Easy Espresso On the Go

Coffee is my life. Rarely a day goes by where I don't drink it upon awakening and at some point in the afternoon as a pick-me up. I even enjoy it as a dessert with ice cream.

Now you can see why I was excited when I received an espresso maker for the Holidays. Of course I already have multiple ways to make coffee (pour over, Nespresso machine, espresso machine, French press, and Moka espresso maker). But the idea of making espresso on the go was appealing.

Beans, Water, and Pressure
The main ingredients to making espresso are ground coffee, hot water, and pressure. With the minipresso NS all you need are ground coffee cartridges and hot water. The pump will let you create 8 bars (or 116 PSI) of pressure (incidentally, 8 bars is eight times the pressure at sea level).*

The minipresso I have uses espresso cartridges by Nespresso (hence the NS in the model name). Wacaco (the manufacturer) also makes a model which allows you to tamp your own ground coffee. We are fortunate now that other coffee roasters make espresso pods for Nespresso. Hence the Peet's coffee pod pictured here.

My espresso pump came with a protective case and a small brush to clean grounds out. It's an attractive black.

The Process
Making an espresso with the minipresso is rather easy:

1. Remove the built-in cup and unscrew the top chamber.
2. Place cartridge in the cutter chamber.
3. Screw top back onto coffee chamber.
4. Pour heated water into bottom chamber up to fill line.
5. Screw bottom back into main body.
6. Turn minipresso around and unlock the pump.
7. Pump water through the cartridge; this takes awhile and needs to be done above the small cup or other vessel you will be drinking the coffee out of.

Assessment
I was genuinely impressed at how easy this espresso was to make. It didn't create a huge mess. The taste and smell of the espresso was divine. It creates a quality crema and is not difficult to pump. One issue I need to resolve is that the coffee was not hot enough to my taste. I add half and half which is cold so that makes matters worse. The manual recommends pre-heating the minipresso chambers before pressing the coffee. I tried this and it made a huge difference, along with heating up my half and half. There is some discussion about the best method for pumping the piston: some recommend pushing, holding a second and waiting a second after you release the piston. Others recommend waiting 10 seconds after six presses. Cleanup simply requires running water through the chambers and drying it out.

I recommend the minipress NS for those who love espresso and have easy access to hot water and Nespresso-style cartridges. It makes great-tasting espresso and is rather non-complicated and reliable. Enjoy!

*The industry standard for an espresso machine is 9 bars of pressure, and while this can create a respectable espresso, many argue that 15 bars makes the best brews.