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Nanopresso is the Go-Anywhere Personal Espresso Machine You Need Now

Here’s the scenario: You’re driving down a long and lonesome highway somewhere in the Western United States. Maybe you’re on a road trip for vacation, maybe you’re blasting across the country to make it home for the holidays, or even worse, a funeral — either way, it’s very late and you can’t stop driving just yet. You’ve got to get at least a couple hundred more miles under your belt before you pull over for the night. You’re fading fast and you’re really wishing you had a shot of espresso to pick you up. Luckily, an out-0f-the-way gas station appears in the distance. You have a choice at this point: cheap gas station coffee or a hot and fresh cup of espresso made in the comfort of your own car with the ingenious little personal espresso machine, Nanopresso.

Alternatively, the story could be something like: You’ve been hiking for 12 hours and finally reached your campsite. You managed to build a fire, but are too tired to set up the rest of camp because you want a shot of espresso first. Again, Nanopresso is the answer.

But why? And how?

Image used with permission by copyright holder

What Is Nanopresso?

Put simply: Nanopresso is a portable, hand-powered espresso machine. Weighing less than a pound and sizing in at just over six inches in length, Nanopresso is a pint-sized powerhouse that can deliver cafe quality espresso in the time it takes to boil some water and extract a brew. But, coffee addicts may be wondering, how can a hand-held espresso machine deliver top quality coffee without a heavy-duty pressure extractor and steamer? The answer is in the extremely clever engineering and design of the device. Nanopresso is composed of a coffee basket, pressure chamber, extraction nozzle, pump, water reservoir, and espresso cup, all housed in a food-grade, hard-plastic casing.

How Does It Work?

To operate, simply add your grounds to the basket, screw on the cap, boil water, add that boiling water to the reservoir and attach to the Nanopresso. Once the seal is complete, pop-out the hand pump, and slowly begin pumping. Each pump should take about a second and the first 8-10 pumps are used primarily to build pressure within the chamber. Once the pressure has reached the optimum 18 bars (261 PSI) of stable pressure, the extraction process begins. After less than a minute later, your cup of steaming espresso is ready for your enjoyment.

It should be noted that Nanopresso does not heat the water itself. You must have hot (boiling) water from some other source in order to use Nanopresso, which should be easy on the trail using a camp stove and kettle or even on the road where every gas station has a boiling hot water spigot you can often use for free.

Nanopresso also comes with a few add-on options, like an NS adapter, allowing you to use espresso pods rather than having to deal with grinding and filling the coffee basket on your own, along with a barista kit, which includes a larger reservoir and cup to make more than just espresso.

Nanopresso
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nanopresso Barista Kit
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nanopresso NS Adapter
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Looking for a kitchen-based espresso machine? Look no further, friends – we’ve got all the best at-home espresso machines right here.

Editors' Recommendations

Chase McPeak
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chase McPeak is the former Lifestyle Editor. Chase regularly appeared on Beards, Booze, and Bacon: The Manual Podcast where…
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