Picopresso

I have the Dedica ec685.M And Picopresso. They both need a few adjustments to make them extract a better shot. But when I adjust Picopresso properly, it makes crazy extractions. My hand grinder is Kingrinder K6, the best grinder for its price. 

I have definitely tried several. The Picopresso made great espresso but I found it messy to use and too fussy for travel, plus I did not at all enjoy what was required to generate pressure. The Staresso made adequately drinkable shots, but again I did not enjoy the experience of doing what was necessary to create pressure. Most recently I bought the Trekbrew from Turin and it seems to me to be the most promising of all. It’s is electric, and it can be used with either pre-boiled water or room temperature water. I have been very pleased with the quality of the shots it produces.

i like the picopresso. i use a camp stove or a jetboil to heat some water, an 1zpresso grinder, and a pocket sized scale.

Idk, I kinda feel his pain. I have eureka mignon specialita which seems like a great grinder and my portable pico makes FAR better tasting espresso than bambino with same grind settings/same coffee beans. Bambino shots are always bitter to me, and I've tried so many things - the puck prep is great, no channeling no nothing, the shot is extracted in 20/25/30/35/40 seconds (tried all combinations), yet, it never tastes great. It's good for milk based drinks and I truly love my cappuccinos which are far better than anything I can get from a coffee shop. But my espressos are just very mediocre...

If you want a low tech alternative to a machine, picopresso is the answer. It's cheap, easy to use, doesn't take long to use. The 9Barista is something to get if you like what it is. Dialing in in a 9 barista is going to be time consuming, you'll get several shots out of a picopresso in the same time.