All AeroPress lovers are sure to have their fair share of pressing woes. In particular, there’s the pain and frustration of watching the seconds tick away over your total brew time as you struggle to push down on that plunger.

There are a couple of reasons why that plunger can be so hard to push. You may have a clogged reusable filter or your grind size may be too fine. A clogged filter is an easy fix, but what if you prefer a super-fine grind? Why should you have to change the taste of your brew simply because it’s harder to get a consistent press time? Fret no more; this problem has been ingeniously solved by the Spressa Mezzo, a manual lever device designed specifically to make ‘AeroPressing’ much easier and more consistent.

SEE ALSO: Tips to make the perfect AeroPress

History of the Spressa

Spressa is the brainchild of Dan Erickson and his co-designer and co-developer Ross M. Colquhoun from Seattle, Washington. Like many other great coffee brewing devices, the Spressa was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign in May of 2014. The first distribution operation began in Australia, not long after Kickstarter orders were fulfilled. Soon after, this clever device was endorsed by Seattle Coffee Gear, who became the first US distributor. Since then, the Spressa has gained distributors in various countries, with them most recent development being its entry into the South Korean specialty coffee industry.

The device is still quite young and I can see plenty of opportunity for expansion into new markets and retail stores. The Spressa is not just a coffee geek device. It genuinely makes the AeroPress much friendlier for a variety of users.

The original blueprints for the Spressa. Credit: Spressa kickstarter

The Answer to Your AeroPress Problems

The Spressa makes AeroPressing easier, more comfortable, and smoother through the aid of a lever that fits snugly onto the top of your AeroPress plunger during extraction. With one smooth and effortless pull on the lever, you can achieve precise control over extraction time. The minimal effort required to pull the lever also increases the flexibility to experiment with faster extraction speeds.

AeroPressing with the Spressa feels so much more comfortable because it eliminates the awkward downward motion you would normally make with your hands, which doesn’t feel so great on your wrists. This is sure to be a well-received improvement for those whose hand and wrist injuries make AeroPressing painful.

SEE ALSO: The Kaffeologie S: Do You Need This AeroPress Filter?

It also features a ‘stabiliser’ section halfway up the stand to prevent the AeroPress from slipping while applying mechanical force with the lever. For added convenience, this section can also hold the AeroPress spoon and stirrer.

And, aside from improving the functionality of the AeroPress, I also find the Spressa makes a beautiful wooden showpiece stand for your AeroPress without using a lot of space.

Stylish, compact, and an overall easier AeroPress experience. Credit: @spressa_us

Great at Home, Great in the Café

The Spressa is great on the home countertop, but I also see it as a product that could improve the functionality of a brew bar in a commercial café setting. Wrist injuries are already an operational health and safety issue for baristi. The Spressa would become as important on an AeroPress brew bar as an ergonomic tamper and mat are when preparing espresso. Not to mention that during training, exhibitions, or conversation with clients, the operator can avoid looking distracted while using the Aeropress with a Spressa.

Aeropress at the brew bar looks dull without a stand. Credit: @spressa_us

What’s the Spressa Made Of?

Dan and Ross made the Spressa with environmental sustainability in mind, including the packaging you receive it in. It’s made out of sustainably grown Baltic Birch plywood. There are two options for the base: a charcoal ‘SpressPly’ or a beautiful looking ‘PaperStone’ base, which is made from 100% recycled paper and has no petro chemicals added. The packaging it comes in is also recycled and biodegradable and the commitment they put into making it an eco-product is definitely a win. It comes flat packaged so you do need to build it yourself, but you don’t need to worry as it’s very simple to put together. I love the fact that although the Spressa parts are machined and then finished by hand, it has the feel of a durable and stylish handmade product.

Flat Pack ensures no damage and easier shipping. Credit: L. Skadins

Out of the multitude of coffee geek products that I own, the Spressa is one of my favourite showpieces and, because it makes AeroPressing so much easier, there’s almost never a day that goes by where I don’t use it.

‘AeroSpressing’. Credit: @erushroulette

Feature Photo Credit: Joel Smedley

Perfect Daily Grind.