This works so well for camping for a quick coffee craving! Took this camping over the weekend and used it few times at the office. Depending on the grinds you use, its good for a light single espresso shot or if you reuse the same grinds and purge three capfuls of water through the filter, you'll get a full cup of coffee. Works great without lugging a glass press around in your backpacking or camp gear!
Some folks probably won't like having to pump and "work" this much for coffee, but convenience in form factor and size are the strongest attributes this unit has to offer. Easy to clean and store away with the retractable priming handle.
My only gripe with this is the drink cup is just pressed in and can knocked off easily while the water reserve cup is nicely twisted on with locking detents.
Love this espresso maker! Bought this as a supplement to my Chemex and am glad I did. This is super quick and easy. I do wish the cleanup was a little easier since water gets trapped inside the head after each use, but still a great product. I bring this to the office and use it on a daily basis. We have two other automatic machines here, both of which make espresso, and I prefer this one. Be sure to use really hot water because it cools down quite a bit when it passes through the Minipresso. I found running hot water through a cycle first not only helps the coffee retain more heat, but also creates a much thicker crema. Make sure you have the right beans though if you really want to get the most out of it.
I am thoroughly enjoying the Minipresso and would recommend it as a supplement to a traditional coffee maker.
I purchased the 100ml larger tank separately, so to be fair, my review reflects my ability to pull much longer espresso shots.
I have a "tiny living" situation and was looking for a space-saving espresso machine and stumbled upon this one. After I learned the hard way not to overfill the water/coffee and not to tamp the grounds, I developed a pretty good rhythm for quickly making yummy longshots. I drink anywhere from 3 to 6 of them a day!
I don't buy particularly nice coffee, just Costco-in-a-can, which I then grind finer. Clean up is a breeze, and it has a pretty small footprint on my counter.
I have easily made at least 50 to 60 shots in the few weeks I've had this, and it seems to be holding up well! It dribbles a little water here and there through the process, but that's probably me going a little faster than I should.
Some may not like that it doesn't appear to be BPA free, but with coffee this decadent I cannot begin to complain! Longshots with this seem to be almost 1/3 crema if that is important to you... It is to me! I can't recommend this highly enough, but especially if you go to their website and pickup the larger 100ml tank, which is about 25 dollars.
We don't travel with this, rather, we just use it at home for an espresso shot needed here and there. It is a bit fussy to make two in a row with the rinsing between but it yields delicious shots of espresso so it's worth it.
I just need to express how obsessed I am with this espresso machine. I was so sick of either buying terrible coffee at dunkin or starbucks or over paying at local coffee shops. This has saved me from late nights, early mornings and mid-day sleepies at work. I recommend this to anyone who is a bit of a coffee snob or just doesn't feel like paying for over priced joe everyday. This would also just be a cool gift to a coffee lover for sure.
Feature Product
- COMPACT & FEATHERWEIGHT - Whether you're going away for few hours or few weeks, space and weight are major factors when selecting your travel equipment. Minipresso has been designed to be the smallest, lightest and most versatile handheld espresso machine.
- INNOVATIVE & POWERFUL - Minipresso's ease of use is derived from it's innovative design. With the help of the semi-automatic piston, small quantities of water are injected into the coffee adapter. After a few pushes, the optimal extraction pressure is achieved and a rich and bold espresso is extracted
- CONVENIENT & EVOLUTIVE - Minipresso doesn't require compressed air, N2O cartridges or electricity for its operation. Hand operated, you are free to prepare coffee drinks that you love. Water tanks of different capacities are available so you can enjoy multiple espresso types, ranging from ristretto to caffè lungo
- EFFICIENT & EASY TO USE - Besides being aesthetically pleasant with its modern and slick design, Minipresso contains an ingenious core, the semi-automatic piston. Unlock it from its carrying position and press it at will to control the amount of extracted coffee
- ACCESSORIES - Enhance your Minipresso GR to get the most from it. Enjoy longer espresso, up to 100ml, and protect it from scratches.
Description
ESPRESSO WITH EASE
Minipresso GR is your best choice to savor all the varieties of ground coffee and enjoy an authentic espresso wherever you are. Compact, lightweight and sturdy, Minipresso will make you smile when you get the first drip of espresso from this little coffee bullet.
INSTRUCTIONS
The Minipresso GR is simple and intuitive to use. Add the ground coffee to the coffee filter basket with the help of the built-in pod. Apply a slight pressure with the back of it to level the grind. Add very hot water to the water tank and unlock the piston from its transport position. Pump several times to pressurize and extract the coffee.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
If you're not pleased with your purchase from Wacaco, just contact us within 30 days and we will give you a refund or replacement.
CHARACTERISTICS
Dimension: 175x70x60 mm 6.89x2.75x2.36 in
Weight: 360 g 0.8 lbs
Water capacity: 70 ml 2.35 oz
Ground capacity: 8 g 0.28 oz
Average pressure: 8 bar 116 psi
Compatibility: All the varieties of ground coffee
Other: Built-in espresso cup and scoop
Claim your FREE GIFT - For the purchase of Wacaco Minipresso GR in store we offer you our Barista Towels Pack.
Add both items to your cart and this special offer will be applied at checkout.
