I like to brew my own coffee and am pretty satisfied with my Bialetti Moka pot and French press. Sure, I would like to explore a few espresso machines, but these two serve the purpose beautifully till then. But when I am traveling and need coffee, both of my coffee makers fall short. The Moka pot needs an open-fire to brew, while the French press needs hot water, both of which are inaccessible on the go. So I thought to try out a portable electric brewer. I got my hands on the Wacaco Pixapresso coffee maker: it heats water, controls pressure and temperature, and works with both espresso-compatible capsules and ground coffee.
The compact, rechargeable unit arrived in a neat little box. I had a few rounds of testing before reviewing it here, and the effects of the toil are visible on the brewer (watch the video below). The results are convincing, but there are only two primary complaints: The ground coffee brewing method was fairly easy to figure out, but I had a hard time using the pods. Not that there was anything wrong with the process; the reason was unclear instructions. The second issue was Pixapresso’s battery life.
Pros of Wacaco Pixapresso
- Easy to use
- Works with ground coffee and pods
- Super compact form factor
- Complete control over the brewing process
- Brews delicious, creamy coffee
Cons of Wacaco Pixapresso
- Poor battery life
- Takes up to 3 hours to charge
- The overall brewing process takes nearly 10 minutes
Pixapresso Portable Electric Coffee Maker: A Detailed Look
The Pixapresso has a clever design, with all the moving parts stored inside a 3-inch water chamber. It includes a shower head, a mini portafilter, an outlet head, a small cup, and a large cup. The nifty carry pouch makes things easier when you are traveling. At 26.6 oz, it may seem heavy, but it is nowhere near as bulky as traditional espresso machines. It’s lightweight to carry in the backpack on a hike or for a camping trip. There are two drinking cups, so you don’t have to take another mug with you. The smaller one slots in the water tank, while the larger one acts like a lid at the extraction point.
The brewed coffee out of the Pixapresso is creamy. I did find that the ground coffee carried more crema and flavor than espresso pods. But that could be a capsule issue, not a machine issue.
In a nutshell, the Wacaco Pixapresso portable electric coffee maker works well and offers coffee on the go that tastes great, but its battery sucks. Before I influence your decision in any shape or form, here is an in-depth review based on my personal testing experience of about two months.
What’s Included in the Box
- Main brewing unit with boiler and pump (water tank holds up to 120ml)
- Shower screen and outlet head
- Coffee cup and espresso cup
- 44mm filter basket system (supports 8g and 16g doses)
- Mini portafilter
- Capsule module (Nespresso compatible)
- USB-C charging port
- Spoon
- Funnel
- Brush
- User manual
- A carry pouch
Everything in Pixapresso is compact and sturdy. Once you understand what goes where, the setup becomes quick and repeatable, making it feel like LEGO bricks clicking together.
Key Features
- Dimensions: 2.9” x 2.9” x 7.1” (74 x 74 x 181 mm)
- Weight: 26.6 oz (755g)
- Water Capacity: 120 ml
- Ground Coffee Capacity: 8-16 g
- Maximum Pressure: 20 bar
- Display: LED touchscreen
- Temperature Units: Celsius/Fahrenheit
- Power Source: 3000 mAs 3s – Output DC 12V, 100W – Input 5V, 3A
- Materials: PP, P6AT, stainless steel, and silicone
Controls and Interface
What I like most about the Pixapresso is that it is completely electric: You don’t need hand-pumping or a stovetop as the compact maker heats water and brews coffee itself. So that’s cool. But to get it to work, you need to understand the controls and the interface.
There is a single button and an LED touchscreen that lets you select from various icons. There are two steps and two methods to go about the process. You can heat the water, which takes about 2-4 minutes and drains much of the battery, or you can use pre-heated water and begin extraction, saving battery and time. For brewing methods, you can use ground coffee for more control or choose capsules for speed and convenience.
The Wacaco Pixapresso has three user-selectable brewing temperature presets, allowing precise control over extraction for different roasts. You can choose from 88 degrees Celsius, 92 degrees Celsius, and 96 degrees Celsius (190 degrees Fahrenheit, 198 degrees Fahrenheit, and 205 degrees Fahrenheit). The portable coffee maker also gives you control over optional pre-infusion and adjustable shot volume.
