Sure shots: eight options for making espresso and creative coffees when you're on the move

Whether you’re after pocketable shots of perfect espresso or a more involved coffee-making experience that can travel with you, we’ve got your caffeine fix covered. Read on to discover six ways of making the coffee on the go.

OutIn Mino

The OutIn Mino is a travel espresso maker, brought to you by the company that also manufactures the Nano. The Mino isn’t slightly smaller but it is also more robust. The powerful pocketable device has an onboard battery that can heat and pressurise the water, even at high altitudes.

For that reason, the Mino is beloved by outdoors types, who relish its ability to produce a serviceable espresso in just three minutes, wherever you are. It’s also compatible with coffee capsules, a definite bonus when travelling.

AeroPress Go

AeroPress devotees don’t need to be talked into expensive coffee machines; they know that the humble three-piece plastic kit can produce a fabulous cup of coffee with just some grounds, a paper filter and a bit of elbow grease. The simple device celebrated its twentieth anniversary last year, and the launch of the sleek AeroPress Steel version upped the material quality and aesthetic appearance of the classic model to give it a more stylish presence.

Now there’s the AeroPress Go, which takes the compact brilliance of the original and wraps it up in a travel package, complete with integral mug and lid. Of course, you’ll have to find somewhere to boil the water, but if this kind of coffee making hits the spot, you’ll make it work.

AeroPress Go, $49.95 / £37.90, AeroPress.com, Amazon.co.uk

Leverpresso Orbit

A more elaborate solution is on offer in the shape of Leverpresso Orbit. This is a true espresso maker that’s also truly portable, with its own carry case and a kit of high-grade machined stainless steel components that aficionados can relish assembling ahead of their fix.

The device was successfully crowdfunded and should start shipping soon, courtesy of manufacturers Hugh (who also make the slightly less elaborate Leverpresso V4 Travel Kit). Twin levers extract the shot, an action that delivers the right amount of pressure in a suitably theatrical way.

Leverpresso Orbit, $549, HughInc.com, @Hugh.Official

Flair Espresso GO

Flair Espresso’s GO offers a similar functionality to the Orbit. A sturdy foldable lever espresso machine designed for portability and simplicity, it comes in two configurations, one aimed at fans of freshly ground coffee and the other tapping into the convenience of pods. Unfolded, the sturdy device allows you to pull the perfect espresso, wherever you happen to be.

9Barista Stovetop Espresso Machine Mk.2

The second iteration of 9Barista’s stove top espresso maker plays into coffee making at its most ritualised. The solidly milled metal device assembles with mechanical precision and demands the same attention to detail in the coffee-making – requiring accurate measuring scales, a heat transfer plate (supplied) for use with gas cookers, and de-clumping and tamping tools.

Once it’s all assembled, coffee should take around 6 minutes of so, with the coffee itself emerging in almost exactly 30 seconds. It’s all about patience, timing and careful maintenance to keep everything running just so. An ‘ultimate bundle’ is also available, consisting of travel bag, grinder, storage and cup.

NoNormal Outdoor Coffee

At the other extreme is Switzerland’s NoNormal, an ‘outdoor coffee’ company who would presumably baulk at the time it takes to assemble, grind, brew, breakdown and clean a high-end stove top machine. Their solution? Coffee in a tube.

This fantastically heretical idea was born of frustration with the idea of lugging coffee gear up mountains. Instead, founders Philippe Greinacher and Alexander Häberlin have chosen to package their concentrated coffee solution in a traditional aluminium tube, requiring no refrigeration or complex measuring systems.

Admittedly, tubed coffee paste made from coffee concentrate (created with Swiss company HACO) isn’t the aesthetic of solutions. But for convenience it cannot be beat, plus the taste is really pretty good. The founders extol the simplicity of their product, adding that it’s ‘perfect not just for drinking but also as a spread on a piece of toast or paired with banana, or chocolate.’

More information at NoNormal.com, @NoNormalCo

Wacaco Pixapresso

A compact electric espresso maker, the Pixapresso can heat 55ml of water (a single espresso is generally around 30ml) to the right brewing temperature in about three minutes.

Using grounds or pods, the little device has sufficient battery for five espressos before it’ll need recharging (this is energy intensive work). A dot-matrix display shows the current status of brew or battery, and the device comes with two integral coffee cups.

Oxo Rapid Brewer

Another portable plunger-style device, the Oxo Rapid Brewer has an integral stainless steel filter – no need for AeroPress-style paper filters – and a compact form factor that designed for travelling and easy stowage (although naturally you’ll to bring your own boiling water). The brew chamber is charged with a number of pumps, rather than a single push like in AeroPress, but the form factor is better suited to life on the move.