Minipresso Review: Why This Is Such a Good Travel Espresso Maker

My brother gifted me a WACACO Minipresso to take on my backpacking trips, and I quickly fell in love with it for coffee on the go. It uses OriginalLine Nespresso pods, is super lightweight, and couldn’t be more compact and convenient. It’s my top recommendation for coffee gear on the go, unless you already have a grinder as part of your travel coffee gear, in which case an Aeropress might suit you better.

In this WACACO Minipresso review, I’ll explain why I love this travel espresso maker and give you some insight into why I think this is a revolutionary piece of on-the-go coffee equipment.

Quick Minipresso Review

The WACACO Minipresso is an incredibly convenient and portable way to brew espresso on the go. Weighing in at just over three-quarters of a pount and measuring only 6 inches tall when closed, this little machine packs a punch. It’s designed for use with Nespresso OriginalLine coffee pods, which provide consistently good espresso.

To use the Minipresso, you fill the small onboard water reservoir, insert a pod, and pump the lever on the side to build up pressure and force hot water through the pod. The result is a tasty shot of espresso in under a minute. The process is quick, easy, and tidy. No loose grounds to clean up afterwards, so you’ll be back to traveling or hiking in no time.

I love how lightweight and compact the Minipresso is. It takes up barely any space in my backpack and adds negligible weight. The all-plastic construction makes it durable enough for the trail while keeping it feather-light. It’s also easy to clean—just give it a quick rinse and use the included brush on the nozzle.

My only real gripe is that you have to carry Nespresso pods with you, as the Minipresso doesn’t take loose grounds. That is, unless you have a good grinder and a reusable Nespresso pod, but if you have a grinder capable of grinding for Nespresso, I’d recommend instead getting and learning how to use an Aeropress, as it makes better quality coffee.

But overall, the upsides of the Minipresso outweigh this small inconvenience for me. Plus, the pods take up way less space than a grinder and whole bean coffee would.

Overall, the Minipresso delivers tasty espresso quickly and easily wherever you are. It’s become an essential piece of my backpacking and travel gear kits.

Who the Minipresso Is For

I recommend the Minipresso for anyone looking to brew espresso on the go, including:

• Backpackers and hikers who want tasty trail coffee without a lot of weight or bulk
• Travelers who want better coffee from their hotel room or rental apartment
• Commuters who would rather make a quick shot than buy expensive coffee shop drinks everyday

The Minipresso really shines for people focused on portability and convenience rather than ultimate coffee quality. It’s easy to use and clean, takes up barely any space, and gives you reliably good coffee quickly. I’ve happily taken mine on backpacking trips deep into the wilderness where pack weight and utility are crucial considerations.

This little machine is not for coffee snobs looking for a premium at-home espresso experience. The Minipresso makes solid, but not incredible, coffee. If you want more control over shot quality and to dial in your perfect cup, I’d recommend something like the AeroPress. The Minipresso favors convenience over customizability.

Also, it’s, of course, not going to serve as a replacement for a countertop Nespresso machine. I mean…it COULD, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I think the Minipresso is ideal for travel, but it’s going to fall short of most at-home coffee makers.

WACACO Minipresso Review

Next I’ll do a deep dive into the different aspects of the Minipresso to provide more detail on who this product is for and how it performs.

Ease of Use

The Minipresso couldn’t be much easier to use. Operating it is intuitive and essentially foolproof. Just fill the tiny 70mL reservoir with hot water, pop in a Nespresso pod, and pump the lever on the side. Unfortunately, there’s no pressure gauge, so it can take a bit of practice to dial in your pressure based on the shot time. Good coffee comes out the other end into the included small travel coffee cup.

Seriously, it’s that easy. No complicated controls to program and no loose grounds to measure and tamp. Pop, pump, brew, done. The simple process and lack of fragile parts make this an ideal coffee maker for life on the go. I’ve happily used mine on multi-day backpacking trips, and I looked forward to the coffee every morning.

And clean-up after brewing a shot takes about 5 seconds. Just give the thing a quick rinse, use the included brush on the nozzle if needed, and you’re done. No paper filters to dispose of or grinds to knock out of a portafilter. Just remember that you’ll need a place to put your spent Nespresso pod.

