EspressoGC Explorer Edition

I watched a lot of reviews before buying this coffee press. Most of them said it would make espresso as well as other types of coffee. The problem I’ve found is, if I want to use it to make an Americano for example, it isn’t strong enough or the portafilter isn’t big enough to get enough coffee to taste the coffee.And even if it was, it doesn’t hold enough water for any other type of coffee. it makes great espresso but I wanted it for more than that. I have definitely bought the wrong thing.

I originally purchased the ROK alongside a move we were making to live off grid (November 2021)... I wanted a device where I could simply boil a kettle and pull a decent espresso using only muscle power...

I love bicycles and devices that rely on simple mechanical advantage for operation... so I was immediately drawn to the elegant and well resolved design

There was one hitch early on... I blew through (cracked under high pressure) an early iteration of the aluminium retention ring / seal that sits above the porta filter... ROK were quick to resolve the issue however and sent me the upgraded part (I felt reassured that they were committed to product development / improvement alongside good customer service)... it was a straightforward replacement...

It has performed dutifully ever since!

4 years later we're back in the mainstream... I thought I would 'upgrade' to a delonghi dedica... nice espresso but completely unreliable... passed it on...

So the ROK came out of retirement... and I was reminded what a simple joy it is to use... zero maintenance... utterly reliable and consistent

I'm sure the espresso probably doesn't rival an expensive gaggia but I'm no coffee snob... I like a decent long coffee... thats it...

A few hacks (in my humble opinion) to make the most of the ROK... use correct espresso ground coffee (my favourite is Lavazza Oro but all the Lavazza grinds work fine and there are other similar supermarket alternatives)... coarser grinds don't work and too fine and it gets hard to exert enough pressure to generate flow... tamp the puck well... use boiling water (heat is quickly lost so it needs optimising... if I'm being finicky I sometimes preheat it by pulling a blank shot of boiling water into a cup)... on that note I always pre heat my milk... upon filling the reservoir I tend to allow pre-infusion until the first drip of coffee comes through and then pull to full pressure... about 3 pulls and the puck comes out pretty dry...

honestly... after 5 years of reliable service I can't recommend this beautifully engineered little machine highly enough...

in this age of low attention spans and fake news well done for reading to the end and allow me to reassure you that I am indeed a real human :)

A terrible shopping experience; I still haven't received my package. It's been a month since I made the purchase, and due to missing documentation that was omitted at the time of shipment, my order is stuck in a warehouse awaiting a solution from ROK. I've already sent numerous emails seeking a resolution, and they just keep giving me the runaround.

The order hasn't been delivered yet after 2 weekd

Great design works better than an electric one