There’s no better feeling than starting the day with a well-made cup of coffee. But when you’re frequently travelling, it can be hard to guarantee you’ll get your hands on a decent brew.
That’s where portable coffee makers come in. Whether you’re waking up in a remote Airbnb, or you’re staying with relatives who only serve up the instant stuff, these nifty pieces of kit guarantee you can enjoy a quality java wherever you are in the world.
Offering a travel-friendly alternative to bulky plug-in coffee machines, most are small enough to throw into your hand luggage, and compact enough to keep on your desk at the office. No Nespresso machine? No problem.
What are portable coffee makers?
If the idea of a pocket-sized coffee maker sounds a bit dubious, hear us out: thanks to the rise of artisanal coffee culture, there are now plenty of options that can brew genuinely decent coffee without the need for electricity.
Coming in a variety of styles, these gadgets range from palm-sized espresso makers that manually extract the coffee with your own arm strength, to thermal French presses that keep your drinks piping hot while on the go.
The option you choose will depend on the type of coffee you drink, and where you plan to brew up. If you like a long coffee, you might want to opt for a French press or an Aeropress. Both of these options are hardy and durable, making them ideal for camping trips and adventure travel.
For those who specifically crave a shot of true espresso, a number of coffee makers on this list are sophisticated enough to produce the high pressure necessary to extract espresso's characteristic crema. These are great for a quick energy burst when you’re flagging at a music festival or committing to a long drive. Plus, you can always add hot milk to create a flat white or latte.
It’s worth bearing in mind that while these coffee makers can do a lot, most won’t manually boil your water. You'll either need access to a kettle or a camping stove, or you could opt to pack a thermos of boiling water if you’re hiking out into the wilderness. There’s a small amount of forward planning to be done in this sense, so we’ve detailed exactly how each of these coffee makers works, allowing you to choose the best option for your lifestyle.
How we tested
Finally, we tested these coffee makers on day trips, holidays and walks in the countryside to get a sense of how easy they are to use. We've rated them on ease of use, durability, portability, design and of course, taste. Keep reading for our review.
Best portable coffee makers at a glance:
- Best overall: Wacaco Picopresso - £129.90, Amazon
- Best for espresso lovers: Flair PRO 2 - £371, Amazon
- Best for on a budget: Frank Green French press - £34.99, Trouva
- Best for van life: 9Barista Espresso Machine - £399, 9barista.com
- Best for hiking: Wacaco Nanopresso - £84.90, Amazon
- Best for long drives: PressoXL - £89.95, Amazon
- Best for beginner coffee makers: Aeropress - £34.98, Amazon
- Best for camping: Outin Nano - £139.99, Amazon
Wacaco Picopresso
Best: Overall
Small but mighty, the Picopresso emerged as the overall winner when it comes to creating barista-level coffee with minimal effort. This tiny gadget specialises in doing just one thing very well: creating smooth and intense espresso shots.
Unlike a standard espresso machine, which uses electricity to create a pressurised environment, the internal piston in the Picopresso uses a hand pump to create 18 bars of pressure. The result is authentic, cafe-level coffee that rivals larger and more expensive worktop machines.
Using the machine is simple from start to finish. You just need to add ground coffee to the portafilter basket, tamp it with the accompanying tool, and then pour boiling water into the tank. It then takes around 25 manual pumps of the button until you start seeing the creamy espresso dripping from the bottom of the filter.
Impressively, you can brew a full double shot with the Picopresso, as the basket holds up to 18 grams of coffee. And at just 10.5cm in length, it’s small enough to throw into a rucksack and take out on the road.
Buy now £129.90, Amazon
Flair PRO 2
Best for: Espresso lovers
Doubling up as a design piece for your kitchen, the Flair is undoubtedly the best-looking coffee maker on this list.
The lever mechanism works with an action that’s akin to pulling a pint, allowing for fun experimentation opportunities with each coffee - from heating the brew head to lowering the lever. The quality of the espresso shots is unrivalled too, and more than makes up for the fact that there are no extra bells and whistles.
The Flair Pro 2 is a bit too heavy to take abroad, but we found it was perfect for popping on your desk at the office or whipping in and out of a kitchen cupboard; ideal if you’re a renter that’s short on shared worktop space. The structure is made from metal, so it feels more durable than most electric espresso machines, meaning you could definitely pack it in the car for a weekend trip.
Handily, it breaks down into two separate parts, which fit into a neat carrying case with its accessories, which is about the size of a laptop. It’s easy to clean too - just dump out the grounds, give the filter a rinse and you’re good to go again.
Buy now £371.00, Amazon
Frank Green French press
Best for: On a budget
This sleek French press is the most budget-friendly option on the list, and we rated it for keeping our coffee hot for hours. Essentially, you’re brewing directly into a triple-walled thermos mug, so you can plunge the coffee from the boot of your car and it’ll still be hot by the time you reach the top of the mountain.
