Can a hand-press coffee machine extract espresso with a rich crema? With this question in mind, Front Street conducted a complete unboxing and hands-on test of the Star Press third-generation hand-press espresso machine. From disassembling the structure and the water-injection extraction principle, to adjusting parameters with 18g of grounds and 120ml of hot water, and finally pressing out golden crema and making a hot latte, the playability of this small machine was verified step by step. The article retains the structural details of the Star Press hand-press coffee machine, the official pressure parameters, the recommended coffee dose and water volume, as well as bean recommendations such as Front Street Specialty Blend, Front Street Commercial Blend, Front Street Classic Blend, and Front Street Dark Cocoa Base Blend, making it suitable for coffee enthusiasts interested in hand-press espresso equipment and crema extraction.

A while ago, a friend mentioned that a hand-press espresso machine had appeared on the market that was very small yet could press out a rich crema. For Front Street, which has always been keen on trying new equipment, this machine was certainly worth testing in person.

So let's start with the unboxing.

The packaging box is a neat square with a simple, attractive design. Lifting the lid reveals a compact hand-press coffee machine sitting quietly inside, along with a small coffee scoop, presumably for adding and removing coffee grounds.

After opening the top cover, a fairly noticeable plastic smell can be detected. It is recommended to rinse it with hot water first after receiving it, then let it air out for a few days.

This hand-press espresso machine belongs to the Star Press third-generation product line and has many visible improvements over the previous two generations. For example, the stand has been changed to a collapsible structure: when folded, it sits flush against the body to reduce footprint; when unfolded, it supports the entire coffee machine steadily, and it comes with a buckle for good support strength.

Disassembly and Structural Analysis

To understand its extraction logic, you first have to take it apart. The official manual includes an exploded parts diagram for reference:

As shown in the diagram, almost all parts can be removed.

The topmost part resembles the water-pressing structure of a syringe, with a spring inside that automatically rebounds after being pressed down. Its working principle is similar to the D特压: when the plunger moves up, it draws in water; when pressed down, it expels the water inside.

The large cylinder in the middle is the water tank, used for holding hot water.

Now looking at the water-injection section, the dispersion screen here is quite interesting. Because water is sprayed out from the center, and the dispersion screen happens to have no holes in the middle, this design is very similar to that of an espresso machine.

There is a pressure regulating valve on the lower cover, which the official description says can be freely adjusted between 15-20bar (though I remain skeptical about this). When disassembling, turning the pressure regulating valve actually adjusts the internal piston: when tightened to the maximum, the piston is in a wide-open state; when loosened, the piston becomes half-closed.

Can it really press out crema? Let's try it

To get coffee to produce crema, freshly roasted espresso beans are essential. To work with the pressurized extraction, priority should be given to Front Street Specialty Blend (nutty profile), Front Street Commercial Blend (commonly used for shops), Front Street Classic Blend (rich crema), and Front Street Dark Cocoa Base Blend (chocolate flavor).

According to the official instructions, this machine's portafilter basket can hold 18-22g of coffee grounds, with a water volume of 120-180ml. For Front Street's first test, the parameters used were: 18g of grounds and 120ml of water.

First, pour 18g of coffee grounds into the basket, using the grind setting directly from the shop's espresso machine, which is close to flour-like fineness.

Use a tamper to level and compact the grounds. There is a MAX line on the edge of the basket; do not exceed this position.

After tamping, attach it to the water tank and tighten it.

Then place it on the stand and pour in 120ml of freshly boiled hot water. There are also scale markings inside the water tank for reference.

Then attach the top cover and tighten it, and begin pressing the plunger continuously. Operate at a rhythm of 1-2 seconds between every two presses; coffee liquid begins to flow out at around 20 seconds.

Stop pressing when the liquid volume reaches 60ml. Surprisingly, such a small machine really can press out crema, and quite a rich crema at that.

However, upon tasting, the coffee was thin and noticeably bitter, with the center of the crema surface turning white, indicating over-extraction. So Front Street adjusted the parameters and tried again: still 18g of grounds, still 120ml of hot water, but the temperature changed to 95°C, and this time pressing was stopped at 40ml of espresso.

This shot of espresso had noticeably better body and a finer crema. So let's use it to make a hot latte. The details of steaming milk will be skipped here; overall, this crema was acceptable: no clumps and no breakdown. The large bubbles around the edges were produced when the espresso was poured into the cup and are not easy to eliminate, but the latte art pouring process was still very smooth.

This hand-press espresso machine really brought quite a few surprises, especially at the moment when the golden coffee liquid was pressed out. Compared with hand-press coffee machines or capsule machines of the same type and price range, its competitiveness is quite strong. Its biggest advantage is being able to freely choose all kinds of coffee beans, which is far more flexible than a capsule machine; in terms of consistency, to be honest, it is about the same as a semi-automatic espresso machine, mainly depending on the operator's skill. As for the coffee grind size, just refer to the fineness used for a semi-automatic espresso machine.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.