Portable coffee

[NDA]

I quite like a decent coffee and always struggle at holiday villas in France every year with very (or below) average coffee machines.

I wonder what small / portable machines are recommended. Small as luggage space is always a bit tight despite driving down into France - as it's a sports car.

I suspect Aeropress is the answer, but I'm not too familiar with the latest products.

[48Valves]

Aeropress is the answer.

I take mine and my own coffee everywhere we go.

[untakenname]

There's lots of hype over this kickstarter, the company have delivered before but always a bit weary after being stung a couple of years back for another completely unrelated product which turned out to be vapourware.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coffeejack/co...

[FredericRobinson]

untakenname said:

There's lots of hype over this kickstarter, the company have delivered before but always a bit weary after being stung a couple of years back for another completely unrelated product which turned out to be vapourware.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coffeejack/co...

Am I being dim? I can see a list of prices for add ons and shipping costs, but not the price of the actual device?

[NDA]

FredericRobinson said:

Am I being dim? I can see a list of prices for add ons and shipping costs, but not the price of the actual device?

No, you're not being dim.

It's a typical kickstarter thing - 'please invest in this and then we can make it'.

I lost £75 on something that went quiet and, I assume died on the vine a few years ago. It's highly risky, but not life-changing sums generally.

[Mammasaid]

If not aeropress, then a stainless steel cafétiere, can be stuffed with a tshirt, etc to save space.

[C5_Steve]

untakenname said:

There's lots of hype over this kickstarter, the company have delivered before but always a bit weary after being stung a couple of years back for another completely unrelated product which turned out to be vapourware.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coffeejack/co...

There were loads of issues with the V1 of this, failed/delayed deliveries etc. Not sure I'd be trusting them a second time. Also, any product that goes to Kickstarter twice is a bit odd in my eyes.

Someone mentioned above an Aeropress, that's a great suggestion or perhaps something from Wacaco? They have a few models, I had one of their very first ones (off Kickstarter I think in fact!) and it wasn't bad. This was many years ago now and I think they've joined the design somewhat.

https://wacaco.com/

[FredericRobinson]

NDA said:

No, you're not being dim.

It's a typical kickstarter thing - 'please invest in this and then we can make it'.

I lost £75 on something that went quiet and, I assume died on the vine a few years ago. It's highly risky, but not life-changing sums generally.

Actually, if I scroll down on the right hand side it appears to be £169 for one

[jimothyc]

A few options I can think of, depends on what sort of coffee you like to drink. An Aeropress is a great option, or you could just get a small Mokka pot. Another option if you like filter coffee is a Hario V60 over a mug, makes excellent coffee.

[NDA]

Thanks all, I've taken a look at every suggestion.

Aeropress seems the most simple and neat solution... but I'll keep looking.

[PhilAsia]

jimothyc said:

A few options I can think of, depends on what sort of coffee you like to drink. An Aeropress is a great option, or you could just get a small Mokka pot. Another option if you like filter coffee is a Hario V60 over a mug, makes excellent coffee.

I'm with Jimothy on this one. An Aeropress, Moka or V60 is good but, if like me, you prefer an espresso I would recommend a Wacaco Picopresso or a Hugh Leverpresso. The Picopresso being the marginally smaller of the two and both extract traditional 8/9 bar espresso shots, rather than the 2 bar of an Aeropress or Moka, and 0 bar of the V60.

Great traditional espresso, yours for £120: https://wacaco.com/collections/picopresso

I have used one for years. Compact, inexpensive, robust and deliver a lovely espresso in the field. Highly recommended!

..........

The Hugh Leverpresso is also good, but the tamper and cup are plastic. Comes in at £100 from Ubuy, UK .

Both are available with a pressure guage:
The Leverpresso Pro has a guage and is available from Hugh direct at $325 USD/£240.
Be Aware! The YouTube video shows the Pro with pressure guage, not the Leverpresso Lite without the pressure gauge.

