Wacaco Picopresso £109.90
Wacaco’s Picopresso is an incredible little device. It produces coffee even closer in taste to espresso than the GSI Mini Espresso – plus it’s much more compact. Even though it doesn’t come with an integrated coffee cup, after adding one in, it still makes for a smaller pack size than the carry case of the GSI Mini Espresso.
There are, however, a few downsides. The first, and most insurmountable, relates to the complexity of the Picopresso – it requires a total of 23 individual steps to create a coffee! To be fair, it is commendable how detailed those instructions are; there is absolutely no scope for confusion (step three ensures you don’t forget to boil the water).
But there is just no getting away from the 14 component parts of the Picopresso. It is neat how Wacaco has managed to fit a tamper, funnel, portafilter, scoop, etc. into such a compact unit – but it does make assembly and packing more of a faff than the Soto Helix or even the Aeropress GO.
However, the biggest issue for bikepacking is that you need to preheat the unit with hot water before using it (otherwise your coffee will come out cold and under-extracted). In practice, this means that you need to use a stove so that the water is as close to boiling as possible.
Finally, there’s the point that as the Picopresso produces coffee closer to espresso, it also requires a finer grind of coffee (again, like espresso). This is no problem when grinding your own coffee but most ground coffee you’ll find in a corner shop or supermarket tends to be better suited for
French press or pour over.
You can (just about) get by using those coarser grounds in a moka pot, but it’s very far off the mark in the Picopresso.
Some brands, Lavazza particularly, are much finer and great for a moka pot, but still not ideal for the Picopresso.
In all, the complexity, the need to preheat the unit, and the need for finely ground coffee to get the best out of it mean that the Picopresso isn’t great for bikepacking and is better suited for camping, where space is at less of a premium and more kit can be brought. www.wacaco.com/products/picopresso