Best Portable Espresso Maker (plus Buyers’ Guide)

If you are on the go and miss your espresso, you want to look for a portable espresso maker.

A compact espresso maker is small and affordable and allows you to brew your espresso wherever you are. You can enjoy an espresso while you're on the go or camping without missing the espresso machine you left at home. Does that sound good?

You need to unscrew all components to clean them. You can add vinegar water to the cleaning process to ensure there's no build-up.

Summary

This is an excellent and super small portable espresso maker. Just realize its limitations in terms of tamping and capacity. If you're looking for a unit just for yourself this is ideal.

Who is This For?

The Handpresso Wild Hybrid can be your best portable espresso maker for traveling because it is light and you can store water in the reservoir and even the pods or grounds can be kept in one of the compartments.

Summary

This is an excellent idea but it may need some improvements. It's handy to take your coffee wherever you want it but note that the water won't stay hot for long.

Maintenance

You can unscrew the components and wash them after use. Note that it's not the most durable compact espresso maker on this list so be cautious when using and cleaning so that the parts don't break.

Who is This For?

In terms of application, it's the best espresso maker for travelers if you have access to hot water. But think twice about taking it camping as it's more prone to breakage after rough handling.

Summary

This is such an impressive travel espresso maker - we love the stylish cup you get to drink from.

Maintenance

This portable coffee unit is not the easiest one to clean as the ground coffee tend to spill all over instead of coming out as one puck.

Summary

This is a good all-rounder known for quality brews but remember you're producing all the power. If you take long the water will go cold and this will affect the flavor you get. The good news: a good crema is possible.

Maintenance

The components can be taken off for easy cleaning.

Who is This For?

This unit can work for the office, home, or outdoors as long as you have hot water on hand. It's also ideal for couples thanks to the two-filter basket. The very small design makes it ideal for hiking.

Summary

This maker fits in the palm of your hand so it's handy to take to the office or outdoors. It has some style thanks to the colored parts. This helps you discern which one belongs to who so why not get one for each member of the family?

These gadgets probably look very nifty. Yes, simply their aesthetics will make the shopaholics order them immediately. But make sure it complements your lifestyle by matching it to your preferences. We'll help you.

Who should look for a Portable Espresso Maker?

This market is strongly driven by coffee lovers for who quality brews are essential to everyday living. (Are you one of them?).

Those who Travel

Just because you're leaving home for a business trip or holiday doesn't mean you can't enjoy your strong morning brew as if you had your favorite espresso machine at hand. And you don't even have to trust your hotel or the café next to the road.

You probably know what you get there is often far removed from what coffee should taste like.

With one of the best portable espresso maker your coffee is next to you on the seat and you can have it whenever the craving hits. And it's not a luxury as many would deem it. That strong brew's caffeine content could be what keeps you awake while driving.

When you reach your destination it's also the perfect way to unwind since you don't have to go in search of coffee. Simply pour.

If these circumstances apply to your lifestyle it's important to consider details when shopping for your portable unit. Do you need a compact espresso maker that will store your water hot for an extended period or will you easily get access to some boiled H2O?

Health Reasons

Coffee can easily become an addiction but don't feel too bad about it. Your brew's antioxidants can help your body fight off diseases if you drink it in moderation. Some experts even believe it has psychological benefits such as preventing bouts of depression.

These benefits are determined by the quality of the coffee you consume and if it's unfiltered or it comes from low-quality beans it won't help your body cope.

This turns a simple compact coffee maker into a vital tool to keep in your car, briefcase, or travel bag.

Coffee Critics

Of course, your desire for good espresso may purely be fuelled by your high standards. If you've been disappointed by purchased coffee too many times and you wish you can take your countertop brewer everywhere, an easy-to-carry espresso maker could be what you've been praying for all along.

When You’re Managing a Budget

In many of the above scenarios, it could be expensive to meet your daily coffee requirements if you were to purchase it from hotels, shops, or restaurants. Of course, it works out more budget-friendly when you buy beans in bulk and do it yourself.

The capital investment you make by purchasing one of these travel espresso makers above will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Things to Consider Before You Buy a Portable Espresso Maker

So how do you determine which one's ideal buy? Let's summarize it for you.

Size

Where will you need to transport this? Do you really need to fit it into your handbag or do you simply want one you can keep stored in your car? Or perhaps you just want an espresso maker to store in the house for those times you won't have time to stop at your favorite coffee shop on your way to work.

Not all these circumstances require the smallest unit on the market so don't spend too much if the size doesn't matter.

Weight

Most portable units will require carrying around so don't weigh yourself down. When going camping its weight doesn't matter unless you want to take it in your backpack during a hike where a light unit is preferred.

Can you see how your unique application determines what will be a smart buy in the end? So make your list of requirements before you start shopping.

Manual vs Electric

This is a very important matter on that list of yours since you'll hate having a portable unit if your environment doesn't allow you to use it. Your first instinct may be to get a manual unit so you'll have access to quality brews whether you're in the middle of nowhere or at the office.

The handiest units don't even require power and do some of the work thanks to:

Note of caution: Manual units will require some force and effort from you to push all those aromas out of the grounds. If you're going to use this every day this may become cumbersome. And let's be realistic: In today's technologically driven society it's rare to find yourself far away from power sources. If you can power your mobile phone you can make coffee.

Easy to Clean?

Don't purchase the unit that will be more trouble than it's worth. Whether you're brewing at an airport, the office, or the campsite you want as little effort as possible. Review the cleaning and maintenance so you're not put off from brewing by what comes after.

Insulation

Cold coffee is never tasty. If you know you're not going to have access to piping hot water your travel espresso maker must keep it warm until you're ready for that drink.

Read up about insulation, seals, and potential timelines before the temperature will start dropping. Remember the temperature of your water determines how much of the flavor you'll extract from the grounds.

So how is that list coming along?

How to Brew with a Portable Espresso Machine

To help you make your final decision we'll show you how these gadgets work. Although each unit is unique these are general steps that apply to most of them:

And just to recap, check out this video on how easy it is to brew an espresso on the go with one the machines we have picked for you in this article.

And now it's possible to enjoy your favorite drink wherever you go. We hope this review of the best portable espresso machines was useful to help you make an educated choice.

Fuelled by others like you who love quality coffee this market will continue expanding and we'll be here to tell you about the developments.