Coffee isn’t just coffee. More than that, not all coffee is equal. Even more than that, not all coffee is brewed in a way that accentuates, maximizes, or highlights what amazing coffee it is … or could/should be. Case in point, this morning I’m up early before my family awakes. I had every intention to get up early, load my bike up, and drive to a trailhead to ride. But I stayed up too late with my family. Add to that the change of clock from Daylight Savings and seemingly half of my morning is now over. However, with the longer days now I have more wiggle room for when I can ride. But, coffee first …
Since I knew I wanted (and needed) to get this article and review written I thought I’d pop over to a new coffee shop here in NE Portland. I had been by it many times and was curious. Since they feature coffee from an amazing and well-known local roaster I was excited to check it out. For me personally the litmus test of any coffee shop is how they do their drip or batch brew coffee. Is it dialed? Does it even taste good? You see, you can have amazingly roasted coffee but if you brew it incorrectly (which assumes many potential errors in the process) then the cup will taste very unspectacular.
Today my cup was very unspectacular, and that is being kind. I’m not sure I’ll even get through the 1st cup. It’s simply blech. However, I know it’s not the roaster’s fault because their coffee is top notch and incredible (a personal favorite). Something went awry when brewing it. My hunch is not only their batch brew carafe is dirty and caked with coffee sediment but the coffee has sat out too long.
So why bring that up?
How you brew coffee matters … A LOT. At home I normally brew coffee with an AeroPress. Of late I’ve been tweaking my recipe and by simply adjusting the grind size a tiny bit plus reducing the brew time I was blown away by how much more l love it. That brings me to the highlighted brew method today … the Cafflano Kompresso.
I forget exactly when and I how I picked this up, but if I recall it was through a Kickstarter campaign. While I don’t normally drink straight-up espresso I do like making Americanos with manual brew methods. Most often I’ll use the Fellow Prismo AeroPress Attachment at home since I already have my AeroPress sitting next to the kitchen sink. Half of the year I’ll make hot Americanos while through the summer I switch to making iced Americanos. As a result I have 3 brew methods for pulling an espresso shot that I do rotate through. The first two are the ones I just mentioned and the other is the Wacaco Nanopreso. While this review isn’t like a battle of the bands from the old Headbanger’s Ball on MTV or 80’s dance-offs from epic movies like Beat Street I want to instead share what I love about the Cafflano Kompresso.
The first thing I noticed about the Kompresso was that it has an interesting look to it. My mind immediately went to my high school chemistry classroom. While it’s kind of similar looking (ish) to the AeroPress, plus you also actually press the coffee, that’s where the similarities end. As it is built to make espresso the water chamber is noticeably smaller than the AeroPress. So how does it even work? Again, it is similar to the AeroPress in that you’re pushing (more like squeezing) coffee through a filter.
Since you’re making espresso that means a fine coffee grind to begin with. That’s because your brew time is much shorter. Once you load the filter basket and place the filter on top of it is when you screw the water chamber onto it. Then you add your hot water (I usually keep my kettle on 202 degrees for starters). After the chamber is filled you put the plunger (called the pressing handle) onto it. Unlike the AeroPress where you push the coffee through as you press down on it, for the Kompresso there are handles on the pressing handle where you then squeeze together also using the handles on the filter basket. So together with the plunger you’re bringing these together with a gentle squeeze.
The most important question is … does it make a good shot of espresso? Also, since these are built to be used outdoors … around the morning campfire or at the trailhead how much should we care if it’s as quality of a shot as from a $25,000 commercial espresso machine? The short answer is that it’s certainly not as good, but that’s not the purpose or the point. The reality is that with the Kompresso you can have a shot of espresso wherever you go. Whether you pack it on a work trip and you’re in your hotel room or after a cold night of camping it delivers a shot of espresso that is refreshing, delicious, and fun.
So the question becomes … “Should you buy a Cafflano Kompresso?” My question then is … “Why not?” It’s a lot of fun to have and use. There are definitely pros and cons for all 3 brew methods I mentioned in this article. While one of the cons for the Kompresso could be you don’t want to hassle with the various pieces it is also super lightweight and very easy to use. The most important things is that it makes a shot I enjoy drinking. In the end, that’s what matters the most to me.
Enjoy!
Words and Photo by Sean Benesh
Founder of Loam Coffee