The Minipresso’s easy operation and maintenance make it my top recommendation for hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts who want great coffee in the backcountry.

It’s also effortless to use in hotel rooms, AirBnBs, and other travel lodging. No need to learn the intricacies of an unfamiliar coffee maker. Just use your trusty Minipresso. The simple process gives you one less thing to worry about when you’re on the road.

Travel Capability

At just 0.78 pounds and 6 inches long when closed, the Minipresso takes up barely any space in my pack. I can easily fit it into a spare stuff sack along with a couple days worth of Nespresso pods. It adds negligible weight to my backpacking load-out…although, for superlight and ultralight backpackers, caffeine pills are still going to be the best option, by far.

But it’s infinitely more enjoyable than choking down a bitter pill in my opinion. A hot, delicious shot of espresso is worth the minimal additional pack weight and space in my book.

The one downside here is the need to carry Nespresso pods rather than grounds. But the pods take up way less space than a grinder and whole bean coffee would. I just keep some in a spare plastic container inside my pack. For shorter trips, you can fit 2 pods inside the Minipresso’s included espresso cup. So it’s really not too limiting.

The plastic construction also feels plenty durable for life on the trail. It’s bounced around in my backpack through all sorts of conditions and been dropped on rocky trails more than a few times with no issues after 2 years of ownership. And since there are no electronic parts, you never have to worry about rain damaging it.

Bottom line: the Minipresso hits the sweet spot of being highly portable and trail-ready while still making coffee I genuinely look forward to drinking every morning on the trail. That’s a killer combo.

Coffee Quality

To be clear, the Minipresso won’t make coffee shop quality espresso. Nespresso pod coffee is different than what you’d get from a semi-automatic or manual espresso machine using freshly ground beans. The experience is more consistent and foolproof, but at the expense of some quality and customizability.

That said, Nespresso pods make pretty darn good coffee in my book. Is it as nuanced and complex as dialing in beans on a $3,000 machine? Of course not. But it’s very satisfying and tastes way better than brewed coffee or instant coffee crystals.

The Minipresso itself produces good, but not incredible, espresso compared to other Nespresso makers. You don’t have a machine profiling pressure, temperature, and shot time for you here. Instead, you manually build pressure yourself and control shot length based on pressure. This leads to some inconsistency.

I also miss the barcodes on Nespresso machines that detect the pod type and automatically adjust brew parameters. The Minipresso doesn’t customize the brewing process based on pod type.

But at the end of the day, I’m still getting a hot, delicious shot of espresso within 60 seconds wherever I am. Maybe coffee snobs will be left wanting, but I’m very satisfied with the flavor and experience, especially from a travel espresso maker. To me, the convenience and portability outweigh the slight trade-off in absolute coffee quality.

Nespresso Pod Compatibility

One key point about the Minipresso is that it ONLY works with Nespresso’s OriginalLine pods. You cannot use the larger VertuoLine pods in this machine. Just standard Nespresso pods.

Having to carry pods is less convenient than fresh grounds, but still worlds better than lugging around whole beans and a manual grinder. I can fit enough pods for a weekend trip into a small Tupperware or even a large ziplock bag. The pods offer decent freshness and make packing so much easier.

Price

Prices for the Minipresso can range from $50-$100+ depending on sales and which accessories you want. But the base unit alone delivers incredible value in my opinion. This is the one I have, and I don’t feel like I actually need anything else.

Just the machine will run you around $80 on average at full price on Amazon. That’s very affordable for a manual espresso maker, and a fraction of what an electric pump espresso machine costs. I do recommend checking the current price on Amazon, though, as it changes pretty often.

When you factor in the extreme portability and convenience of the Minipresso, it’s an absolute steal in my book. You’d spend much more on an Aeropress plus a quality grinder to grind your beans on-the-go.

