WACACO Picopresso Portable Espresso Maker with Official Stand Bundle - Complete Manual Coffee Maker Kit for Home & Travel

Why it's worth it

This bundle pairs Wacaco's most serious portable brewer with the official stand, which holds the machine level and puts an adjustable mirror under the basket. It's the setup for someone who dials in shots at home and refuses to stop doing that on the road.

The Picopresso uses a 51mm portafilter basket, which Home Grounds notes is much closer to the 53 to 58mm baskets on countertop machines than the small puck the Nanopresso pulls. A wider, shallower puck distributes water more evenly. If you already grind, weigh and tamp with intent, that's the difference between a travel shot you tolerate and one you actually want.

Build quality is where this one separates itself. Home Grounds reviewers rated it above the Nanopresso specifically for its all-metal portafilter and housing, versus the largely plastic construction elsewhere in the line. Metal takes knocks better, holds heat a little more evenly, and doesn't develop that scuffed look after a year of airport bins.

From our review of 7 portable espresso makers for travel

What we like

• +The Picopresso uses a 51mm portafilter basket, which Home Grounds notes is much closer to the 53 to 58mm baskets on countertop…
• +Build quality is where this one separates itself
• +The stand is the part most people underestimate

What to know

• –This is the most expensive setup here, and it asks the most of you
• –The stand adds bulk that a backpacker won't want