Will Twist Press really taste like espresso, made by hand?

Question

The Twist Press kickstarter promises a hand-held espresso maker.

Q. Will the coffee it makes really taste like espresso, compared say to AeroPress coffee?

AIUI, the key factor in brewing espresso is pressure. How much pressure is needed?

Twist Press develops more pressure via a screw thread, but the thread appears to be at 45° which provides only 2x leverage, and you can't lean your weight on it, which is possible but not recommended for AeroPress.

The user presses the two handles towards each other, but that should just halve the pressing time, not increase the force. Is shorter brewing time important to making espresso (quick) taste? If so, why does this design have a closed cap for long brewing upside down?

From the photos, the press piston face looks about the same area as an AeroPress. A smaller piston area would increase the pressure proportionally.

Do espresso makers use paper filters like Twist Press does?

Answer 1

It depends exactly how much pressure can actually be applied.

To make proper espresso, you need 9 bars of pressure. To put that into perspective, that's about 131 lbs per square inch. I am guessing that there is no way the twist press can actually create that much pressure.

That being said, you will probably end up with something similar to what AeroPress or stovetop espresso (mokka) pot makes. Not quite espresso, not quite coffee. Its somewhere in the middle.

When dealing with espresso, its not so much about the time as it is the flow of the liquid through the puck. It's about a constant water flow at the proper temperature with a consistent pressure for the duration of the extraction. I don't think there is anything in press market that will ever be able to attain that.

Finally, espresso maker typically do not use paper filters, both the shower head and porta filter basket are metal.