting coffee was much better than the last commercial-bought one that I had from a place that roasts their own beans. For a second try, I reckon that it is extremely encouraging, to say the least.

    I was able to tell my partner that the whole package is an Australian invention that I believe is manufactured (with enormous care) also in Australia and has been designed by a fellow-Australian!!! Wow. I cant think of another product that I have bought that is as Australian as these ones.

    I have packed everything up and am about to hit the road for a brief drive northwards. Already heavily caffeinated but cant wait for another try this evening.

    Leave a comment:


  • Paolo
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Well I have just ordered my new Christmas present...a Rossa HC with the works. It wont be with me in time for Christmas...but very soon after.

    I will keep CS members posted about this new machine on this thread.

    Merry Christmas one and all!

    Paolo

    Leave a comment:


  • Portaspresso
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Forgot to add that the Profiling Adapter is the same as the one shown in the video via the above link but with a 16 bar gauge.

    Leave a comment:


  • Portaspresso
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Hi all,

    I have five Pressure Profiling Adapters ready to go. These are not yet listed on the website, so CSrs have first dibs. I have also developed a new version of the Rossa Hand Espresso to work with the Adapter: the Rossa HC (High Control). It has a longer handle and a different spindle assembly designed to provide greater control over a larger range of pressures and flow rates.

    I am offering a special deal for this week only for anyone wishing to purchase the Complete System and Pressure Profiling Adapter. Email sales@portaspresso.com for details of the offer.

    Also, if anyone would like to fit a thermocouple to the Adapter to measure temperature, I will provide the adapter with the necessary entry thread. When I get a chance, I will look at designing a thermocouple to connect to the Multimeter/Temperature sensor that Andy has listed on this site. This device works well for measuring water temperature before extraction, so I imagine it would work well during extraction if connected to a suitable thermocouple.

    Anyway, if anyone wants to buy themselves a unique Christmas present and is keen to broaden their coffee experience, email for details of the offer. Also, as I only have five Adapters currently available, I would prefer to sell them only to those keen on experimenting with profiling, and hopefully willing to share their experiences.

    Regards,
    Ross

    Leave a comment:


  • JamesM
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Interesting device, the profiling adapter is very neat and ideal for experimenting with brew pressure. I see no reason why you couldnt drill and tap another hole for a thermocouple if there was any interest at all in logging temp data when experimenting with the pressure profiling. Of course the down-side is making such a simple device over-complicated.

    Leave a comment:


  • Rho
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Ive had one of these for a few weeks, and the bottom line is, Im now making better coffee with it than with any other machine that Ive used.

    There were a couple of duff shots at first, but since then, almost all have been very good or better. You have control over temperature, volume and pressure, so there is a bit of a learning curve. Im interested trying the pressure gauge module to find out what Ive been doing.  If you have an OCD, a thermometer, stopwatch and the pressure gauge should keep you happy for a while, but it is so easy to get excellent results without any of these.

    A few observations:

    Its very easy to keep clean. No shower screen. Whole thing is submersible.

    I will eventually replace the tamper. The supplied one does the job OK, but is not a good hand fit for me.

    Some physical effort and coordination is required. The stand is  a great help.

    14g basket holds 20-23g of ground coffee. About 70 turns of the handle required.

    Built to last. Will eventually need new portafilter and piston seals, but as it is so easy to keep clean they should last for a long time.

    Minimal heat-up time compared to electric machines: you can have an espresso ready in maybe a minute longer than it takes for the kettle to boil.

    I got the matching grinder  at he same time. Does a very good job, but I think it will be reserved for the travel kit and will stick to the K3 for home use.

    Very happy with my purchace. Highly recommended

    Leave a comment:


  • Portaspresso
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Originally posted by 7849474447280 link=1317820483/28#28 date=1319080247
    An interesting read.
    I would like to try it.
    When will the profiling adaptor be available?
    Im still testing a few things, but I think I have the design about right. Once Im satisfied, Ill do a small run to get a few out there. No dates available at this stage, but any modifications will be interchangeable with the standard Rossa.

    Leave a comment:


  • Paolo
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    An interesting read.
    I would like to try it.
    When will the profiling adaptor be available?

    Leave a comment:


  • Portaspresso
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Anyone interested in reading about espresso coffee profiling might find the article available via the below link quite interesting.

    "profiling can be defined as the process of seeking the optimum combination of fixed or variable temperature, pressure and timing which produces an infused espresso stream that flows at a rate that produces the preferred characteristics from a particular coffee"

    Full article available at http://www.portaspresso.com/page003.html

    Leave a comment:


  • Portaspresso
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    Originally posted by 6958565556390 link=1317820483/25#25 date=1318839625
    It sounds like a great innovation on a portable machine. I cant wait to try one...It is just a pity that there doesnt seem anywhere that I can do this.
    Ill be in Melbourne in a couple of weeks time. So if anyone wants to organize a location for a demo, feel free to contact me.

    As noted elsewhere, Ive been a little surprised about the lack of questions on profiling. That was until a person suggested that this could be that few people actually no what it is. This may well be the case, and if it is, I will be posting a detailed explanation of what profiling is all about, and more importantly, how to do it.

    The article I intend to post online is about 3000 words, and will include two profile graphs with explanation. The article is complete, but I want to review it for a day or two before I release it. I do challenge conventional espresso theory, so just want to ensure that I can back everything up before you guys pound me into the corner!

    I havent been able to find any info on the Strada to see how many variables can be programmed, but my testing has shown that you need the ability to control quite a number of variables for effective profiling. I wont say any more until I publish the article, but what I will say is that my shots are superb and repeatable, and the equipment doesnt need to cost $20K or more.

    Leave a comment:


  • Paolo
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    I went to the La Marzocco factory in April last year. I wasnt allowed to take photos of the insides of the early production Strada machines that they had there on the production line as the technology on how they achieved their variable pressure pulls is patented... and La Marzocco didnt want any secrets to get out. It was, and still is cutting edge espresso machine technology.

    Being able to vary the pressure of shots in the middle of a shot in a repeatable (and hopefully desirable) way is called pressure profiling.

    I can vary the pressure of the water going through the coffee in my Cremina filter basket by applying more/less pressure on the lever. Its great!! When the shot is just starting to lose its rich, earthy browns/reds etc. I simply reduce the pressure of the lever (and the shot) and I get the most out of each basket of coffee. I get wonderful shots from my Cremina.

    The concept of the Rosso is quite exciting for me as it will soon have a gauge (like the video clip showed) that will allow the operator to adjust the rate of the extraction in a repeatable way in order to get the most out of each pour of each different type of coffee. You will be able to extract a shot at different profiles eg.10 seconds at 9 bar, 5 seconds at 8 bar, 10 seconds at 6 bar....or anywhere that you find gives the best shot for a given blend or single origin....and repeat it next time. This Coffeesnobs dream!

    It sounds like a great innovation on a portable machine. I cant wait to try one...It is just a pity that there doesnt seem anywhere that I can do this.

    Leave a comment:


  • mattydv
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    I dont really have a whole lot to add to this thread other than I hope all the work pays off for Ross, as it looks like a great piece of kit!

    Leave a comment:


  • Andy
    replied
    Re: portaspresso - Rossa Hand Espresso

    The profiler looks like a really cool bit of kit for people that want to explore what is possible in a coffee.

    I liked your final quote in the video too...

    "Not being able to profile is like having a car stuck in one gear"


    8-)

    Leave a comment:

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