Indulge in espresso wherever you go, whenever you go with a Wacaco Minipresso. The tiny, transportable device makes coffee easy and convenient, whether you’re on your couch at home or in a tent on a camping expedition.
Curious? If you want to learn more about what a minipresso is and how it can benefit you, keep reading for a thorough review of the popular Wacaco Minipresso.
Already looking for more options? Check out these other portable espresso makers!
Things to Consider Before Buying a Wacaco Minipresso GR
Before you jump the gun and purchase a Wacaco Minipresso, you should consider what to expect and what you want from the device. Is it easy to clean or time-consuming? Does it make the amount of coffee you typically drink? Is it easy to use?
Cleaning and Maintenance
This relatively tiny device packs a powerful shot of espresso punch and remains easy to clean despite its capacity and prohibited dishwasher use. The cylindrical shape makes for quick disassembly and easy access to the hard-to-clean parts. Even though it cannot go through the dishwasher, all you need to do to clean the device is take it apart, dump out the grounds, and give it a rinse with hot water.
Ease of Use
To use the Wacaco Minipresso, you don’t need any fancy ingredients; you only need water and your favored coffee brand. Simply insert your ground coffee and water into their designated reservoirs, flip the device upside down, and pour—espresso made easy!
Brew Capacity
You might want to keep in mind that the Wacaco Minipresso is not designed like a standard drip coffee machine, meaning it cannot brew an entire pot of coffee for you to keep going back to throughout the day. Instead, the device brews a single 50 ml shot of espresso each time. It also can’t produce various fancy lattes and other specialty coffee drinks, as an at-home coffee appliance might.
Wacaco Minipresso GR Overview
For a quick coffee on the go, you can rely on the Wacaco Minipresso for quality espresso at the press of a button. Even though this device is small, it can handle daily use and makes for optimal portability. You can take the device camping, to work, or on the road in the convenience of your bag.
The Wacaco Minipresso is an all-in-one device, meaning you don’t need any other accessories for it to work correctly aside from coffee and water. You don’t even need a spare mug as the Wacaco Minipresso’s bottom detaches as a small, portable cup.
Plus, unlike Wacaco’s alternative Minipresso NS version, you don’t need to purchase specialized NS Capsules. Instead, you can use loose grounds when adding coffee to the designated filter slot. The Wacaco Minipresso GR can hold up to eight grams of coffee per use and a little over two ounces of water.
The device can dispense up to 50 ml of espresso for a single serving with a rich layer of crema to top off each cup. You can control the desired outcome depending on your water to coffee ratio and how long you run the device. It’s a quick and efficient device for espresso lovers and coffee drinkers alike, who want to take the convenience of their at-home coffee maker on-the-go.
Things We Like
- Light-weight
- Portable design
- It doesn’t need batteries, electricity, or compressed air to function
- Easy to clean
Room for Improvement
- Not super versatile
- It doesn’t have a substantial brew capacity
- The nozzle does not disassemble for cleaning
Features and Benefits
What exactly can the Wacaco Minipresso do? Well, the compact espresso maker packs a lot of high-quality innovations in its short frame, but let’s dive a little bit deeper into what exactly those innovations are and how they can benefit you.
Semi-Automatic Piston Core
Rather than require electricity or batteries, the Wacaco Minipresso relies on you, making it convenient to tote around on trips or on-the-go for mid-day coffee fixes.
Instead of pressing a power button and waiting for your coffee to drip out, you apply light pressure to the device’s central knob, activating the semi-automatic piston core to grind the coffee and inject intermittent spurts of water to the coffee adapter.
The amount of pressure you apply and the duration you hold the knob for determines the amount of espresso the device produces. This feature makes it easy to gauge the exact amount of coffee you want to drink.
Some portable coffee makers require NO2 or pressurized air to function correctly, but the Wacaco Minipresso doesn’t. Instead, it relies on the semi-automatic piston core, making it more affordable since you don’t have to spend extra money on pressurized air functions. Instead, the Wacaco Minipresso comes with pressurized capabilities in its core design.
