[leadin]If giving up your morning espresso is the hardest part of extended forays into the wilderness, the Wacaco MiniPresso is your dream come true.[/leadin]
Looking more like a sleek 0.5L water bottle than a magic coffee maker, this 360g gadget contains everything you need — cup, filter basket, scoop, and tamper — to pull a coffeeshop quality shot, complete with crema.
You simply add the espresso grind of your choice (we use our favorite mini hand grinder to prep the beans), pour in 60 ml of hot water, and pump.
Espresso While Camping
We’ve been using the MiniPresso a lot since it caught our eye at the 2016 Outdoor Retailer show, and we’ve been testing it against our impressive array of ways to make coffee while camping.
It is the only one that really makes espresso. It’s so good that we finally put it up against a $1,000 Breville home machine run by an experienced barista, and the shots were nearly indistinguishable.
Wacaco MiniPresso Review
The MiniPresso has a permanent metal filter cup, eliminating the need for any filter papers or disposable coffee pods common with other backcountry makers. The only waste is coffee grounds themselves, and a pound of ground coffee will last for 66 shots.
The pump is flush with the body until unlocked, and creates an average of 8 bars of pressure when pumped — perfect for the job. Climbers will get an added bonus of warming up their forearms, as the final pumps can be quite difficult with only one hand, but doable by anyone using both.
Wacaco also sells a longer water reservoir ($25) allowing for two shots to be pulled at once, and a protective case ($29), but the MiniPresso seems plenty durable on its own with its sleek form factor fitting almost anywhere.
Where will you have your next shot?
