Wacaco Picopresso Portable Espresso Maker: Review & Test

[@dumpsterman1040]

I'm not sure what kind of Witchcraft this is. But I need one

[@tubher5819]

Worth it. Quality espresso for a fraction of the price. Not to mention Manual. Only downfall is the step process. But totally worth it for the quality.

[@Keigan2well]

WORTH EVERY PENNY!. Trust me ive been making coffee everyday thanks to this contraption, taste just like cafe drinks no lie.

[@Bradtheone]

This is probably the Coolest coffee gear for on the go enthusiasts. I’ve had mine almost two years and there is not a trip I go on where the picopresso is not included 😬 love it so much I purchased the matching wacaco hand grinder which is super compact and very well manufactured. Later I also purchased a lavazza milk frother. I travel a lot so no more bad hotel coffee for me 😉

[@jfess1911]

I just started making espresso and love gadgets. It is only a matter of time before I end up with a cabinet full of interesting devices like this.

[@dannyyorri2345]

Thanks!

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Thanks for your support!

[@Shreybz]

To all: I own one. If you’re thinking about it, please do yourself a favor and buy one now. Some absolutely beautiful medium and dark roasts shots from this. It’s a perfect at work or camping set up.

[@paolocoletti3424]

Excellent little gadget. Been using for 3 months and it's an simple yet very clever product with some minor quirks but gets you a 90% decent expresso for a fraction of the price of a good machine. Fresh quality beans are the key and a decent grinder of course. This is a good demo of how simple it is to use. Secret is simply to pre heat everything: basket, chamber, cup to keep the temps high. Diff beans take some experimenting to dial in of course but hit the spot and results can be consistent. Really is 10/10 for the price.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

But just one thing - if you pre-warm the basket, you still have to empty it of water, dry it, fill it, and do the puck prep. By the time that's all happened, is it still pre-heated?

[@louisekinsley718]

Great review Tom, I have had one of these for around 18 months, I stopped using it, did all the right things but think my lid was slightly faulty. Turning it to close was awful, could never find the thread straight away. I may be female but am no dummy, I was projectionist when films were not digital, worked with sophisticated machinery but this thing scalded me so many times (yes I put less water in etc.) It made great coffee don't get me wrong but hurt every time I made it. It's back in it's box and I invested in a machine as I don't need it to travel - the only time I travel is between my home and holiday home, machines in both.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Thanks for posting your experience Louise. Maybe you had a faulty model? Mine screws together quite easily. Cheers!

[@gelofnq]

I had the same issue. The trick is to align the gaps in the threads of the cap and the body so that the threads can engage. This might help. (I'm assuming that all the units have are built the same. If yours is different the idea is still the same. 1. Take the cap of the body. 2. Face the body with the pump faced directly away from you. (We'll call that "North") You will notice that at West and at East on the body of the pump there is a gap in the threads. 3. Take the cap and lightly place it on the body with the word Wacaco going East West. Make sure the cap is just lightly resting there. 4. Without pressing down turn the cap, turn it so that the word Wacaco is running NW to SE. 5. If you press down it will drop on both sides and be sitting evenly all round. 6. Now just screw it clockwise and you should be in business. After a while you will be doing it without thinking. :^)

[@naseausderhuette]

Great video! Thanks for sharing and showing that thing

[@utkua]

I've been using nanopresso with nespresso adapter and quite happy with it. Of course it is just nespresso not great but good enough for americano. Hotels in Europe charge extra if you ask for an espresso machine in your room and that will be a capsule machine anyway. I was so happy with the setup, actually bought their new product, minipresso ns2 recently.

[@tubher5819]

I have one. I love it. Outclasses the nano and the mini.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Agreed on that!

[@billyeveryteen7328]

I've had one for about two years. It's a great "starter" espresso machine. I even have that same grinder. You can get the Kingrider K4 for about $80 US on sale, so with the grinder and Picopresso, you're looking at a little over $200 US for a real, "proper" espresso set up at home.

[@TangoMikeAlpha]

Living these videos. Can we; maybe at one point, do a video on your watch collection please? 😁

[@tcl7563]

They also released a pressure gauge which is a game changer for me! This little thing makes excellent espresso!

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Sounds awesome! Might have to look into that. 👍🏻

[@AinsleyJennings-j4d]

Super helpful. Thanks for posting. You should consider make your coffee maker collection your background.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I would, but I don't have much space behind me...

