Review – Wacaco Minipresso allows me to brew coffee anytime, anywhere, trying to fill the cold, dark void in my life. The clever piston drive mechanism ensures that real espresso is delivered on demand. Can it get the job done? Will my craving for fresh caffeine be satisfied? Let us find out. To review!
What is it?
This is a manually operated, piston-driven portable espresso machine that can produce up to 50 ml of espresso.
What’s in the box?
You will get a coffee press including a spoon, cleaning brush and travel mug, all in one unit. You will also get a travel bag for the media.
Hardware specifications
- 175 x 70 x 60 mm (6.89 x 2.75 x 2.36 inches)
- 360 g (0.8 lb)
- 70 ml (2.35 oz) water capacity
- Grounding capacity 8 grams (0.28 ounces)
- Average pressure 8 bar (116 psi)
Design and features
The Wacaco Minipresso is an excellent small standalone device designed to produce espresso coffee up to 50 ml in a single shot. In this review, I am testing a ground coffee model (called Minipresso GR), so I will provide my own ground coffee beans. If you want, they will also make variants for different coffee pods.
The size is perfect for travel, roughly equivalent to a standard pint-sized beverage can. (We will save that pint for later use because this is a coffee review).
The Minipresso kit provides everything you need, but the coffee beans and hot water are contained in an integrated unit. There is a small water cup on the end cap. When not in use, the coffee spoon and cleaning brush are hidden in the water tank.
This is a burly, well-built installation that feels like it was designed for long-term abuse. Considering that we are pushing some pressure through the device, I expect to get it from the pump and mechanism, but every component is equally sturdy. Even the bags are strong and durable. It just feels carefully designed from top to bottom.
The device is detachable for coffee production. Let’s get to know the parts!
In the back row of the photo, you will find a built-in espresso cup and cleaning brush. That is my coffee in the middle. I am using the glass on the right, so you can see the pouring; if you like American coffee, you may need a similar drinking container because the built-in cup does not leave room for extra water.
The bottom row is all the working parts for brewing, from left to right: coffee spoon, filter basket, spout, main body and water chamber. Everything separates (and reassembles) with pushing and twisting. Let’s brew it!
You only need a spoonful of ground coffee, which is roughly equivalent to 8 grams of coffee. Mine is an espresso blend, which is very finely ground, and I put it in a small spherical jar so that I can travel to the office.
The coffee enters the filter basket, which fits perfectly with the spoon to minimize spillage. There are some good projects happening on such things throughout the package.
Tap the back of the spoon to lightly pack the coffee.
Now the filter basket is placed in the mouthpiece. There is a slot in the head that can hold the filter basket, so I find it easier to put the basket on the table and pop the head out of the top to minimize spillage.
Turn it over and you can screw it into the main body.
You will tighten it by hand to ensure a firm fit. The wide line makes this step quick and easy.
Now we are going to water. You will add boiling water to the water chamber up to the inner line.
The rest of the assembly unit is now at the top. Push and twist to lock the water and everything is locked in place. Like the rest of the device, the water chamber is thick-walled so that you don’t burn your fingers when assembling parts.
Now you can flip that bad boy and unlock the piston. This is done by twisting the dial on the side…
……are you ready! Place Minipresso on the drinking container you want and pump the piston. During the first 5-10 pumpings, you will feel an increase in pressure.
Once enough pressure has been established, the coffee will begin to flow out. I should note that it is easier to do this with two hands, but I use the other hand to take pictures.
The finished product has beautiful cream. Look at that!
When finished, push the piston in and twist to lock it in place. Then you can rinse and reassemble the rest of the cargo.
I did notice that it was a bit sloppy. The outlet does retain some water that leaks as it dries, and you can get some sludge there. I find that a quick rinse is the best way to remove trash. If you are in the wild, you can easily wipe it quickly and sprinkle it with a little water, but you may need to do a more thorough cleaning after you get home. By the way, when you reassemble the device, you won’t find any leaks in your bag. Minipresso’s precision machining and sturdy tote bag ensure that your backpack is free from clutter.
Taking into account the portability of the device, the finished coffee is a very good espresso. My handle has always had a rich, silky texture and lovely cream. I tried several different styles of beans and was pleasantly surprised by the consistency. I will notice that you lose a lot of calories in the process, so the finished espresso will not be too hot (even with boiling water). However, I usually add hot water to make American coffee, so this doesn’t bother me.
The portability of the device is great. These days I’m doing a home/office mix, and the coffee at the work place…not so good. But they have hot water. I brought the kit you saw in this article, and happiness is realized! If you are traveling, camping or commuting, you will find this to be a good (and simple) solution.
what do I like
- Quality construction
- Fully integrated-just bring the floor and hot water
- Extremely portable and convenient
- Produce a legal good espresso
Areas for improvement
- A little heat is lost during the brewing process
- May be a bit sloppy/leaky after brewing, but easy to manage
Final thoughts
For many years, my portable coffee has been Aeropress, but Wacaco Minipresso has found a permanent home in my office suite. It can indeed make exquisite espresso anytime, anywhere, easy to use and easy to transport. I still like my Aeropress, but I find Minipresso is more suitable for office work because we are working on temporary workstations. It is also very suitable for camping. This is a good one!
Price: $54.90 + shipping
Where to buy: Wikaco and Amazon
source: The sample of this product is made by Wikaco.
