WACACO Picopresso Portable Espresso Maker Bundled with Protective Case, Pro-level Specialty Coffee Machine, Compatible Ultra-fine Grind, Manually Operated Travel Coffee Maker

Exactly as advertised, very high quality manufacture, great espresso. Some things to consider:1. there are a LOT of parts that will be hard to remember how to assemble at first. It would be nice to have a printed blow-out illustration of assembly order on the inside of the holding case. A bit fussy to assemble/disassemble/clean.2. you have to twist the edge of the pump plunger to get it to pop out. The edge is very thin and made of slippery material. If this were ridged it would make twisting it much easier.3. if you have a home espresso maker / grinder you will find the Picospresso needs an even finer grind, sometimes labeled as "Turkish coffee". You really MUST have a quality burr grinder to get this fine. I pre-grind with my home grinder when I'm on a trip so this is not a problem but you may need to invest in their hand grinder, which I did not try.4. heavier in the hand than you might expect -- fastidious backpackers may complain but for my travel via car/airplane it is not an issue. On the other hand it is because it seems very well made and of high quality metal and silicone.5. The carrying case is very nice but tight and I worry that the zippers might not be up to the task for the lifetime of the product, even though they are made of sturdy stainless steel -- not plastic ones.6. I have heard the pump action described as "a bit stiff" but I found it quite smooth and easy to use. It is two handed but unless you have strongly arthritic hands you should have not problem with it.7. A real portafilter basket, nice. Does NOT use pods -- ugh!8. obviously you will need a source of boiling water. If your hotel only has electric outlets and no microwave, you may need a portable hot water maker.9. perhaps obviously it does not steam milk.I love the Picospresso and am a picky espresso drinker. This will make my travel (6-8 weeks per year) so much more enjoyable. Good espresso on the road is spotty at best and now I probably won't bother looking.UPDATE:I've now used this one a few trips an it does make incredible espresso! However I find two problems.1. It is like solving a puzzle each time I re-assemble it. They designed for compactness but sacrificed in the somewhat ridiculous complexity of packing it back up.2. When I traveled with another espresso lover I found that pulling the second shot will lock up the device. The portafilter becomes extremely hard to push water through AND it was impossible to unscrew after the (difficult) second shot. I had to wrap it in a plastic bag (it will leak) and pack it with grounds still in the device - then disassemble and clean at the next opportunity. From now on I'll wash the bottom section, the one with the portafilter, in COLD water before trying to pull the second shot. This should help with both problems like it does in my home machine.UPDATE 2:Some design suggestions after extended trip usage:1. The plastic lid on top contains the hot water. It has no grippy texture like the portafilter tightener. Be CAREFUL, if this is not on TIGHT you'll get boiling hot water dribbling on your hands when you pump. It would be great if this lid had a grip texture. Same for the screw-out pump handle locking mechanism - it is very thin and slippery when wet, when locking it down for storage.2. The pump is a bit hard to use - you have to squat or contort to cover some cup or glass receptacle and compress using your chest muscles, not your hand gripping muscles - all without splattering hot coffee everywhere. I eventually found a plastic insulated cup the fit tightish around the bottom of the picospresso. This allows me to hold it in a way where I use my gripping muscles. The bottom has a flat rubber cover, why not make an accessory rubber cup-sized cover to solve this problem?These tweaks would make it easier and safer to use and less messy.UPDAYE 3:Broken! In cold weather the plastic tabs the hold the plunger from comeing out of the side of the unit broke mearly by releasing the pump piston. This is how you are supposed to release the piston so clearly another flaw in design materials. I'm very disappointed so tried a Nanospresso to replace this but the coffee is dismal so trying another Picospesso. This device is the ONLY true espresso you are going to find on the road/camp so despite all my issues above it is the only game in town so far.ADVICE: EASE OUT THE PISTON! don't let it pop out or you may end up with a handful of metal parts and a broken piston.Five stars for espresso quality and size, far less for plastic part qualty.