Accessories

The Minipresso comes with the basics: the brewing unit, a cleaning brush, and either a neoprene carrying case or soft shell case, depending on the bundle. But WACACO offers some nice optional accessories:

• Larger water reservoirs let you pull larger cups or lungo shots instead of just a single espresso.
• Nicely designed travel cases to replace the included pouch. You can even get hardshell cases to protect your Minipresso if you plan on hitting the trails super often and want some additional protection.
• You can also find third party accessories like a stainless steel version of the included cup, which is nice if you want to minimize how often your hot water is in contact with plastic.

I personally think the larger water tank is the best upgrade as it lets you make a longer shot that’s going to be more like an “americano” style coffee. Great for your morning trail coffee when you need a bit more of a boost.

Quality

The Minipresso itself is constructed from fairly lightweight plastic. It doesn’t have the premium feel or heft of, say, an all metal espresso machine. But it does feel properly put together and solid.

After 2 years of ownership and many backpacking trips, mine still looks and functions like new. No leaks, cracks, or malfunctions so far despite lots of bouncing around in my pack. All the seams, seals, and moving parts feel tight and sturdy.

The only potential issue I see is abrasion wearing through the plastic over many years of hard use. But at this point, that’s mostly speculation. Even if it does wear out eventually, I’ve already gotten my money’s worth from the Minipresso given the affordable price.

Water Reservoir

The Minipresso’s onboard water reservoir holds just 70mL — enough for one shot of espresso. You have to refill it each time you want to pull a shot.

This isn’t a huge deal, but it does disrupt your workflow slightly compared to espresso makers with larger reservoirs that can pull multiple shots per fill. Given that this is designed to be compact and ideal for travel, I can’t really complain about this.

And since it’s plastic, which pulls heat less readily than metal, there’s no need for a heating up or cooling down period between shots which helps. You can just dump, rinse, refill, and rebrew quickly.

Wrapping Up: Do I Recommend the WACACO Minipresso?

The Minipresso has become an integral piece of my backpacking and travel kits. For anyone focused on convenience and portability over marginally better brewing quality, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s lightweight, dead simple to operate, and makes tasty espresso anywhere.

I do not suggest the Minipresso for coffee aficionados looking to meticulously dial in brew parameters and extract the absolute best possible flavors. This is optimized for convenience.

But for hikers, campers, travelers, and anyone else wanting good coffee on the go without fuss, the Minipresso hits the mark. I’ll be bringing mine along on backpacking trips for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Minipresso make real espresso?

The Minipresso creates pressure of up to 20 bars to extract coffee from Nespresso pods into a concentrated shot of espresso. While it won’t make coffee shop quality espresso, it does make a strong, tasty shot of something that’s similar to espresso that’s much better than instant coffee or brewed coffee when you’re on the go. If you’re familiar with Nespresso and how it’s different from espresso, than you’ll have no issues with the Minipresso.

How do you clean the Minipresso?

Cleaning the Minipresso is quick and easy. After each use, simply rinse out the water reservoir and wipe down the external housing. The included brush can be used to clear any trapped grounds from the nozzle. Do not submerge the unit in water. Let all parts dry fully before storing. The beauty of the quick clean up is that it’s easy and fast to do while you’re traveling. I do recommend a more thorough cleaning once you get back from your trip, though. I usually pump some soapy water through mine, followed by a few passes with fresh water.

What is the difference between the Minipresso NS and GR models?

The NS model has a sleeker, slightly more compact design, but the main difference is that the Minipresso GR model is designed to be used with ground coffee rather than Nespresso pods. I personally wouldn’t recommend the GR and instead would suggest an Aeropress; if you’ll be carrying a grinder anyway, an Aeropress will make better coffee, in my opinion. The Minipresso NS great because it gives you the added convenience of using Nespresso pods and requires no additional equipment other than a means of heating up water.

How many shots can you get per fill of the water reservoir on the WACACO Minipresso?

The Minipresso’s small 70mL water reservoir only holds enough water to pull one to two shots before needing a refill. This isn’t ideal for making multiple shots in a row, but the simplicity allows for the compact size. You can pull one shot at 35mL, swap out the Nespresso pod, and then pull another, but this can get a bit messy. You can also upgrade your water reservoir with a larger version that can hold 120 mL, making it a better option for multiple shots or larger lungos and americano-like beverages.