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  • 3rutu5
    replied
    ok, i bought just the Minipresso GR one for my old man and too be honest was a little skeptical on what it could do after reading up this thread and others. Fresh out of the box, ran some hot water through it, quickly ground some coffee and pumped it about 15 times for the short black roughly and damn.....had actually about a 5mm deep crema and was smooth...no messing around with the grinds or any fiddling about.

    Yes not as good as a shot out of a 3-5k machine, but very good considering what it cost. It will make some parents very happy when caravaning. Too bad there isnt a milk frothing equivalent to steam a jug for the flat white experience

    Also took IanC's recommendation and got one from 4eva.

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  • LeroyC
    replied
    Originally posted by ExpWoodsman View Post
    I bought a minipresso from a local coffee shop last week. It broke the first time I used it. Not an o-ring popping out of place, broken.
    This was with a standard dose, grind slightly coarser than for my Silvia, not tamping at all and not pumping too hard.


    This picture is of the section behind the filter. You can see the support around one of the mounting holes has complete broken off.
    This happened while I was pumping. When this mounting breaks the filter basket no longer sits flat and so it doesn't seal properly under pressure. Water and ground coffee fill the surrounding chamber and spill out everywhere when you open it.

    I took it back and swapped it for another one assuming it was a manufacturing problem. The second one made about 10 quite satisfactory shots. The last time I attempted to use it there was a pop/crack sound and it was broken in exactly the same way as the first one.

    I suppose it could be a bad batch but it looks like a design flaw to me. Maybe they fixed the problem with the o-ring popping out but now the pressure has to go somewhere else. The mounting structure seems too flimsy to me to support the pressure. There should be some sort of pressure relief valve that diverts water back to the reservoir if it exceeds some preset pressure (not that I was squeezing that hard).

    Having worked in engineering for over 20 years I believe the device should really be designed to even handle some herculean person (or a weakling like me) pumping excessively without breaking. Like I said, there should be a pressure relief valve diverting the pressure back to the water reservoir.

    It's a shame, I was quite happy with it before it broke. I'm going to get a refund (I hope).

    (For future reference the serial number of the second one appears to be AU4715.)
    That's why they've made the new model called the Nanopresso. Same concept but a complete redesign of some parts to allow it to cope with the pressure. In saying that there's lots of happy Minipresso owners out there, including my brother that I have one to about 2yrs ago and he's never had any issues with it. But if I was buying a new one now it'd be the Nanopresso for sure.

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  • ExpWoodsman
    replied
    I bought a minipresso from a local coffee shop last week. It broke the first time I used it. Not an o-ring popping out of place, broken.
    This was with a standard dose, grind slightly coarser than for my Silvia, not tamping at all and not pumping too hard.


    This picture is of the section behind the filter. You can see the support around one of the mounting holes has complete broken off.
    This happened while I was pumping. When this mounting breaks the filter basket no longer sits flat and so it doesn't seal properly under pressure. Water and ground coffee fill the surrounding chamber and spill out everywhere when you open it.

    I took it back and swapped it for another one assuming it was a manufacturing problem. The second one made about 10 quite satisfactory shots. The last time I attempted to use it there was a pop/crack sound and it was broken in exactly the same way as the first one.

    I suppose it could be a bad batch but it looks like a design flaw to me. Maybe they fixed the problem with the o-ring popping out but now the pressure has to go somewhere else. The mounting structure seems too flimsy to me to support the pressure. There should be some sort of pressure relief valve that diverts water back to the reservoir if it exceeds some preset pressure (not that I was squeezing that hard).

    Having worked in engineering for over 20 years I believe the device should really be designed to even handle some herculean person (or a weakling like me) pumping excessively without breaking. Like I said, there should be a pressure relief valve diverting the pressure back to the water reservoir.

    It's a shame, I was quite happy with it before it broke. I'm going to get a refund (I hope).

    (For future reference the serial number of the second one appears to be AU4715.)
    Last edited by ExpWoodsman; 14 August 2017, 01:16 PM.

