While traveling or on trekking tours, good, freshly brewed coffee is always appreciated by all fellow travelers. As a rule, filter coffee is the right choice to make a group happy, as it can be brewed quickly in sufficient quantities. In an article and video I go into detail on different coffees for on the go.
But when the craving for espresso strikes, filter coffee is not the right answer. Flair, Aram and co. are only conditionally mobile and therefore not so well suited for travel. The Wacaco Picopresso promises to do exactly that. And after I had already achieved decent results with its predecessor, the Wacaco Nanopresso*, I was particularly curious to see what the Wacaco Picopresso* promises in terms of coffee quality and build quality.
Coffee Quality with the Wacaco Picopresso
With all mobile espresso brewers, the first and most important question is whether they are capable of brewing espresso at all. Espresso is characterized by one key feature: the concentration of dissolved coffee particles in relation to water. The concentration range, also called strength, is not definitively defined, but ranges between 6 and 12% TDS (Total Dissolved Solids).
With the Wacaco Picopresso, we brewed an espresso with a strength of 9.7% TDS, using a ratio of 18 grams of coffee powder to 36 grams of espresso in the cup. A strong double espresso, in a 1:2 ratio.
The texture of the espresso was creamy and balanced, with a slight tendency toward acidity in flavor. The acidity is emphasized by the rather low brewing temperature. The result is good for a mobile espresso brewer.
Anyone wanting to compare the Wacaco Picopresso with their top-end portafilter espresso machine will notice fluctuations, especially in terms of consistency and repeatability of results. However, from our perspective, that's not really the goal of a mobile brewer. It's designed to brew a good espresso on the go, and we had this experience every time we unpacked the Picopresso on a kayak tour, hike, or even at the stadium.
Brewing with the Wacaco Picopresso - Tips
According to the manufacturer, the Wacaco Picopresso's basket holds 15-20 grams of coffee. We recommend working with 18 grams of coffee. With lower fill levels, we noticed significantly more channeling.
- 18 grams is also ideal for following our classic brewing recipes that we provide for various coffees.
- First, the Picopresso should be thoroughly flushed with boiling water. To do this, pour the boiling water into the brew chamber, unscrew the lid, and flush with pump strokes. Unlike Wacaco's instructions, we recommend preheating the basket as well.
- Next, quickly add the prepared espresso-fine ground 18 grams evenly into the basket, use the included needle tool if necessary to break up clumps, and tamp straight. The dosing ring can be used as a guide.
- Next, place the shower screen, screw on the basket, add boiling water again, close the brewer, and start pumping. After approximately 10 strokes, which should be performed evenly and without pause, drops should appear at the bottom of the basket. These are only visible if the tapered plastic spout is not attached. The plastic spout can make sense. However, we recommend working without the spout when adjusting the grind size.
- If espresso drops don't appear at around 10 strokes, the grind is too fine. If drops appear much earlier or the coffee already flows quickly out of the brewer and splashes in all directions, the grind size is too coarse.
- We used the Timemore C3 and set it to 8 to 9 clicks depending on the espresso.
- When the first drops appear, we recommend taking a pause of 5 to 10 seconds so the coffee can become completely saturated with water. Then continue pumping regularly until the water is emptied or the desired amount of 36 to 45 ml is in the cup.
Without the plastic spout, you can admire the beauty of an espresso extraction with a bottomless basket if the grounds are well prepared. However, it's not that easy to brew espresso with the Wacaco Picopresso without channeling, since the pump strokes don't create constant pressure. Channeling becomes visible when the espresso repeatedly squirts out of the holes in small fountains and splashes in all directions instead of flowing evenly into the cup.
With the plastic spout, the espresso is funneled together and thus lands targeted in the cup.
Included with the Wacaco Picopresso
The Wacaco Picopresso may be compact at 7.8 cm at its thickest point and 10.6 cm at its highest point, but inside it contains a whole collection of useful items.
Let's go through the contents of the Wacaco Picopresso from left to right. Top left is the lower closure cap. The 15-20 gram basket is filled in the photo. A dosing ring makes it easy to add the coffee powder precisely and also serves as a guide for the tamper. Practical! The shower screen distributes the brewing water evenly over the coffee. The tamper closes flush with the basket. The lid on the top right closes the upper brew chamber. At the bottom left you can see the included needle tool. It's a bit bulky, but it works nonetheless. The main body of the Picopresso can hold all of the above items except the caps for transport. The spout combines the brewing and reduces visual channeling (but not actual channeling). The brush and the dosing spoon are the two less essential items. The packed Picopresso with all components fits in the zippered case.
Conclusion on the Wacaco Picopresso
Anyone who occasionally wants espresso while traveling will find the Wacaco Picopresso, which weighs just 450 grams, to be a good mobile espresso maker. All accessories needed for brewing are included, and the Picopresso is otherwise cleverly designed. The results speak for themselves and the espresso doesn't need to hide. We don't know of a more compact brewer that can match it in terms of espresso quality.
Important: a good hand grinder, good coffee, and a kettle are necessary to brew the espresso. Since the Wacaco Picopresso, like all mobile brewers, has difficulty maintaining temperature, we recommend medium to dark roasts. Light roasts naturally come with plenty of fruit acidity, which can only be balanced by high brewing temperatures. From our selection, we particularly like Mamy, Toca, Apas, and Boton.
Our espressos in Switzerland.
- Mamy, Robusta from Guinea
- Toca, Mexico
- Apas, Brazil
- Boton, Blend
Our Espresso Roasts in Germany, Austria, and the EU
- Mamy, Robusta, Guinea
- Toca, Mexico
- Apas, Brazil
- Boton, Blend
