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CISNO Electric Portable Espresso Machine review

REVIEW – I have spent most of my life growing up and living in the greater Seattle area and am without a doubt a coffee snob/connoisseur. I detest Starbucks and will go miles out of my way to find espresso that isn’t burnt and bitter. On my travels finding good/tolerable coffee on the fly is sometimes difficult. Yelp helps but depending how far I’m out in the middle of nowhere, often it’s a lost cause. Thankfully, the CISNO electric portable espresso machine is engineered to make coffee where ever, whenever you want/need a worthy cup of joe…

What is it?

The CISNO electric portable espresso machine is a thermos-sized, all-in-one solution for having coffee on the go, at the office, in the car, in the middle of nowhere, etc. This compact, battery operated coffee maker uses Nespresso pods to produce your favorite caffeinated beverage when there is no coffee shop in sight.

Design and features

The CISNO electric portable espresso machine is made from ABS plastic and food grade plastic. The material and build quality is rugged, well engineered, and nicely constructed. It generates 15 bars of pressure and produces 1.35oz of espresso per Nespresso capsule. It is definitely designed to be portable, able to be powered by removable lithium ion battery, AC power adaptor, or 12 volt car charger.

Operations:

Using the CISNO is simple and relatively mess-free, all you need is water (preferably boiling water) and a few Nespresso pods. First, you insert your favorite Nespresso capsule into the base of CISNO and screw on the cap sealing the bottom chamber.

Then you flip the portable espresso machine over and fill the water reservoirs with 50ml of water. As I mentioned, the hotter the water the better. If you use room temperature water the CISNO takes approximately 8 minutes to heat the liquid to 194℉/90℃. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery can do this three times before having to be recharged. If you use boiling water, there is no wait/heating time and the CISNO can produce 80 shots of espresso before needing to be plugged in.

Once sealed, you simply press the power button and the CISNO gets to work. The thermos design also includes a screw on cup that you can (obviously) drink from. The CISNO portable espresso machine can be battery operated or directly plugged into a wall socket or into the 12V power port of your car, boat, etc. Above the power button are three blue LED that let you know the battery level and charging status.

Specifications:

  • Body material: ABS
  • Cup material: Food Grade Plastic
  • Water heating temperature: 194℉/90℃
  • Pouring temperature: 158℉/70℃
  • Optimum pump pressure： 15 bars
  • During infusion pump pressure：12-8 bars
  • Water reservoir capacity： 50ml
  • Espresso shot：1.35oz
  • Lithium battery： 28.86WH
  • Total voltage： 11.1V
  • Capacity of drinking cup： 200ml
  • Effective length of power cable： 1500mm
  • Dimension： 3.2*3.0*9.9 inch(L x W x H)
  • Weight：1.0kg

Package contents:

  • CISNO portable espresso machine
  • Battery Pack
  • 12V Car Charger
  • AC Adaptor

Well…how good is it???

As I mentioned, the CISNO espresso machine uses OriginalLine Nespresso capsules to brew the coffee. The Nespresso capsules are compact, easy to transport, readily available, and non-messy. They also come in a multitude of flavors and strengths…my preference is Roma (strong, full-bodied, smooth, non-nutty). Each capsule produces a 1.35oz shot of espresso. So, I need 2-3 capsules for my americano. I’ve found you can get the Nespresso capsules for about $0.70 each. Thus, each cup of coffee is about 2 bucks, for me at least. That said, even though it is relatively inexpensive to use, this gadget isn’t really about saving money. The CISNO was created to make/have good espresso where and when you might not normally be able to.

While not as high as the typical Nespresso machine, the CISNO produces 15 bars of pump pressure and does a solid job of pulling the flavor and richness of the coffee from the capsules. If you want to use your own grind coffee, a reusable stainless SealPod is required.

What I like

  • Portable all-in-one espresso solution
  • Well made from quality materials
  • Very transportable
  • Uses easy to use/find Originalline Nespresso capsules
  • Makes an excellent cup of coffee/espresso
  • Battery operated but comes with wall and car chargers

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

I admit the CISNO electric portable espresso machine is a relatively niche device but for those who need a shot of worthy coffee far off the beaten path, it definitely gets the job done. It’s compact, efficient design is easy to transport with you whether in your backpack, desk drawer, car, saddlebag on your bike tour of Europe, etc. Since you can select your favorite Nespresso capsule to use, odds of making excellent espresso on the fly are very good.

Price: $119.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by CISNO.