You can keep the sound on or off and read the battery levels. For lighter roasts, high temperature works best, while for darker roasts or longer shots, opt for a medium temperature setting.
Now, let’s talk about how to prepare a fresh brew with ground coffee and capsules separately.
Pixapresso Brewing With Ground Coffee
Brewing ground coffee with the Pixapresso is incredibly easy. You take ground coffee and pour it into the filter-lined basket using the funnel and scoop. The process is somewhat similar to a typical espresso machine. Screw it in at the extraction point. Next, pour water into the tank according to the size of the shot you want. I made a double shot with 80 ml of water.
Now here comes the choice: if you have boiling water, opt for it instead of using room temperature water and letting the machine heat it. I know it defeats the purpose of it being an independent piece of equipment, but using pre-heated water saves a lot of your battery and time.
If you don’t have access to hot water, then boil the water in the brewer itself. It will take about 2-4 minutes. Once boiled, the espresso maker indicates the levels, and you can then start the extraction process. Use the included cups or a separate one to collect the brewed coffee. While the texture and depth won’t exactly match a 9-bar machine’s results, the flavor and balance are pretty impressive.
Pixapresso Brewing With Capsules
The Wacaco Pixapresso coffee maker is easy to work with capsules, given there is no mess of loose ground coffee to deal with afterwards. However, I really had a difficult time removing the shower screen. Now, there was nothing in the manual guide telling me what to do. I couldn’t figure out why the capsule wasn’t fitting snugly.
Turns out you need to remove the shower screen (pictured below). But that is easier said than done. Tried taking it out, struggled for a good five minutes, thought the piece might be defective, and then gauged it out with a spoon’s handle, with love.
After that, it was smooth sailing. Place the capsule in the module, where the metal prongs at the bottom of the basket pierce it. Now, screw it in where the shower screen was, and follow the process of pouring water, heating it, brewing, and extracting the coffee.
With the capsules, I didn’t get the rich, deep flavor that I got with the ground coffee, and the crema wasn’t rich either. It might be a capsule issue, though.
However, both methods did yield a solid brew. You can’t hope for anything better when traveling or camping. The nifty little contraption is good enough to brew coffee for two people on the go.
Battery Life
Now, let’s talk about the major pain point of the Wacaco Pixapresso coffee maker: Its battery life. For an amazing product, the Pixapresso really failed in terms of the battery. Now, mind you, that is if you are heating the water using the machine. If you use pre-heated water, you can churn out over a dozen brews on a single charge, whereas heating the water drops that number to 2-4, depending on other settings.
The 3,000 mAh battery takes up to 3 hours to fully charge. It also takes a few minutes to heat up 80 ml of room temperature water to 96 degrees Celsius, while 20-60 seconds for just-boiled water.
Here is why that irks me. When I am outdoors, I am not going to lug a lot of things with me, and whatever battery backup I am carrying is not going to be for essentials. Even though coffee is vital for me (I need coffee in an IV, Lorelai Gilmore-style), I cannot spare 3 hours to charge the Pixapresso if it runs out of juice.
Who is it for, then? Frankly, if you can get over the short battery life and long heating time, it is good for any coffee lover looking for a portable electric coffee maker. It brews delicious coffee. But if Wacaco can improve Pixapresso with a longer battery, shorter charging time, and faster water heating, it could come at the top with no competition whatsoever.
Wacaco Pixapresso Review Verdict
Wacaco Pixapresso is a great coffee maker, with a couple of pain points, which are to be expected of any product. It is perfect for travelers and campers who want a real espresso shot without stoves or hand-pumps. The Pixapresso is also for home baristas who want complete control over temperature, pre-infusion, and grind-driven resistance in a compact form.
It is easy to clean and maintain: Simply push the basket’s underside and release the puck. Wipe the parts, let others, like the shower screen, air dry before reassembling the entire thing. As for me, I’d love it if Wacaco could work out the weak points and make it the undefeated portable electric coffee maker.
Priced at $159.90, the Wacaco Pixapresso is available via the official website and Amazon in colors Dark Burgundy and Tuscan Red.
Check out the video review:
