I heard from a friend before that there is a compact hand-pressed concentrator on the market, which is said to be able to produce rich oil! Front Street, who has always been full of the spirit of exploring new things, naturally wanted to test this interesting machine.
So, preparation for the unpacking ceremony
The box is square and simple and beautiful. When you open the box, there is a small hand-pressed coffee machine lying inside, and there is a small coffee spoon next to it, which is probably used to hold coffee powder.
When you open the upper cover, there is a clear plastic smell inside. It is recommended to wash it with hot water before using it and then let it dry for a few days.
This hand-pressed coffee machine is the third generation product of Xingli. It has obvious improvements over the previous two generations. For example, the retractable bracket is used on the stand. When folded, it fits the coffee machine and saves space. When unfolded, it supports the entire coffee machine. It is also equipped with buckles and the stand is very strong.
Disassembly structure study
If you want to understand its extraction principle, you must first learn to disassemble it! The official manual also has an exploded view of parts, you can take a look:
As shown in the picture above, basically all parts can be disassembled.
There is a syringe-like water pressure device on the top component. There is a spring inside, which can automatically reset after being pressed down. The operating principle is the same as the D special pressure. When the pressure rod is upward, water will be pumped out, and when the pressure rod is pressed down, the water inside will be sprayed out.
The big cylindrical shape in the middle is the water tank, used to hold hot water.
Coming to the water injection part, the water distribution network here is a bit interesting, because water is injected from the middle, and there are no holes in the middle part of the water distribution network, which is exactly the same as the design of the espresso machine.
There is a pressure regulating valve on the lower cover. According to the official statement, 15-20bar can be adjusted freely (dubious). During disassembly, turning the pressure regulating valve actually adjusts the internal piston. When it is turned the most tightly, the piston is wide open, and when it is loosened, the piston is semi-closed.
Can it really produce grease? Try it now
If you want coffee to produce oil, of course, a pack of freshly roasted espresso beans is indispensable. In order to match the supercharged extraction function, the first choice is Front Street Premium Blend (nut flavor), Front Street Commercial Blend (essential for opening a store), Front Street Classic Blend (overflowing with oil), and Front Street Black Cocoa Basic Blend (chocolate flavor).
According to the official instructions, the powder cup of this product can be filled with 18-22 grams of powder and 120-180ml of water. So the first parameter used by Front Street is to fill 18 grams of coffee powder and use 120ml of water.
First, pour 18 grams of coffee powder into the powder cup. The coffee powder is ground directly to the grinding thickness of the store's espresso machine, which is as fine as flour.
Use a powder hammer to compact and flatten the coffee powder. There is a MAX scale line on the side of the powder cup. Just don't exceed it.
After compacting, fasten it to the water tank and tighten it.
At this time, you can place it on the stand and pour 120ml of boiling hot water. There are also tick marks inside that you can see.
Then install the upper cover, tighten it, and start squeezing the pressure rod, pressing continuously and frequently. Follow the recommendation of 1-2 seconds between every two presses, and coffee liquid will start to appear at about 20 seconds.
It stops when the liquid volume reaches 60ml. However, it is surprising that such a small machine can press out grease, and it is still very rich.
However, when I tasted it, it was a bit watery and bitter, and the fat showed a white color in the middle, so it was probably over-extracted. So Front Street decided to adjust the parameters and try again. The powder amount continued to be 18 grams, the hot water was still 120ml, and the temperature was 95 degrees Celsius. This time, the pressure will stop when it reaches 40ml of coffee liquid.
This time the espresso has a pretty good body, and the oil is relatively more delicate. Then try making a hot latte! Ignore the details of how to froth milk. Generally speaking, the oil is qualified. There is no caking or decomposition. The big bubbles on the side are caused by pouring the concentrate into the coffee cup, which is a bit difficult to eliminate. The latte art pattern is also very comfortable.
This hand-pressed espresso machine is actually quite surprising, especially when the golden coffee liquid is pressed out. If compared with hand-pressed coffee machines or capsule machines of the same type/price, it is very competitive. Its biggest feature is that it can choose a variety of coffee beans. The degree of freedom is better than that of capsule machines, and the stability is honestly about the same as that of semi-automatic coffee machines. It mainly depends on the operation level. The grinding size of the coffee powder is the same as that used in semi-automatic coffee machines.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