[@meat_loves_wasabi]

I recommend their stand holder & silicon tray to keep things neat and tidy and the IMS Hugh basket which fits their pressure Gauge better well

[@cowsnorff]

Wow, I don’t know if it is because of one of mine reactions where I did inform you about the pico presso, if so then mission accomplished. In that I see enjoy it as much as I do. One thing: if you leave the basket in the bottom part it is more stable , place the dosing ring, fill it with the coffee, leave the dosing ring, then temp. I normally use 18 gram of coffee. But also bought the 12 gram basket

[@shadowvampwolf]

Yaaaay u finally got ur hands on one!

[@VadimAleksensky]

Great device. I use it daily with my kingrinder K4. Doing back-to-back shots is a bit of a hassle, but I hope the second basket will help with that

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I like to use it at work with my K4! :)

[@christopher5855]

I’m very seriously thinking of getting of these to take to work or for vacations.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

They're pretty sweet at work. All the mechanical engineers at my workplace got a kick out of it!

[@Ally-p5b9u]

Hi Tom, great video, very clear and seems easy to use. I just bought a set yesterday. I have been told it is better to get a 54mm basket with a same size silicone gasket, also a 54mm shower screen. What do you think? Is it worth to buy a pressure gauge? Thank you.

[@alainjarjar2820]

Bonne vidéo, cette petite presse a café semble très bien, j'aimerais tester pour les longues sorties a vélo, même si par ici dans le sud ouest en France, ou l'été en Bretagne, il y a presque toujours un petit café ouvert (sauf le dimanche matin).

[@matejsarady8422]

Thanks for the video. What kind of grinder do you have? K4 or K6? And how many clicks did you use? thank you for answer

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

That's a K4 and 60 clicks with fresh beans. Cheers!

[@SunriseLAW]

At home I have the Gaggia CP, wanted something for travel to go with the Kingrinder 6 (another Tom vid). After watching Tom's Outin video and this one... my decision (for now:):) is made. My concern with the Pico is the shot is not hot enough and you need to boil water to preheat and brew. The Outin concerns me because a lot are available at deep discount on e-bay and batteries tend to degrade pretty quick. >>> So I am going full-circle, back to the opening of this rabbit hole I am in... a moka pot with a little propane stove-thing that screws onto the propane bottle. As long as you are not driving, it can even be used in a car. It kicks out a coffee faster than on my home stove. It's not espresso, per se but such is camping and roadtrips. :)

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I like the Mokapot. It was my daily driver at work for a couple years. We used it in Alaska camping, too. I'd say it's better suited to travel, since it's just 3 parts, and less fiddly than the Picopresso. But the Picopresso is a fun thing to use when you have time and space, like a table or counter.

[@vrta]

Nice recording setup upgrade.

[@jeromerussellewis]

There is good content on this channel interesting yet affordable 😺🙏👍

[@fakepleb]

Thank you Sir, again, for the great review . Could I ask you a question? What do you think of the Delonghi ECP 3420 (in advanced mode plus a good grinder), can it make a good espresso like the Picopresso, and which one would you choose just for making espresso? The price of these two is the same where I live. I’m really torn between these two machines and your opinion matters a lot to me

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I prefer the ECP over the Picopresso, especially for daily use. The ECP will bring more heat, and is just more ergonomic to use. But of course the Picopresso is a super fun haptic thing to use.

[@borbetomagus]

Thanks for your video. I'm thinking about getting one and have seen others using upgraded baskets with it (IMS B602Th25 and others), a MOJAE metal coffee stand, coffee basket screens, etc. I'm just wondering if a Kingrinder K4 would be a better option than a K6, since it supposedly grinds better espresso, but not as well for pour overs. Would a coffee sifter fix this? I hope you can compare it with the Outin Nano you previously reviewed.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I plan to compare this to the Outin, and I think both the K4 and K6 will do a good job, although I have not tried the K6 myself. Cheers!

[@borbetomagus]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner If you had unlimited funds I'd wonder if you'd add the newly revised Hugh Leverpresso V4 to the comparison. :/

[@propertwb]

It’s more money but adding the pressure gauge and stand along with the IMS competition basket makes this easy to get wonderful espressos even with light roasts.

[@Letsgooutsidee]

Really love the Wacaco coffee machines! Have some video/ shorts on my channel where I'm testing these out in the wild!