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  • JackD
    replied
    Thanks ajay, life saver (well, 1st world problem solver at least )

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  • IanC
    replied
    I've been using one of these for a few months at work - great way to get reasonable coffee in the office. I found that the water reservoir is a little small, producing only small shots of coffee so searched around and found a supplier of a larger water tank and set of three coffee grind baskets so I can take pre-prepared shots with me for convenience. Bought them from

    Commercial link removed as per Site Posting Policy 4Ever Coffee

    no affiliation just very pleased with the extra utility these extras provide.
    Last edited by Javaphile; 18 April 2017, 01:51 PM. Reason: Commercial link(s) removed

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  • connorogee
    replied
    Just wanted to say thanks to for ajay for the instructions on on how to fix the leaking piston. Totally clear, photos helped a lot, and now my minipresso is good as new! Step 4 (getting the pump out of the main chamber) was super tough and tricky but I eventually got it.

    Also wanted to added that the little valve beneath the white pump unit and above the casing below fell out on mine too – the little white conical thing. Except mine had a spring attached, so it was easy to put back in correctly (spring goes down, cone goes up.)

    Thanks again!

    Leave a comment:


  • KJM
    replied
    Well, I can add my micro review of the thing here too

    We go out camping (as in: with the ute, not backpacks anymore...) and have a Rossa HC and a Rosco mini grinder we use (along with an Aeropress). I bought this because it was inexpensive, and it looked like it would be easier than the Rossa. It is definitely easier, but it is not possible to vary the pressure like I can on the Rossa, so not quite as flexible. The Rossa also uses *WAY* more coffee per shot, so it does produce a shot as good as my Expobar at home. The mini (so far) does not. I'm totally used to slightly ristretto'd doubles, so this comment is perhaps not quite as bad as it may sound! The crema produced is a bit thinner than I'm used to, but is perfectly acceptable. The temperature stability of the thing is what lets it down (IMHO). The coffee is definitely brewed at the lower end of the temperature scale. Ross did an amazing job with the Rossa, but it isn't possible to get the temperature as stable with just plastic. This means the shot lacks some of the fine nuances you would expect, but it also is pulled cooler - so there is less bitter in it and overall it really isn't bad.

    If I hadn't recently retired, and if our T-room hadn't had a 2-group Wega that a group of us bought - this would be a killer device for me. I could see it going into work and shots being made which would equal a lot of cafe shots. To put that into perspective - it costs about 20 coffees... So payback time would be short!

    I will definitely be taking this camping. It works just like it says it does. It is also easier to clean and do a second shot than the Rossa - so that's a win. I've also taken it apart already - to see how it works. Very simple pump mechanism, the thing clearly has problems when you overpressure the pump as lots of people have attested. This is just the O-ring popping out of the groove and it looks to me like a simpler over-pressure mechanism than anything else you could put in there. I'd reckon the mechanism will last just fine, as long as sense prevails on how much coffee you try to get in the wee basket and how fine a grind/hard a tamp you go for. It won't be handed down to the great-grandkids like the Rossa will be; but I'd reckon it seems robust enough.

    So overall I'd score this as 10/10 for value, convenience and usage and about 7.5/10 for shot quality (unless camping, when it gets 9/10 because any sort of decent brew is welcome!). Another view I'd give is that the shots from this, and daughter#1's EM6910 are pretty much on a par. If that helps anyone.

    /Kevin
    PS: For those in Adelaide, Peter @ Simply Coffee has them (same price as the on-line auction site price).
    PPS: I am in no way associated with them, etc etc. Just an owner of the device

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  • tropellor
    replied
    I'd love to have a look at this before I buy one, does anyone know if there are any floating around Melbourne?

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  • ajay
    replied
    I'm now a few months down the track with mine and I can report that after the exercise of tightening everything up internally, it has been absolutely troublefree. I use it several times each day and it is not showing any sign of wearing out. I have been on a couple of trips overseas with it and it is robust and compact enough for travel. Paired with a Porlex mini grinder on its finest setting, a decent espresso is always at hand.

