IKAPE Alkaid Manual Espresso Machine Review | Unplugged Screw-Driven Coffee Innovation
Among the vast array of coffee equipment, I’ve always felt that unplugged devices deserve to be considered a category of their own—and one that has won the hearts of many coffee geeks. Recently, a product called the IKAPE Alkaid Manual Espresso Machine caught my attention and genuinely made me think: maybe it’s time to let “no electricity” go a little wilder. Founded in Shenzhen in 2021 by Vincent Tong and Alex Zeng , IKAPE specializes in manual coffee tools and accessories. Among their lineup, the Alkaid manual espresso machine is undoubtedly the most eye-catching. Its most striking feature is that, unlike traditional lever-style manual espresso machines, the Alkaid uses a screw-driven transmission system to extract espresso. Turning the wooden crank handle rotates a gear, which drives a threaded rod upward. As the shaft rises, a linkage lowers the piston, and water is pushed into the brew head by the piston, which is driven by an internal worm-gear mechanism. Reversing the ...