The Picopresso has an option of a separate pressure gauge at £55 from Wacaco, or maybe Redber, UK stock it (?) for probably £70+/-, bringing the price to £175/£190ish. Both companies delivery are hassle free.



Portability breakdown:

Both units are neatly self-contained for travel:

• Leverpresso: Plastic tamper, includes cup
• Picopresso: Metal tamper, dosing funnel, distribution tool — but no cup included

You’ll still need:

Coffee beans

A grinder (I use a 1ZPresso J-Max — brilliant bit of kit)

A heat source

Water

I adapt my heat source depending on where I’m heading.

[sgrimshaw]

I use this portable Nespresso machine. Been very pleased with it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DGTBGKF7?ref=ppx_pop...

[NDA]

sgrimshaw said:

I use this portable Nespresso machine. Been very pleased with it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DGTBGKF7?ref=ppx_pop...

That looks really interesting - thanks.

[PhilAsia]

NDA said:

sgrimshaw said:

I use this portable Nespresso machine. Been very pleased with it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DGTBGKF7?ref=ppx_pop...

That looks really interesting - thanks.

Read the reviews. If it pressurises to 15 bar it needs to be pretty solid. I searched for long-term reviews and got mixed reviews. Some were glowing. Here are some negatives to consider:

Lid / locking / sealing parts are likely the first areas to show visible degradation: loose lids, grooves smoothed, pressure leaks or popping during brew.

Battery performance declines: fewer shots per charge, possibly slower heating.

Plastic parts, especially non‑metal frequently handled pieces, may crack or warp over time.

Edited by PhilAsia on Friday 12th September 03:19

[sgrimshaw]

PhilAsia said:

If it pressurises to 15 bar it needs to be pretty solid.

It's certainly solid and very well built unlike some similar models from other manufacturers.

I recently bought their stand, having tried cheaper one's, and that's really well engineered too.

[Ry.Clarke]

Not on topic, but a while back I used to have a Nespresso machine in the cab of my van. Alongside the 12v fridge I was very happy.

Obviously didn t work very well on the move mind, but pods were cheap and it made a decent brew. Big fan of he Starbucks blonde roast pods.

Think it was about £30 new at the time

Edited by Ry.Clarke on Friday 12th September 07:24

[dontlookdown]

Aeropress is great for make-anywhere coffee for one. I have one and use it for solo travelling.

If there are two or three of you, take a 6 cup stovetop mokka pot. You can even get ones that work on induction hobs these days.

[NDA]

PhilAsia said:

Read the reviews. If it pressurises to 15 bar it needs to be pretty solid. I searched for long-term reviews and got mixed reviews. Some were glowing. Here are some negatives to consider:

Lid / locking / sealing parts are likely the first areas to show visible degradation: loose lids, grooves smoothed, pressure leaks or popping during brew.

Battery performance declines: fewer shots per charge, possibly slower heating.

Plastic parts, especially non?metal frequently handled pieces, may crack or warp over time.

This would only be used for a few weeks whilst on holiday every year.... it might therefore suit. It's also small for sports car packing too. A good recommendation as I'd not come across it before.

I find hotel and villa rental coffee machines to be very poor and Mrs NDA and I like a moderately (not barista level) decent coffee in the mornings.

[sgrimshaw]

NDA said:

This would only be used for a few weeks whilst on holiday every year.... it might therefore suit. It's also small for sports car packing too. A good recommendation as I'd not come across it before.

I find hotel and villa rental coffee machines to be very poor and Mrs NDA and I like a moderately (not barista level) decent coffee in the mornings.

I've just re-stocked mine, so I took some piccies for you. The coffee maker itself weighs 997g and is a solid piece of kit.

The pics show how much you can get in the case, the stand collapses ... it was extra, but well worth buying. The cups are double walled 85ml stainless steel (didn't want to carry glass ones).

All this:



fits in here, with a bit of room for more sugars or a couple of extra pods etc:



One neat package:

[thebraketester]

Moka pot? Various sizes available and very light as they are aluminium.