Design
At first glance, the Wacaco Minipresso looks like a large-scale, black bullet. When given a second look, you realize that’s exactly what it is. The unique cylindrical design makes it easy to hold and maneuver. The shape allows for maximum movability since you need to flip the device on its head to dispense coffee.
The design is also relatively thin, which maximizes its ease-of-use because you can hold the device in a single hand instead of both. Not to mention, the device is incredibly compact for a coffee maker, which is no mistake.
Wacaco designed the Minipresso with portability and travel in mind. The design maximizes your ability to conveniently store the device in your purse, backpack, satchel, or whatever bag type you own. This is an aspect I enjoy because I can carry the Minipresso with me to work to make coffee when I need it instead of constantly running to and spending money at the nearest coffee shop or drinking the inadequate coffee from the office.
Besides the device’s sleek look, the Wacaco Minipresso is incredibly light-weight, making it even easier to transport. Its weight is convenient when you consider its maneuverability. Flipping the device over and holding it in one hand would prove challenging if the device weighed more.
Accessibility
The Wacaco Minipresso comes with a variety of accessories to make the most out of the device. Accessibility is something I look for in a portable espresso machine because I don’t like getting a machine with a bunch of accessories that I won’t use. Instead, the Wacaco Minipresso offers accessories separately, so you can choose which ones you need or want.
For example, the Wacaco Minipresso has a minipresso kit accessory that includes a more substantial water chamber for longer shots of espresso. The Wacaco Minipresso carrying case is another accessory, which is nice because I don’t have to worry about potential leaks in my bag when I take the device with me to work or along with me on errands.
Alternatives and Conclusion
Ultimately, the Wacaco Minipresso GR is an easily transportable product that lets you make coffee on the go without electricity, batteries, or a ton of effort. You can brew up to 50 ml per serving, and even though the device is compact, it provides high-quality espresso and a thick layer of cream for a barista-standard result.
Of course, the Wacaco Minipresso is not the only minipresso on the market today. There are many similar portable espresso makers out there. You might want to take a look at a few Wacaco Minipresso alternatives below; they might find your needs better.
STARESSO Portable Espresso Maker Mini
Much like the Wacaco Minipresso, the STARESSO brand minipresso product is light-weight and strategically designed for portability. Although a bit more expensive than the Wacaco Minipresso, this version has a larger brew capacity of around 80 ml.
If you’re looking for more design variability to fit your kitchen aesthetic, the STARESSO Portable Espresso Maker Mini comes in more colors than the minimalistic Wacaco, such as white, pink, or black. The STARESSO espresso maker also comes with a glass cup so you can easily gauge how much coffee you make.
Handpresso Hybrid
The Handpresso Hybrid looks vastly different from the STARESSO and Wacaco Minipresso but relies on manual operation just the same.
To use the Handpresso, you grasp the long cylindrical arm and hover the machine’s bulbous end over your mug. When you’re ready to dispense, you can press the discrete button and gauge your desired espresso amount.
This minipresso device is equally as efficient to use as the others but provides an easier handle to grasp and manipulate whereas the other two devices require a bit of an awkward handling situation around the bulk of the machine.
Espro Travel Press
If you love the quality of French press coffee, you might want to consider the Espro Travel Press when purchasing a minipresso. At first glance, this coffee machine looks like a standard travel mug; however, the inside yields much more. The Espro Travel Press combines the best of both French press and pour-over coffee because of its dual capabilities.
If you find yourself needing more brewing capacity and versatility from your minipresso, the Espro Travel Press provides both. The device can brew up to 10 ounces of coffee, and you can use it to brew up to 12 ounces of tea.
Happy Caffeinating!
Wacaco Minipresso Review: A Must When Coffee Is Critical
Traveling is better with coffee, everybody knows that! We recommend the Wacaco Minipresso for your on-the-go coffee needs.
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.4