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CISNO Electric Portable Espresso Machine review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 20, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Grind your own coffee beans with the Handground manual grinder

NEWS – Coffee snobs connoisseurs know you only use freshly ground beans to make coffee.  And everybody knows that the key to great coffee is a precisely even grind of the correct coarseness for your type of brewer.  There are a variety of grinders on the market you could choose from in your search for the perfect grinder.  Blade coffee grinders are inexpensive, but they hack the beans into uneven chunks, which won’t work well for a good brew.  Burr coffee grinders do a better job at grinding, but the best ones are usually expensive.  The folks at Handground worked with “thousands of coffee enthusiasts around the world” to design a grinder that produces a consistent grind with 15 coarseness settings at a very reasonable price.

Handground is a manual grinder, so you can use it at home or take it along on your travels.  Features include:

  • Locking top so bean particles don’t fly out while you grind
  • Side-mounted handle for better ergonomics
  • Wide base for more stability while grinding
  • 100g Capacity hopper able to contain enough coffee beans for 5 cups of joe
  • Coarseness adjustment ring to select a grind setting with one twist
  • 15 preset coarseness levels at 165 micron intervals fit for any method of brewing
  • 40mm conical burrs made from densely sintered Alumina ceramic which has high strength and hardness, temperature stability, and high wear resistance and corrosion resistance
  • Triple mounted stainless steel axle to eliminate burr wobble and produce a consistent grind
  • Glass catcher to prevent static and sticky grounds

Each grinder comes with a magnet that shows the coarseness setting needed for various brewing styles.

Handground started out as a Kickstarter project that is now available for purchase.  It’s available in black for $69.00 or nickel for $89.00.  You may purchase the Handground grinder at either Amazon or the Handgrind website.

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Grind your own coffee beans with the Handground manual grinder originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 18, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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You’ll never run out of coffee pods with the Java Smart Container

The WePlenish Java Smart Container is a current Kickstarter campaign.  WePlenish thinks the way of the future is to automate the home’s entire pantry, so goods will track their amounts and automatically order when they run low.  They’re starting with the Java Smart Container, which works with Amazon’s Dash Replenishment system to automatically reorder your favorite coffee pods, espresso capsules, tea, or even snack foods when supplies run low.  The Java Smart is the first and only container paired with Dash.

The container is battery-powered, so you can place it anywhere.  You connect it to WiFi, select the pantry item it will track, and let the WePlenish container do the rest.  You’ll just need to drop the new supplies in the container when they are delivered to your door.  The WePlenish app, available for Android and iOS, shows you a complete list of compatible consumables.

The Java Smart Container is available in black or white.  MSRP will be about $40, but the early bird pledge is $20 for a single Java Smart.  Estimated delivery is September 2018.  The funding period ends Friday, June 29, 2018, at 8:30 AM EDT.  Learn more at Kickstarter.

The post You’ll never run out of coffee pods with the Java Smart Container appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

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You’ll never run out of coffee pods with the Java Smart Container originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 8, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Have an espresso anywhere using Nanopresso

You’re out camping enjoying your smokey campfire-cooked meal, but it’s missing something – an espresso! Now you can have one using a portable espresso maker called the Nanopresso. It doesn’t need electricity. All you need to provide is finely ground coffee and hot water. It uses a pump to extract the coffee, which provides upwards of 261 PSI according to the Wacaco website. It comes with a built-in espresso cup, filter basket, scoop, brush, and instructions. It is available from Wacaco for $64.90 USD and comes in black, yellow, orange or red colors. Ah, now you have enough energy to take on the rest of the day no matter where you are!

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Have an espresso anywhere using Nanopresso originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 1, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Rapidly chill freshly-brewed coffee or tea without diluting it with the HyperChiller

The HyperChiller can reduce the temperature of any drink (other than carbonated beverages) by up to 130°F in sixty seconds.  Imagine being able to chill freshly-brewed coffee or tea enough for an iced beverage without watering it down by pouring it over ice cubes.  And it’s not just for hot beverages; you can also cool whiskey, wine, juice, and other non-carbonated beverages.

The HyperChiller is made of BPA-free plastic and food-grade stainless steel.  Prepare the chiller by filling the inner and outer chambers with water and freezing it in advance.  The cooling chamber holds 12.5 ounces.  The HyperChiller is designed to fit under most coffee makers, so you can brew directly into the cooling chamber.

The HyperChiller rapid drink chiller is $29.95 at The Grommet.

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Rapidly chill freshly-brewed coffee or tea without diluting it with the HyperChiller originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 18, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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