I needed something to take to work with me and this was it. Tried it out a couple times since I have gotten it and it makes pretty decent espresso style coffee. Obviously you're not getting true espresso, but it is pretty close depending on the grind you use and how you use it. I followed the tips in the instructions --Run hot water through the unit first to preheat all the components, then run it through your grinds quickly. Got better results than the first trial run. Only issue I have with the unit itself is the espresso cup it comes with does not click onto the unit very well and comes off very easily. Not a big deal, kind of a pain but it does not impact the functionality of the unit.
DO NOT TAMP! The manual states this, but the instructional video shows the filter basket being tamped using the back of the scoop. This is a very impressive device, and I really enjoy it. But if you tamp the espresso in the filter basket, you will blow out a seal in the pump. I was able to disassemble mine and fix it, but not without nearly breaking it.
All that being said, if you use the scoop to dump the grounds into the filter without tamping, you will have a great experience. The espresso has decent body and crema for a totally manual brewing method. Its very easy to travel with, and you can brew a shot in only a few seconds longer than it takes to boil the water. Sure, it only really brews 1 to 1.5 shots, but it is easy enough to repeat the process. I would buy this product again.
Operation is simple, and works as follows:
1) Disassemble entire device
2) Fill scoop, place filter basket on top, and turn over. Tap a few times to drop all grounds.
3) Remove scoop. Tap filter basket on counter to level the contents.
4) Place filter basket in grooves on housing, and screw on the nozzle-end of the minipresso.
5) Fill the water reservoir up to the line with boiling water. Carefully screw onto the bottom of the pump housing.
6) Invert minipresso, place over pre-heated espresso cup, and pump slowly.
7) Pressure will build. As the very first spurt of espresso is dispensed, I wait about 10 seconds and then continue pumping at a steady pace until pressure releases and espresso stops dispensing.
Clean-up:
Standard clean-up involves carefully disassembling the device and rinsing each component with fresh water. There is no way to disassemble the nozzle end, so it will retain some amount of water. The best way I have found to flush this out is by pumping fresh water through. The minipresso does not like to pump if it cannot build pressure, so I stuff the filter basket with paper towels to provide resistance and then follow the directions above as if you were brewing. It is also useful to occasionally follow this process with vinegar (and then a few cycles of water) to descale the pump and nozzle.
Pros:
-Quick, easy shot of espresso
-Impressive body/taste/crema for an inexpensive device
-Consistent results
-Travels well
Cons:
-Can be damaged if espresso is tamped
-It would be nice if the nozzle could be disassembled to allow for a more thorough cleaning
-Only makes about 1-1.5 shots at a time
Conclusion:
If you are looking for an inexpensive way to make a quick shot of espresso, this is a great way to get it done. Small enough to fit in any bag, easy enough to operate and clean, and very consistent results. If you generally need more than 1-2 shots at a time or are interested in an increased level of control, you would probably find it easier to just invest in an entry-level pump-driven machine.
I'm honestly impressed by the Minipresso... I have had it for about four days and have pulled about ten espresso shots, and each one has had good crema and good flavor. I'm using (pre-ground) espresso roast Starbucks coffee that I purchased at a grocery store, and the espresso has tasted almost (almost!) as good as a fresh espresso shot from Starbucks. I have already taken it with me to my boyfriends place, my parent's place, and to work. It already has it's only little space inside my Six Pack Bags lunch box... I don't have a problem with pumping the pump. I turn it away from me and use two hands to pull the pump into the Minipresso. It takes less than minute to pull a full shot.
I do a few issues with my Minipresso. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I find there's a lot of liquid left inside the Minipresso after pulling a shot. It gets to the point where no more espresso is coming out even as I'm pumping and gently shaking to get every last drop, but when I open the tanks, there's water in the water tank, and coffee in the coffee tank. I haven't measured it, but it made quite the mess on my desk at work. Another thing to note is that the pump mechanism is squeaky. Maybe this will go away as it's broken-in...??? It's not terribly disturbing or loud, but it's definitely not silent. My last complaint, and really I guess WACACO could take this as a suggestion, is that I would love the ability to make a double shot in one go. I already purchased the larger water tank, and if it were available, I would purchase a larger filter basket to hold 2x the espresso grounds. Making more than one shot at a time is kind of messy. There's the leftover liquids inside, which can potentially make a mess. Not to mention, trying to tamp out the wet grounds (which may be hot) to refill the basket to pull a second shot.
This little device is great depending on how you use it and what you expect out of it. Don't compare it with a real, full size espresso machine. If you need it for backpacking, it would be very nice to have although for the minimalists, it would be far to heavy and bulky. I use it at home but plan on using it 4x4 camping trips.
I find that if you keep it clean, and use it as directed, with boiling water, it makes great espresso. No complaints from me.
The only con I have is cleaning it. Cleaning it isn't too bad, but you cannot put this thing up wet. In my experience, you need to FULLY dry it before putting it back together for storage. If you don't let it dry, you may get some mold like I did. Drying it sufficiently requires you to let it air dry overnight, if not longer.
Over all, I'd buy this again and would recommend it.
I purchased this, as I assume most people do, to make espresso while out camping. It works great for this purpose, I only have one negative comment. Everything is engineered so well to fit together on this device, and then for whatever reason, the "cup" piece just pops on and off, instead of screwing on or latching, so I can see it being quite the pain to keep together. I used a couple pieces of tape to hold it on for the trip, but this seems like a pretty backwards workaround for something engineered so cleanly otherwise. Unless the company is just trying to sell the cases, I can't see any reason why they made the cup so easy to pop on and off.
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