I received the Staresso Portable Espresso Maker as a Christmas present this year. The Staresso Portable Coffee Maker is a manual, portable espresso maker for use at home, on the road or on your next outdoor excursion. So how does it fare? To find out, I’ll put it through a few test runs and let you know what I think.
The Staresso works by adding hot water in a reservoir and pumping it through the coffee grounds into a waiting glass. To achieve this, the unit states that it delivers 15 to 20 bars of working pressure. To make your shot of espresso, the Staresso has a coffee capacity of 10g. or .35 oz. and a water capacity of 100ml or 3.5 oz.
The unit is quite compact, and looks well built with the metal parts made from food grade stainless steel and the plastic bits out of BPA free plastics.
The Staresso comes with everything you need except the scale to weigh your coffee, but as it turns out, you don’t really need a scale as the included scoop filled almost to the top comes right about to the recommended amount of grounds. Just heat your water in the included cup, pour into the chamber and attach the pump. Add your coffee grounds to the metal basket, tamp it down with the scoop and attach it to the bottom of the chamber. Insert the assembled chamber into the cup and holder and you are ready to pump a nice hot shot of espresso. Just spin the pump top to extend it and start pumping. The effort is minimal and after 10-15 pumps you have a nice shot of espresso. It is also fairly easy to clean once you’re done.
The espresso is quite good and I get a very nice crema on my shots. The instructions that come with the unit are accurate and concise so it is easy to get started. The manual states that you can use it as a milk frother too, but I haven’t tried that and would worry that cleaning the pump mechanism after drawing milk into it could be problematic, but again, I have not tried it.
Conclusion
For the price of about $65.00, I think it is a great deal. The build quality is good and compared to other similar units the price is very attractive.
It makes a good espresso and being a portable alternative to larger home espresso makers is nice. It does not require any batteries or other electrical power, so If you’re on the go and want a cup of espresso now and then, the Staresso Portable Coffee Maker is a good choice.
Based on my initial use of the Staresso, I would give it a thumbs up and recommend it.