Espresso Machine For Road Trips

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
hale2
Posts: 14
Joined: 4 years ago

#1: Post by hale2 »

My wife is tired of settling for Panera or Starbucks espresso shots when we are on road trips. I need to get something that is good to take on the road. We'll be in hotels, not camping. For reference, at home I have a Gaggia Classic and a Sette 270 grinder. She realizes anything easy to travel with won't be as good, but is likely to be better than chain coffee shops.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

luvmy40
Posts: 1143
Joined: 4 years ago

#2: Post by luvmy40 »

Flair Pro 2 or 58

Cafelat Robot

I see the Nomad is a possible option.

I spend a lot of time in hotels and my Flair Pro 2 has been a great portable machine. I am considering picking up a Nomad just for the cool factor.


Any of these paired with a good hand grinder for espresso and a travel kettle will be far above Star*ucks or Panera.

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pdx-climber
Posts: 76
Joined: 4 years ago

#3: Post by pdx-climber »

PicoPress + JX-Max (or cheaper grinder depending on your budget). I use the NanoPresso w/Barista kit, but plan to upgrade to the Pico. To me the flair is not quite 'portable'... but I'd rather have a Flair 58 than the Pico any day... just not to fit in a duffle.

emradguy
Supporter ♡
Posts: 914
Joined: 10 years ago

#4: Post by emradguy »

I think you underestimate the power of a high end travel setup. With a Flair Pro, a good grinder (such as Lido ET or Kinu m47, and a good hot water source (like the Bonavita travel kettle), you can easily surpass the swill you get from chain coffee and rival the highest specialty shops.
LMWDP #748

emradguy
Supporter ♡
Posts: 914
Joined: 10 years ago

#5: Post by emradguy »

pdx-climber wrote:...To me the flair is not quite 'portable'...
Flair Pro comes in a travel case. You literally can put that directly in a suitcase, or carry it on the plane. I've done it many times.
LMWDP #748

Thedudeabides
Posts: 14
Joined: 7 years ago

#6: Post by Thedudeabides »

I travel for work and can't recommend the Espresso Forge enough, it's been at my side for the past 4 years with no problems. Paired it with a Lido hand grinder and never looked back.

mdmvrockford
Supporter ♡
Posts: 570
Joined: 14 years ago

#7: Post by mdmvrockford »

hale2 wrote:My wife is tired of settling for Panera or Starbucks espresso shots when we are on road trips. I need to get something that is good to take on the road. We'll be in hotels, not camping. For reference, at home I have a Gaggia Classic and a Sette 270 grinder. She realizes anything easy to travel with won't be as good, but is likely to be better than chain coffee shops.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
You have plenty of choices. Ultimately you will have to balance (among other things):price, portability, quality in the cup, ergonomics/work flow, how much you value reference-level espresso on trips.

A quick search of home-barista and here are some prior threads
Post a pic of your travel espresso setup
What is your espresso travel kit and creative ways you pack it?
Travel Kits when visiting family
Travel Coffee/Espresso Rigs?

As for me, l want espresso that equals to exceeds best cafes. So I don't mind that travel kit is relatively bulkier.
For automobile road trips:
espresso brewer (Cafelat Robot barista), espresso grinder (Helor 106), PID kettle and remineralized 1-gallon water.

For airplane trips:
I still am deciding on espresso brewer but the more I read home-barista threads like this one, the more I am leaning to my initial research choice: Portaspresso HC-P.
LMWDP #568

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hale2 (original poster)
Posts: 14
Joined: 4 years ago

#8: Post by hale2 (original poster) »

Great info! Looks like I have a lot to read.

Thanks

Marmot
Posts: 375
Joined: 3 years ago

#9: Post by Marmot »

I can also vouch for the Picopresso in combination with a 1zpresso JX Pro. You will not find anything more compact and light but still delivering real espresso. To be honest with the pressure profiling and better heat management you are able to do on the Picopresso you can easily outperform your Gaggia Classic. Keep in mind that any travel set up will make puck preparation a bit more difficult and you have to properly preheat the unit by putting in hot water while preparing the shot.




thirdcrackfourthwave
Posts: 571
Joined: 5 years ago

#10: Post by thirdcrackfourthwave »

Cafelat Robot will pull a better shot than a Gaggia Classic--not even a contest.

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