This thing, surprisingly, makes better espresso that I can make in my traditional machine. As a matter of fact, I retired the old machine and I use the picopresso as my regular espresso maker even when not traveling. Just took it on a cruise with a small kettle and a hand grinder and what a game changer. Not only did I save on overpriced espresso's, I didnt have to wait in line, and the espresso was better than what I could have bought. My only criticism is that I wish that there were less water contact with plastic. It's listed as BPA free, but Im still not 100% comfortable with heat and any plastic.

Once you get the right espresso grind dialed in, this thing makes great espresso! At first it was a bit too fine, so I dialed it back a bit. I found the sweet spot and I am very pleased with the quality of the espresso. I do 20 grams of beans per cup. I use this while traveling or camping. I use a Bellman stovetop milk steamer if I want to make latte. At home I use another manual espresso machine, the Cafelat Robot. (Which I also highly recommend.)

I was very impressed with the build quality of this little machine. The packaging just oozes deluxe. It makes great espresso, much better than I've had at any of my local coffee shops. If you're hesitant about the price, don't be. It's more than worth it.

PURPOSE:This product serves a niche but growing market: the espresso aficionado (such as myself) who doesn't want to give up life's simple luxuries while on the trail (I am an avid backpacker who doesn't mind the extra weight of a portable espresso machine+grinder+beans) or back home visiting the folks in a town where the "espresso" most coffee shops serve is either burnt-tasting, sour, or otherwise completely over-/under-extracted. Note: YOU WILL NEED PRACTICE AND PATIENCE TO DIAL IN YOUR SHOT.FLAVOR:This handy little gadget will absolutely NOT be replacing my Breville Barista Express (plus associated accessories) anytime soon, however it definitely (as mentioned above) can make much better espresso than is available when I am away from home. I prefer a ristretto (1:1 ratio) that comes out in 25-27s on my Barista Express but that is not possible with this considering the pressure/piston limitations on this device, so I have to settle for a slightly coarser grind setting and longer shot.GRIND SETTING: I used it in conjunction with the 1Z-Presso K-Max manual grinder. If anyone else has this combo I recommend a grind setting of between 2.75-3.00 for an input of 18g medium-dark roasted beans (you're welcome - this took me many frustrating attempts to figure out).BUILD QUALITY/USABILITY:This thing seems to be built with very high quality materials - not as good as those of a $500+ home espresso machine but pretty close. Love that it comes with a case as well. Certain things are mildly-moderately frustrating but overall this thing is pretty well built:- Piston mechanism digs into the hand a bit and is slightly difficult to balance the device over a cup while pressing as it requires quite a push once pressure has built up.- O ring on the water reservoir side is a bit difficult to get back into place after removing.- I cannot stress enough the two things that gave me the biggest headache while dialing in: DO NOT TAMP HARD OR GRIND TOO FINE. (Yes I know...hard to define what this really means..) More on this below..TROUBLESHOOTING:This is where I felt the need to dock a star (and if it weren't for the fact that there is no other device this portable that produces this level of espresso quality, I would probably have docked two). If you tamp too hard or grind too fine, the pressure required to extract will be too high and it will become near impossible to obtain your shot. The device will subsequently seize up, and you will have to wait 10-30 minutes for it to slowly release before you can unscrew the portafilter. This is NOT your typical home espresso machine, and the tamping should feel relatively very gentle (you may barely start to see the imprint of the rings in the puck). As they note in the manual, you keep the dosing funnel on while tamping. Even with the funnel in place while tamping however, if you grind too fine you will still have these issues. My advice is to dial in before you're stuck on the trail not knowing what to do, and just be patient and allow it to depressurize if this happens. The most annoying part here is that they don't say ANYTHING about this in the manual other than mentioning the automatic depressurizing valve in the water reservoir. When the device seized up, I tried opening this valve further using the distributor tool and I believe this hastened the process slightly, but it still took a long time before I could unscrew the portafilter.SUMMARY:Sorry this is so long but I felt it was important to mention these things. Definitely a step up from the Nanopresso and recommend purchasing this if you want a portable espresso machine, as long as you are willing to put up with the initial frustration of figuring out how to use it properly.

I've taken this little thing all over the world with me. Pair it up with a 220v hot water heater. Great for camping as well.