Coming in a variety of trend-ticking colours, this coffee maker has a handy pouring hole so you can easily transfer the liquid to a separate cup.
Frank Green isn't reinventing the wheel here; the coffee is as rich and as good as any premium French press - with no sediment escaping into your cuppa. However, we love the fact you can pre-brew and then carry all from one simple container, so there’s minimal stress when you’re midway through a hike.
Buy now £34.99, Trouva
9Barista Espresso Machine
Best for: van life
The 9Barista is a completely unique coffee maker. It’s the only stovetop to achieve the nine bars of pressure needed to create true espresso, blending the ease of a portable Moka pot with the premium taste of bigger machines.
Created by a jet engineer, the coffee maker uses the same principles as those found in aeronautics; utilising high pressures and perfectly controlled temperatures to create the perfect caffeine fix. Just tamp the ground the coffee, fill up the water chamber and pop it onto a hot stove to see the dense crema bubble up in just minutes.
Weighing a sturdy 1.7 kg, it’s definitely heavier than other options on this list, but if you’re planning a van trip around Europe, this is the perfect stovetop to take from coast to countryside.
One thing to note though: the bottom chamber can be a bit stiff to unscrew after brewing, so make sure to not overtighten it. The 9barista also has a manual pressure relief button by the base that you can press to make dissembling easier, but you’ll need to wait for it to fully cool before you can start making your next coffee.
Buy now £399.00, 9Barista
Wacaco Nanopresso
Best for: Hiking
Simple to assemble, the Nanopresso is capable of reaching 18 bars of pressure with just a few manual pumps with your hands.
Similar to the brand’s Picopresso, everything you need to create a smooth espresso shot is housed in one ergonomic cylindrical container. While the coffee tastes great from both products, we preferred the Picopresso simply because it’s 50 mm shorter, and therefore easier to transport.
All that being said, the Nanopresso is about half the price of its sister coffee maker, so if you’re on a tight budget, this is a more affordable entry into the brand.
One thing we will say about both Wacaco machines is that the pumping action takes a fair bit of grip strength, requiring you to wrap your whole hand around the chamber as you squeeze the pump. It’s doable for most, but if you struggle with arthritis or other mobility issues, this might not be the most user-friendly addition to your coffee toolkit.
Buy now £84.90, Amazon
Presso XL
Best for: Long car drives
The cool thing about the PressoXL is that it’s one of the only coffee makers on this list to boil the water for you. Making a cuppa is as simple as filling up the water tank, loading the machine with either a coffee pod or ground coffee, and then tapping a button twice to produce a hot drink.
The PressoXL’s heating function is powered by a battery that can be charged with a simple USB cable. We found that it could make an impressive seven cups of black coffee on a single charge before it lost its juice. We mostly liked it for the fact we didn’t need to be near a kettle or carry a thermos of hot water to use it, although the coffee wasn’t quite as intense or full-bodied as other options we sampled.
The plastic design also feels slightly less premium than other coffee makers on this list. For people who spend a lot of time driving though, this is a great option. Not only can it charge from your car dashboard, but you can also use coffee capsules, so there’s minimal mess when you want a quick pick-me-up at the service station.
Buy now £89.97, Amazon
Aeropress
Best for: beginner coffee makers
Aeropress has built a cult-like brand following online for a very good reason: it makes consistently great coffee with very little barista knowledge needed. The brand’s eponymous coffee maker has racked up almost 20,000 five-star Amazon reviews and counting.
Developed by a coffee-loving scientist called Alan Adler who wanted to save precious time in the single-cup brewing process, it has an ergonomic workflow that is great for beginners. As there is very little that can go wrong with the Aeropress, it’s a great choice for people who want to drink better coffee, but immediately tap out at the idea of lots of fiddly steps.
Using it is as simple as placing a filter in the filter cap, pouring coffee grounds and hot water into the chamber, and then allowing the coffee to steep for a few minutes. Once you’ve plunged the brewed coffee, you’re left with a smooth and bitterless drink that has a taste profile similar to pour-over, but with around a tenth of the effort.
Buy now £34.98, Amazon
Outin Nano
Best for: Camping
This water bottle-sized, battery-powered espresso maker is perfect for camping or hikes when you don’t have easy access to boiling water.
Like the PressoXL, it uses a rechargeable battery to internally heat the water and create enough pressure to dispense espresso-like coffee at the touch of a button. There’s no manual pumping or hand strength needed here, which is a plus for many people. It’s charged via USB-C and has a battery that will last long enough to make around three to five espressos per charge, so it’ll see you through an off-grid weekend.
With the Outin, you can either add fresh ground coffee to the basket or add a Nespresso pod using the accompanying adapter. This was particularly useful in rainy and rugged conditions when hand grinding and tamping coffee wasn’t practical.
One downside is that you can’t use it while it’s charging. If you add hot water to the tank though, you can get up to 100 coffees per charge, so it's great for those lazy working-from-home days when you can’t be bothered to keep schlepping to the kitchen.
Buy now £139.99, Amazon
