Review: Cafflano Kompresso

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Cafflano Kompresso: Background information.

Cafflano is a name which appears in my Instagram and Facebook posts more and more. The reason is simple: I travel a lot and want to brew coffee where ever I am. This is exactly what Beanscorp set out to do when they started producing their line of Cafflano coffee makers in 2013.
Their line now consists out of three coffee makers: Cafflano Klassic, Cafflano Kompact and the Cafflano Kompresso. In just 5 years they have managed to sell their products in over 80 countries using a simple but beautiful mission:
Develop, manufacture and provide quality coffee gear that are Simple, Innovative, Economic, Convenient, Sustainable and Portable for all coffee lovers!

There have been a couple of manual espresso makers around for a while and I am sure that there will be more on their way. Because the competition is getting stiff, there are a few characteristics you need to keep in mind when creating one. The size, the weight and the quality of the brew it can produce. The Kompresso is made out of plastic, is small in size and costs around $75,- on the internet. The biggest question remains: does it brew a nice espresso? Yes it does, when you get the hang of it.

Cafflano Kompresso: Unboxing.

The Kompresso comes in a plastic see-through package together with a manual. At first it looks like a simple device but when you disassemble it you notice how well thought out this Kompresso really is.

The Kompresso consists out of a piston, chamber, shower screen, filter basket, tamping scoop and a cup. These are actually all the parts that you have in an espresso machine only now made out of plastic and totally portable. The only thing you need is 9 bar of pressure that you will provide by pressing and pulling on both ends of the brewer at the same time.

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The piston is used to press down the hot water that you put in the chamber. The chamber is a long tube with ML markings on it so you know how much water you want to use.
Underneath is a metal shower screen with laser etched holes that distributes the water evenly over the ground coffee.
The ground coffee sits in the filter basket that has miniscule laser etched holes as well. The filter basket can hold 12 to 15 grams of ground coffee. From there the coffee drips into the cup.

Cafflano Kompresso: Brewing part 1.

When I first saw the Kompresso I was sceptic about the sturdiness of the Kompresso. Would the handles of this small device hold when an adult pushes the device down? It does. As a matter of fact I even put my full weight on it one time (my grind size was way too fine) and still it did not break.
Brewing with the Kompresso is easy, anyone can do it as long as you got a few things straight. The first thing is the grind size. This takes a little tweaking and trying; too fine and you don’t get anything out. Too coarse and you’ll get a sour watery brew that tastes awful. Try to use the grind size that you use for your espresso machine at first so the tweaking will be easier. The second thing is that you need to pre-heat the Kompresso. I cannot stretch this enough: in order to get that awesome espresso you will need to pre-heat the Kompresso by making a mock-espresso with hot water only.

Cafflano Kompresso: Brewing part 2.

First you’ll want to boil water and pre-heat the Kompresso.
After pre-heating the Kompresso you put the ground coffee (12 to 15 grams) in the filter basket and tamp it with the backside spoon. Tamp it hard enough so you will see the Cafflano logo on your puck. The next part is to screw the water chamber onto the filter basket and screw it tightly. The rubber rings will seal off the device and prevent any leakage of coffee.
The next step is to pour water in the chamber. When you use the 15 grams of coffee, you’ll want to fill the chamber up with 65ml water. After you filled up the chamber, you put the piston in and press it softly at first. You will notice that a little water is seeping into the filter basket. Let it rest for about 10 to 15 seconds. This ensures that the coffee is pre-infused to get the most out of your brew.

Congratulations, you have completed the easiest part of brewing with the Kompresso. It now comes down to your pressing and squeezing technique and you have me to help you with it.
Just pressing down the piston will not result in a great espresso because our bodies cannot press hard for a long time. Squeezing, however, is much easier to do for us humans.
First you will press the piston down until you feel the Kompresso pushing back. As soon as you feel the resistance you will start to squeeze. Build up the strength of the squeezing and after a second or two you should see some coffee dripping into the basket. Keep squeezing and maintain the pressure for about 30 seconds. It is easy to think that the brewing is done after 20 to 25 seconds but I urge to squeeze a little more when you think the brewing is done. Only stop after 30 to 35 seconds of brewing. Voila, a hot espresso.

Cafflano Kompresso: Brew quality and cleaning.

The quality of your espresso depends solely on your technique. I have taken this brewer on many travels all over the world and at first struggled with the brewing. Only after I got the grind size right, and got the hang of the squeezing, did I produce some great espresso’s. Thick crema, good flavours and a good temperature.

The cleaning of the Kompresso is easy, quick and does not take a lot of water. The easiest way is to pull the piston upwards so that it sucks up the left over water. Push the piston down fully again and the cup will fill itself with the last bit of coffee. Next unscrew the chamber and rinse off the shower screen with warm water. Tap the puck out of the filter basket and rinse it with warm water. Afterwards wipe it clean with a bit of paper or cloth. Easy, simple and effective.

Cafflano Kompresso: The Verdict.

With Cafflano I always get the feeling that the product you’re buying is created with a single purpose: to give the people a brewer to take along outside the house. The Kompresso is exactly that; a light, small and easy to use espresso brewer that you can literally take anywhere you want to go.
The Kompresso is build sturdy and can withstand a lot force without breaking. The 9 bar is definitely within reach without having to worry about breaking the Kompresso. The cleaning is easy and simple and doesn’t make a lot of mess. Just the way you like it when you are outdoors.
If you are looking for a portable and easy-to-use espresso brewer, the Kompresso is your brewer. The learning curve might be a little steep in the beginning but once you get the hang of it, you can have an awesome espresso anywhere in the world.