5 Portable Espresso Machines You Can Buy On Amazon

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Have you ever been in the middle of a beautiful forest, far from civilization, and thought you could go for a shot of espresso? Or walking around an airport, in need of a pick-me-up, and the baristas asleep at the counter aren't inspiring any confidence. Maybe you want to blow your friends' minds with campfire espresso martinis. You're in luck because there's an answer. Portable espresso machines have come a long way in the past few years. You can find truly tiny espresso makers just a shade over 4 inches tall, weighing around 3/4 pound. Compare this to a common, small home espresso machine like the Breville Bambino that's 12 inches high and weighs 11 pounds.

And the coffee these small machines make is pretty good! They can achieve the requisite 9 to 12 bars of pressure needed to make a true shot of espresso. There are different methods of achieving this pressure — some use hand pumps, others have a battery running a pump, and one uses a lever to amplify the force of you pressing down.

The latest portable espresso maker from Wacaco, the $129 Picopresso, won a Red Dot Design Award in 2022. The maker weighs only 350 grams, and its filter basket holds 18 grams of ground coffee. You pour hot water into the top, seal it, and hand-pump the water through the grounds to make a strong shot of espresso. This model is intended for people who know what they're doing, as you have to dial in the shot with the grounds, tamping, and pulling technique. 

The least portable of all the options at 4.5 pounds, the $99 Flair Neo Flex hand press leverages the force created while pulling down the lever to 6 to 9 bars of pressure to make true espresso. Fill the basket with up to 18 grams of coffee, pour in 60 ml of freshly boiled water, and press to get a 40-gram shot. The latest version comes with a gauge to help you maintain a steady pressure through your press. 

Wacaco's $65 Nanopresso shines in its ability to use freshly ground coffee or coffee capsules to make your morning shot. Another in Wacaco's line of lightweight, hand-pumped espresso makers that make strong shots. This one weighs 11.9 ounces and also needs a source of boiled water. It comes with a smaller, 8-gram basket for coffee and a bigger 80 milliliter water tank, letting you make all the espresso drinks from a ristretto all the way to a lungo.

The only battery-powered option on our list, the Nano by OutIn, is also the most expensive at $150. It weighs 1.5 pounds and can use your own coffee beans or a capsule. Simply fill the top with room temperature water, hold the button for two seconds, wait roughly 200 seconds, and out comes fresh espresso. There's no second button press; it will start making espresso once it's ready. The battery lasts for five espresso shots made from cold water, or 200 if you pour in hot water.

We close out with Wacaco's original portable espresso maker, the $55 Minipresso first came out in 2014 and has since been upgraded to this latest version. The lightest espresso maker on the list, the Minipresso, weighs just 10 ounces, takes up to 80 milliliters of boiled water, and can hold up to 12 grams of espresso. Another hand-pumped model, this one achieves 18 bars of pressure. Together with reheated frozen breakfast sandwiches, this will make your mornings around the campfire truly special!