Wacaco Minipresso GR
Hand operated, no batteries, portable espresso
Hotel room coffee is, at best, bad and more often terrible. Hotel room espresso is usually limited to what is available in the lobby coffee shop, if there is one.
Since I spend a reasonable amount of time traveling for work (mostly via car) and I like my morning espresso I’ve tried several portable espresso machines to get me my morning espresso fix. I’ve found that the Wacaco Minipresso is the best portable espresso machine available. I’ve tried the Handpresso (I didn’t like having to use pods) and the much-loved Aerobie but neither of those got me the espresso I wanted.
I’ve been using the Minipresso for well over a year now and can say it has held up very well after being used on a regular basis. It does the trick. I grind a small amount of coffee before my trip and store it in a glass jar. I use the in-room coffee pot to make hot water (run at least one full “pot” to clean it out first) and then use the Minipresso to make my morning espresso without having to leave my room. This works very well when traveling to places without a good coffee shop nearby. A couple of recommendations:
- Make more hot water than you need and heat your espresso cup with hot water before filling it with espresso.
- Take an espresso cup along with you so you are not stuck using the built-in, plastic espresso cup that is part of the system.
I carry everything necessary (along with a flask for an evening cocktail) in a small lunch bag. The next addition to my travel kit will be a portable coffee grinder (most likely a Porlex mini – reviewed on Cool Tools).
08/17/21MiniPresso GR Espresso Maker ($58)
