Any time someone asks me what espresso machine I recommend for home use, I tell them it's a bad idea. Making espresso at home is finicky, wasteful, time-consuming, and a maintenance headache. It's all of that at the DoubleShot and we're using $25,000 espresso machines. But there is a solution to these issues if you're willing to forego steaming milk and drink espresso, americanos, or iced espresso drinks. Take away the electric pump and the heating elements, and trim the espresso machine down to its bare minimum and you've got Superkop.
Espresso is essentially finely ground coffee, packed into a puck in the portafilter basket, extracted with water at 9 BARS of force into a two ounce doubleshot. It's different from all other forms of coffee because the flavor oils in coffee that make it so tasty are hydrophobic - oil and water don't mix - so it requires this force to get them to flee out of the ground coffee and into your cup. When done right, it's rich and creamy and delicious.
Superkop starts with a standard portafilter. Pack your coffee into the basket. Place the water cup on top and fill with boiling water. Place it back into the grouphead and ratchet the lever down six times to plunge a piston into that water cup, creating air pressure to force the water through the puck. And you have espresso.
Clean-up is simple. Knock out the puck, rinse the portafilter and water cup, and enjoy your coffee. No need for backflushing, descaling, or replacing heating elements, etc. Superkop gives you the control to make espresso by touch, like any good artisan pursuit. And when the electricity goes out, all your friends will be at the house for a cup.
The cool Fellow cups are sold separately, here. It comes with everything else you see. Superkop can also be wall mounted, and the drip tray mount is available here.
While you're at it, don't forget a Native Pro Tamper and some espresso.
And, I mean, look at it. This is a cool coffeemaker. And it's from Amsterdam. Eat your heart out, Italy.