    There is some noise around the internet about the minipresso being a pressurised system and not producing true espresso. Plenty of videos show people pulling crema-laden shots from supermarket preground, so obviously it can function that way. However, if your grind, dose and tamp create a greater resistance than the pressurising mechanisism, then perfectly acceptable espresso is possible with freshly ground beans. You can easily remove the pressurising component and it still performs the same way.

    cheers
    Andrew

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  • mjoyce
    replied
    Just received mine yesterday and I have to say I'm impressed. Using the same grind as I use for my vbm, shots came out light and sweet but with a very good flavour. Minimum of fuss, this might end up replacing my aeropress as my travel / office gadget of choice (although the aeropress is easier to clean and I often prefer a long cup to an espresso at work, so I suspect I'll end up travel with both!)

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  • coffeetrax
    replied
    thanks Andrew this was my problem. It must have started when I tried to use espresso grind coffee. A little white cone shaped part fell out when I removed the pump. I am guessing that the flat part of this sits on the spring below the valve assembly.

    UpDate: Nope the little piece that fell out goes the other way. I found this out by trial and error. To clarify the pointed end of this little valve piece goes into the spring and the flat end goes into the valve assembly. I also found it easier to remove the assembly if you actually unscrew the two main pieces. Then you only have to lift the back half out.
    Last edited by coffeetrax; 12 July 2015, 05:07 AM.

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  • Mayko31
    replied
    Hi All... recently I came across the same problem when water came out through the piston. I already wrote to Wacaco and they replied they will supply me the new one, however I didn't want to wait one month again to get it delivered. I found several posts with same "Water leak" problem, however none of them applied to my machine after I checked all the parts when minipresso was disassembled. Then, suddenly I found that there is plastic cover on pump and it wasn't tightly screwed. When I fixed this and put it back together I could finally enjoy my minipresso. I am not allowed to attach anything yet so need to post it to dropbox for now. Enjoy

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hxm0o7imx...sllIiOjna?dl=0

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  • daledugahole
    replied
    Thanks Andrew! Great tip. I got my replacement one today and blew the bloody thing again on the first shot. Same deal, although I thought I'd backed the grind off enough, but obviously not. Was going to bin it and stick with the aeropress, but I'll give your instructions a go. Thanks!

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  • Padams84
    replied
    thanks ajay , mine had just burst and I was about to write to wacaco , but you have saved me a job , put the o ring back and good as new .

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  • ajay
    replied
    My experience with the Minipresso has been similar to Dale's. I was enjoying pulling (actually pushing) some sweet shots, then something popped and it started leaking water out the pump. I got a quick response from Wacaco, the manufacturer and supplied them with a video and pictures of the problem. They undertook to send me a new unit and requested that I return the defective machine (at my expense - AU$12). They were helpful to deal with and let me know that they had now got their defect rate down to 1.5%.

    A couple of weeks later I got my new Minipresso and all went well for a couple of days then, well, again I overdid the dose and tamp and it started a leak, this time not as bad as the first. I thought I would have a go at fixing it myself.

    Below are the steps I went through to fix the machine. Please be aware that you may break yours and invalidate your guarantee - the risk is your own, but it worked for me.

    1. On the pump unit, take out the four black plugs. They pop out with a knife-tip

    2. Undo the four Phillips head screws and remove the centre part by pulling hard upwards.

    3. Undo the two Phillips head screws. Remove the little inlet valve as it is easy to lose.

    Slip a couple of toothpicks into the sleeve that the piston casing locks into. This raises the lip of the sleeve above a little catch on the piston casing. There is also a smaller catch on each side of the piston casing.

    Pull and wiggle the piston until it comes clear. This takes a bit of effort to get past the two side catches.

    4. The white pump unit can now be removed by lifting up at the back, then forward.

    5. The O-ring seal is clearly the problem. Too much pressure has blown it out of its seating.

    6. Undo the pump seal with a 16mm spanner or a pair of pliers. Reseat or replace the O-ring as required then tighten tightly.

    Reverse the procedure to reassemble - omitting the toothpicks.

    I am getting lovely shots from this machine, within its limitations of dose size and pressure. I find that preheating with hot water is essential to bring it up to temperature. 7-8 grams of coffee (same grind as I use on the Silvia) produces a very short shot, 20-30mls before it starts blonding. If it chokes, stop pushing, because something will give.

    cheers
    Andrew
    Attached Files

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