Portable Espresso Maker

A portable espresso maker is a small, hand-pumped device for making espresso away from home: camping, travelling, at work. There’s no boiler, so you bring hot water from a kettle or flask, add ground coffee or a pod, and pump to push the water through at pressure. The best-known are Wacaco’s Nanopresso and the Handpresso. Here’s how they work, how to get a hot, proper shot and how they compare with other travel brewers.

The short version

• Hand-pumped espresso: coffee, hot water from a kettle or flask, then pump.
• Makers’ pressure figures: up to 18 bar for the Wacaco Nanopresso, 16 bar for the Handpresso Wild Hybrid.
• Small doses: about 8 g in a standard Nanopresso basket.
• Heat is everything: pre-heat with a cycle of hot water and use freshly boiled water.
• Some take pods: E.S.E. pods in the Handpresso, Nespresso capsules with a Wacaco adapter.

How does a portable espresso maker work?

Inside is a small hand pump. You fill a water tank with hot water and a basket with coffee, put it together and pump. Each stroke pushes a little water into the basket, and the pressure builds until the espresso flows. On the Handpresso, you pump up the pressure first, watching a gauge, then release it through the coffee. On the Nanopresso, you pump steadily while the shot runs.

The pressures are the makers’ own ratings, so treat them as maximums rather than the pressure in every shot.

Popular portable espresso makers

	Wacaco Nanopresso	Handpresso Wild Hybrid
Pressure (maker’s figure)	Up to 18 bar	16 bar
How you pump	Steadily, while the shot runs	Pump first, read the gauge, then brew
Coffee	Ground, about 8 g	Ground or E.S.E. pods
Water tank	About 80 ml	Fill with hot water
Pods	Nespresso Original, with an adapter	E.S.E. paper pods

Wacaco also makes the Picopresso, and sells a Barista Kit for double shots in the Nanopresso. Handpresso has since followed the Wild Hybrid with the Handpresso Pump. These are different brands from each other, so they don’t have their own pages here yet.

How do you make espresso with a portable maker?

1. Boil the water. Use it at a rolling boil, or the hottest you can from a flask.
2. Pre-heat. Run a cycle of just hot water through the device and into your cup, as Wacaco’s manual advises, then pour it away.
3. Dose and level about 8 g of fine coffee in a Nanopresso basket.
4. Add the hot water to the tank and put it together.
5. Pump steadily until the water has gone through.
6. Taste and adjust: grind finer if it’s sour and fast, coarser if you can hardly pump.

Why is my portable espresso weak or sour?

Almost always heat. A small device made of metal and plastic soaks up heat fast, so the water cools before it reaches the coffee. Pre-heat with a cycle of hot water, use water straight off the boil, and grind a little finer. If it’s still thin, check you’re using the right basket for your dose.

Portable espresso vs other travel brewers

	Portable espresso maker	Manual espresso press	AeroPress Go
Pressure	Espresso pressure, by hand pump	Espresso pressure, by lever	Low, by hand
Size	Pocket-sized	Small, but bulkier	Packs into its own mug
Drink	A short, intense shot	A short, intense shot	A bigger, softer cup
Ease	Fiddly at first	Takes practice	Simple and forgiving

How do you clean it?

Take it apart while it’s still warm, knock out the grounds and rinse the basket, tank and shower screen. Let everything dry before you pack it away.

General guidance only. These devices hold near-boiling water under pressure: never open one while it’s pressurised, point the outlet away from you, and always follow the maker’s instructions.

Portable espresso vs other methods

• Espresso: the full machine version.
• Manual espresso press: a bigger hand-powered espresso maker.
• AeroPress Go: a simpler travel brewer at lower pressure.
• Moka pot: strong stovetop coffee, if you have a stove.

Explore every pressure method in the pressure chapter.