This is the Staresso Travel Portable Espresso Maker, it uses segmented hydraulic extraction with 15-20 bar pressure offering barista-grade extraction. The unit weighs just 400 grams, and it can use ground coffee or coffee pods.
In order to use the Staresso you remove the main cylinder from the base, unscrew the sections, fill the 54 ml espresso basket with ground coffee, then fill the top section with hot water before screwing it all back together. You then put the cylinder back on the stand and pump the plunger 20+ times to build pressure and make your espresso.
The Staresso Travel Portable Espresso Maker works by having the top plunger pushed up and down 20+ times to build pressure, up to 15-20 bar, to correctly extract your espresso.
The Staresso is designed to be both simple and lightweight, it’s really intended for those who travel frequently and need a reliably good espresso in the morning. It’s also proving to be popular with hikers, campers, and overlanders, as it’s one of the least expensive and lightest-weight portable espresso makers on the market at present.
Perhaps the only potential downside for some is that the Staresso unit doesn’t heat the water – it requires heated water from an external source. Generally most hikers and campers already have a way of boiling water, and travelers will typically rely on the small electric kettle provided in most hotel/motel rooms.
Staresso also make portable coffee grinders for those who need them, with both manual and electric versions on offer. They also make a number of different portable espresso makers, with pricing ranging from $59.90 USD up to $99.90 USD.
Given the cost of barista made coffee from cafes seeming to climb ever skyward, portable espresso makers like this can pay for themselves with just 20-30 espressos made – less than a single month for most coffee drinkers.
The unit weighs just 0.88 lbs or 400 grams, and it measures in at a diminutive 2.75 x 2.75 x 9.64 inches.
The version we have here in the article is the Travel Portable Espresso Maker, it’s the least expensive, it can work with ground coffee or with coffee pods, and it’s the one that won a Red Dot Design Award at the time of its release.
If you’d like to read more about it or buy one for your own travels you can visit the store here. It’s retailing for $59.90 USD and it comes with an 18 months warranty.
Images courtesy of Staresso
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
