Impressive Lever-Press Espresso Machine Has Finesse

Some people will do anything for a good cup of coffee, and we don’t blame them one bit — we’ve been known to pack up all our brewing equipment for road trips to avoid being stuck with whatever is waiting in the hotel room.

While this stylish lever-based industrial coffee machine made by [exthemius] doesn’t exactly make textbook espresso, it’s pretty darn close. Think of it like an Aeropress on steroids, or more appropriately, bulletproof coffee. As you can see in the demo after the break, the resulting coffee-spresso hybrid brew looks quite tasty.

Here’s how it works: finely-ground beans go in a pressurized portafilter basket that was scavenged from an entry-level prosumer espresso machine. Pour boiling water into the top of the cylinder, and pull the giant lever down slowly to force it through the portafilter. Presto, you’re in thin, brown flavor town.

We love the piston-esque plunger that [exthemius] made by layering washers and rubber gaskets up like a tiramisu. Although there are no plans laid out, there’s probably enough info in the reddit thread to recreate it.

If you ever do find yourself stuck with hotel house brand, soak it overnight to make it much more palatable.

8 thoughts on “Impressive Lever-Press Espresso Machine Has Finesse

    1. Those fittings on the bottom are know as “Tri-clover”, and are specifically designed as sanitary fittings that are easy to clean. They’re designed for breweries, medical production etc

  1. Those look like galvanized washers on the piston. Does exposure to boiling water release zinc from galvanized parts like welding does? Stainless might’ve been a better choice. Otherwise looks great.

    1. zinc oxide is a bit like dihydrogen monoxide, breathing it in is baaad, swallowing it in restricted quantities is okay, stomach doesn’t really absorb the oxide too well, and you can rub it on a baby’s butt no worries, it would be high doses of citrates or glutamates you’d have to watch out for, more than 30mg a day or so unless curing a congenital problem under a Doc’s direction. Even if you rinsed the parts with vinegar and drunk that, the zinc acetate would probably just have you seeing and breathing a bit clearer, unless you steeped a 5 gallon zinc bucket in it for a couple of weeks and then boiled that down.

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