Wacaco is the undisputed king of portable espresso. It practically defined the space and has outshone and outlasted many rival brands. The brand has released many portable espresso makers, each high quality and fitting a particular need. Nevertheless, previous Wacaco espresso makers relied on the user providing the hot water. With the release of the Pixapresso, all of that changes. This is a Wacaco espresso maker like nothing you've seen before.

It's worth taking a moment to reflect on what a technological accomplishment the Pixapresso is. Not only is this a hand-held device that can pull a tasty shot (after all, Wacaco has given us many of those already); this is a device that can heat up its own water to the ideal brewing temperature, from cold, using a built-in, high-capacity, USB-C rechargeable battery. That means no separate thermos is required. With the battery charged, you can pull a shot of espresso without an external power supply or previously heated water.

Despite this incredible technological innovation, Wacaco has managed to make the Pixapresso affordable, compact and relatively easy to use. The video below shows how it works. After a few tries, pulling a shot should become second nature, thanks to the straightforward interface and simple assembly. A quick heads-up for the adventurers: because water boils at lower temperatures at higher elevations, the Pixapresso’s internal heating element and brew cycle can get thrown off. This might lead to under-extracted coffee or unexpected shutdowns, so if you're heading up into the mountains, we recommend sticking to lower elevations for the best brew.

Now, to be fair, there are other battery-powered espresso makers out there. We've tried some of them, but we feel pretty confident in saying that the Pixapresso is way better, for various reasons. Most importantly, it allows you to brew single and double shots out of the box, no expansion pack or additional pricey kit needed. Heck, it even lets you use capsules without any additional kit (though why would you want to?). It comes with an espresso cup and an Americano-sized cup. Basically, it comes with everything you need except coffee and a grinder. That makes it a pretty impressive package.

Beyond that, the feature set it offers is quite something: pre-infusion, temperature control, and multiple espresso style options; Wacaco seems to have thought of everything. If what you really want in life is to brew espresso in crazy places, the Wacaco Pixapresso is definitely for you.

Please note that to make great espresso, you need great beans, and ideally they should be fresh when ground and ground fresh. Even the best espresso machine needs these prerequisites to be met. Nevertheless, the Pixapresso does include some small parts, so you may want to load it up before you head out and save the assembly, disassembly and cleaning for home base.

Please note: we have found that the Pixapresso does not operate reliably at higher altitudes. If you live at altitude or plan to use it there, we do not recommend this model.

What’s included with the Wacaco Pixapresso

• Pixapresso
• Travel pouch
• Instruction manual
• Brewing head
• Ground coffee module
• Capsule module
• Funnel
• Brush
• Small cup (big cup forms part of Pixapresso body)
• Spoon
• USB-C charging cable

Wacaco Pixapresso features

• Compact, lightweight & durable
• All parts fit together for travel
• Intuitive LED touch interface
• Fast heat-up in approximately 3 minutes
• 8–16 g basket: single or double shots, from ristretto to lungo
• 4 coffee styles to select from
• Temperature control - 88/92/96 °C
• Pre-infusion (optional; 5 seconds)
• Battery-powered - can make up to 5 shots before a recharge (with cold water) or dozens of shots with pre-heated water
• Replaceable battery
• Large water tank - up to 120 ml
• Versatile - also capsule compatible
• Makes barista-quality espresso

Wacaco Pixapresso specifications

• Material: BPA-free plastic casing
• Dimensions: 74 × 74 × 181 mm
• Weight: 755 g
• Water capacity: 120 ml
• Ground coffee capacity: 8-16 g
• Max pressure: Up to 20 Bar (extraction pressure is lower)
• Temperature settings: 88 °C / 92 °C / 96 °C
• Battery capacity: 3000 mAh 3S (3 cells of 3000 mAh each)
• Auto-off: After 1 minute
• Warranty: 1-year