“The power of espresso in the palm of my hand.”
-Doc Ock
Nanopresso Overview
At just under 12 ounces of weight, the Nanopresso by Wacaco is your espresso machine that you can take with you anywhere. It really is power at your hands. Imagine being able to pull an espresso shot wherever you want? Well, you will need a hot water source, so anywhere where there is boiling water. And depending on how you prefer to pack, you have options for a coffee source. Lets talk about this little contraption, because I’ve absolutely enjoyed using this tiny machine for my own coffee consumption.
The Nanopresso’s small footprint will fit perfectly in your bag, backpack, briefcase… Battlestar Galactica. Take it with you to the office and make yourself an afternoon espresso from your desk. Take it on a camping trip like I did, and make yourself an Americano or an Espresso Tonic. Make some espresso over ice. However you like your espresso, the Nanopresso will show up and make it happen. And you don’t need to carry around a huge machine to do this!
Using the Nanopresso Outdoors
Recently, I went on a camping trip and brought my Nanopresso with me, along with ingredients to make lime espresso tonics. (Check out our previous post on making this drink!) The beauty of the Nanopresso is how quickly you can get up and running to pull shots. Once you have boiling water, it really only takes a few moments and some hand-muscle strength to extract the shot.
The Nanopresso isn’t only for the outdoors. Like I said earlier, you can brew at the office. But I use it in my home too! It is a quick, convenient way to pull a shot without turning on any electronics, er, besides the hot water. But if you really want to get fancy and run zero electricity, feel free to (safely) heat up some water over a fire outside.
What Coffee Can I use in the Nanopresso?
The Nanopresso offers a few options for a coffee source. If you like your coffee freshly ground, a mini hand grinder, like the Porlex Hand Grinder, is a nice companion to the Nanopresso. It can be filled with 8 grams of coffee in the basket, or 16 grams with the double-shot adaptor. Everything works best when the beans are ground super fine. Just pick your favorite beans and you are good to go.
A second great option is using Nespresso Pods. I prefer this method if I’m on the road or camping because of its convenience. The pods pack well in a ziplock bag, and I don’t have to think about bringing extra equipment like a grinder and a container for coffee beans. In order to use this option, it would require Wacaco’s NS Adapter so that you can fit the pods in the chamber.
There are lots of Nespresso Pod options out there, such as Starbucks or Peets Coffee. There are other budget-friendly options you can find at Target under $10. Trader Joes sells a box for under $5! (featured in the images).
Brewing Tips and Cleaning
When using the Nanopresso, the best tip I can give is to pump it gently when you are extracting the shot. No need to rush. If you have experience pulling espresso from a machine and shooting for that 20 – 30 second shot, pace yourself when pumping the Nanopresso and let it run its course until you feel that the water chamber is completely depleted. Usually this is close to 30 pumps to complete your shot (yes, I counted it).
Cleaning the Nanopresso is super easy. For the most part, a good rinse will do the trick. All the parts come apart easily for deeper cleaning – it is fine to run it under some warm water and hand wash with a gentle soap.
Final Thoughts
This is a really cool piece of coffee equipment. Wacaco really does put in quality work in their products for use outdoors with their rugged design. It looks and feel durable. The Nanopresso can be enjoyed both indoors and outdoors, and at $69 price point it’s a really great value add to your coffee gear!
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