It's ideal to take to work or bring with you on a hike. It even comes with a portable filter holder which can hold up to 20 filters. If you’re after a portable coffee maker that will transport you in spirit to a café on the Italian Riviera, choose this Staresso. The Wacaco Exagrind is an excellent fit for all coffee lovers looking for a compact and robust manual grinder that doesn't compromise precision and grind quality. The company touts its True Crema Valve, a bit of engineering that helps compensate for a bad grind or poor tamping. I tested this by using some pre-ground coffee from a large chain that shall remain nameless. The extraction from the poorly ground coffee with the True Crema valve was better than the extraction without it.

The Picopresso doesn’t require batteries to brew your espresso. Instead, it features a piston, which can be pumped by hand to create 18 bars of pressure to force the hot water through the coffee grounds. It comes with a standard 2-inch / 5.2cm double basket, similar to those found on mains-powered espresso machines. It can hold 18g of coffee, and also features a 2.7fl oz / 80ml water tank, so you can brew a double espresso no matter where you are – as long as you have access to boiling water and a cup. In look, price, and experience, the Nanopresso couldn’t be further than the top of the range espresso machines we’ve reviewed. And yet the taste is almost on par. It is more of a faff, it does involve boiling water and finding a flat spot if you’re outside, but the end result is seriously impressive.

A UNIQUE PRESSURE BREWER

And the hits just kept on coming. In June 2021, Wacaco launched the Picopresso, the most compact and pro-oriented of its espresso machines. This device is so innovative and well-designed that it won a Red-Dot Design Award in 2022.

In January 2022, Wacaco expanded its product line even further with the launch of the Exagram Coffee Scale and Exagrind Coffee Grinder. These precision tools are designed to help coffee lovers achieve the perfect grind and brewing ratio every time.

The Uniterra Nomad is also not the most portable device, though it is smaller and lighter than the Flair. It puts that heft to good use by looking like a little piece of metal art sitting on your desk while cranking out an excellent, creamy espresso. Testers were given the machines and their instructions to assess how easy each product was to put together in comparison with the others.

The coffee was wonderfully smooth, with an intense flavor. Thanks to the ability to use the portafilter naked, where the spout is removed so the bottom of the basket is exposed, the coffee also had a complete crema on top. When we added sugar and gave the drink a stir, the crema formed again, which is exactly as we’d hoped.

PICOPRESSO STAND

The Picopresso really is a portable coffee maker, measuring just 4.17 x 3.07 x 2.8 inches / 10.6 x 7.8 x 7.1cm (h x w x d) and weighing 0.77lb / 350g. As such, it’s no chore to slip this into your bag each day. It’s smaller and more compact than Wacaco’s previous hand-pump espresso maker, the Nanopresso. With complete control over crucial variables like water temperature, coffee saturation, and extraction time, the pour-over process is perfect for revealing the complex and subtle aromas that make your favorite coffee unique. Take your love for coffee to new heights and discover the traditional brewing process in an innovative portable format with Cuppamoka.