[@VoltaireParis]

great great video - I am very interested in thes ekinds of stuff, thanks !!

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Thanks for watching!

[@robgrant2271]

Tom, pre heating the pump is important but pre heating the basket holder is a better idea. (especially if you have asbestos fingers) also don't think about using anything but freshly ground beans.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

But just one thing - if you pre-warm the basket, you still have to empty it of water, dry it, fill it, and do the puck prep. By the time that's all happened, is it still pre-heated?

[@robgrant2271]

The threaded basket HOLDER not the basket.... Have a go its a great winter experience!!!

[@dannyyorri2345]

thank you learned a lot from your vids.

[@MichaelMa]

You can get a 20 dollar water boiler that looks like a thermos that is an excellent portable solution. But I stopped using my picopresso after I got my Outin nano with the Basket Plus. But now that I'm roasting daily I've realized same day roasted beans on aeropress is more towards my holy grail. So I'm back on my aeropress but I'm going to keep trying to brew Americano with properly roasted and rested beans and my goal will be to brew a cup of coffee that can be enjoyed as much as my aeropress with same day roasted beans. That is my experiment this week.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Thanks for sharing! Espresso pulls will be hard those first few days of degassing, but that's just theoretics. I've never roasted beans myself. Have fun!

[@beozzie690]

Oh my.. now I’m going to have to get a plug in kettle for the car. I drink enough coffee now..lol

[@surelywant]

You may tamp with the funnel on it.

[@Brian-Burke]

Tom, I mentioned to you before that I ultimately would like to buy a Breville Dual Boiler, but my wife will kill me if I spend $1,500 USD. To see if I like espresso machines, what's a good place to start? The Gaggia Classic Pro? Have a great day, Tom.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Hi Brian, I'd honestly start with the Delonghi ECP3420 in advanced mode. But you still need a decent grinder. Cheers!

[@Brian-Burke]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner I think I'm going to get just that, Tom. Thank you. One last question if I may. I have the Baratza Encore, not the Encore ESP. Would that suffice in your opinon? If not, feel free to recommend.

[@tim_biller]

Great little brewer but it's very fussy about temperature and grind size. I get best results using the funnel with the tamp. I got mine at launch and have had a lot of fun with it. They recently released a pressure gauge and stand for it too.

[@BlizzardWind99]

oh you don't have the pressure gauge and the picopresso stand, would be nice to see the products

[@johne7100]

Can imagine the 'fun' of stopping on a group cycle trip and half a dozen chums pipe up "me too". I think "you want it, you grind it, I prep it & you pump it" would be a good policy. I suppose you could drop in a pressurized basket and use supermarket pre-ground for the plebs who want sugar.

[@FaithAndCoffeeBean]

So cool!!!!

[@barrchan5358]

My Picopresso's pump is super leaking, someone finally solove this problem? I found the pressure relief valve is aging.I put a small piece of tape to plug it, improved a lot, but there is still a small leakage

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Sorry to hear that! I wonder if it might need to be descaled also. Have you done that?

[@barrchan5358]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner When I remember this incident, I will put a little citric acid water in it and press it for a few rounds. But I don't know if this is useful.

[@kerbo312]

Hey tom, it's me again! how well does the Picopresso do light roasts? Is a dedica basket compatible with the Pico? Would you recommend it for home use in lieu of the Flair Neo?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I haven't really tried it with light, but I am guessing it won't have the heat for it. This is just different than the Neo...I think I'd prefer the haptics of the lever for every day use.

[@kerbo312]

@@TomsCoffeeCornerThank you for the answer, Do you think the Neo will be able to perform better with light roasts thanks to it being metal?

[@DmitrijPaskevic]

I've had Nanopresso for a while. It's a bit of a whack. So much hassle to set up and clean up for something that isn't particularly great in a cup. Cream is created mechanically via a pressurised escape valve, so not exactly a real deal. Your usual preheating woes apply here too. For coffee on the go just use aeropress.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I didn't like the Nanopress very well, either. Picopresso is way better though.

[@greggreaves1727]

Don't know about the Nanopresso, but this is the real deal crema. not just foam from a pressurized basket. It's definitely real espresso.

[@OnezKrs]

Im just thrown off by the mechanical plastic pump, kinda questioning the longevity

[@ojciecchrzestny4429]

Wait a minute is that body made of plastic? if so No THANK you:)