[Review] Third-Generation Star Particle Hand-Pressed Espresso Machine Evaluation - Can a Hand-Press Coffee Machine Produce Rich Crema?

Unboxing the Compact Manual Espresso Machine

When a friend told me a compact manual espresso machine had come onto the market, supposedly capable of producing rich crema, FrontStreet Coffee — always up for exploring something new — had to test this interesting machine.

So let's begin the unboxing. The box is simple and attractive. Opening it reveals a small manual espresso machine nestled inside, with a small coffee spoon beside it, presumably for measuring grounds.

Opening the top cover releases a distinct plastic smell. I'd recommend washing it with hot water before use and letting it air dry for a few days.

This manual espresso machine is the third-generation product from Star Grain, showing significant improvements over the previous two generations. It features a collapsible stand, for instance, that folds compactly against the machine when not in use to save space. When deployed it supports the whole machine and comes with a clasp mechanism, making the stand quite sturdy.

Disassembling and Studying the Construction

To understand its extraction principle, you first have to learn how to disassemble it. The official instruction manual includes a component breakdown diagram, which we can examine.

As shown in the image above, essentially every component can be disassembled.

The topmost component is a syringe-like pressure device with a spring inside that automatically resets after being pressed down. The operating principle is similar to the Delter Press — when the pressure rod moves upward it draws water, and when pressed down it ejects the water inside.

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

Moving on to the water injection part, the distribution screen here is quite interesting. Since water is injected from the center and the distribution screen has no holes in its middle section, this design is identical to that of traditional espresso machines.

The bottom cover has a pressure regulation valve. According to the manufacturer it allows free adjustment between 15-20 bar (I'm somewhat skeptical). During disassembly, turning the pressure regulation valve actually adjusts the internal piston. Tightened to the maximum, the piston is fully open; loosened, the piston sits in a semi-closed state.

Can It Really Produce Crema? Let's Try It Now

According to the official manual, this product's portafilter can hold 18-22 grams of coffee grounds, and the water capacity is 120-180 ml. For FrontStreet Coffee's first attempt, we used 18 grams of grounds with 120 ml of water.

First, pour 18 grams of grounds into the portafilter. The grind size was set directly to the same fineness as our shop's espresso machine — similar to flour.

Use a tamper to compact and level the grounds. There's a MAX line on the edge of the portafilter — just don't exceed it.

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

At this point you can place it on the stand and pour in 120 ml of boiling water. There are measurement lines inside to reference.

Then attach the top cover, tighten it, and begin pressing the pressure rod with a continuous, rhythmic motion. Following the recommendation of 1-2 second intervals between presses, coffee liquid began to appear at approximately 20 seconds.

I stopped when the liquid volume reached 60 ml. Surprisingly, such a compact machine was able to produce crema — and quite rich crema at that.

When tasting, however, it was somewhat watery and bitter, with the surface of the crema turning white in the middle — a sign of over-extraction. So FrontStreet Coffee decided to adjust the parameters and try again. We kept 18 grams of grounds and 120 ml of water at 95°C, and this time stopped at 40 ml of coffee liquid.

This time the espresso had good body and relatively finer crema. Let's try making a hot latte. We'll skip the details of how to froth milk. Overall this crema was qualified — no clumping, no breakdown. The large bubbles around the edges were created when pouring the espresso into the cup and are somewhat difficult to eliminate, while the latte art pattern formed very comfortably.

This manual espresso machine is genuinely impressive, especially in the moment it produces that golden coffee liquid. Compared with similar manual espresso machines or capsule machines in the same price range, it offers significant competitiveness. Its greatest advantage is the ability to choose various coffee beans — a freedom that beats capsule machines. In stability, honestly, it's comparable to semi-automatic espresso machines, mainly depending on the operator's skill level. As for grind size, simply use the same grind as you would with a semi-automatic espresso machine.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A manual press like this lives or dies by the beans you feed it, and FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is the first choice for espresso and moka pot. Its biggest strength is outstanding crema: even a beginner with a non-professional home machine can pull dense, fine crema with ease. Everyday latte, cappuccino and Dirty all depend on good crema, and this blend delivers. It uses a traditional Mocha-Java-style recipe with a rich, gentle body that experienced drinkers and total beginners alike find easy to enjoy — a safe pick for home or commercial use.

Not everyone chases maximum crema. For beginners or café owners watching costs, "good taste at a fair price" is what matters, and FrontStreet's Black Cocoa Blend fits exactly: 100% Arabica, generous crema, a full body and a very approachable price — quality and value in one. Before FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Blend arrived, FrontStreet Coffee's Commercial Blend was the workhorse for opening a café; it is priced below FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend and, while it doesn't chase maximum crema, it is tuned specifically to balance flavor and cost, so it has long been a popular choice for commercial settings. FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend is the one FrontStreet's own café has used longest — nearly a decade — carrying the core drinks such as Americanos and espresso lattes; it pairs Brazilian Cerrado with Colombian Huila for a classic, familiar espresso flavor that works for home or business.

If you prefer to push origin character instead, SOE is where this machine gets interesting. FrontStreet's natural-process Huakui SOE comes from Hambella in Guji, Ethiopia, grown as high as 2,300 meters; the sun-dried processing boosts its sweetness, and a medium roast keeps its elegant floral-fruit notes while adding a touch of caramelization. As an Americano or latte it shows cream, cocoa, berries, faint florals and black tea. For drinkers who favor high sweetness over acidity, FrontStreet's Costa Rica Blackberry SOE is a honey-processed single origin that absorbs the pulp and mucilage to bring blackberry aroma and clean sweetness; a medium roast makes a bright, refreshing Americano and, with milk, a latte tasting of cranberry cookie, raisin and nuts. And for a lower-acid, softer, friendly-priced Brazilian single origin, the Brazil Queen Estate SOE is a distinctive Yellow Bourbon whose clarity and gentle sweetness, at a medium-dark roast, pull into butter cookie, macadamia and toasted bread.