As summertime returns, I’m again reminded of my limits arsenic I caput into the awesome outdoors: I tin put up pinch a heavy, uncomfortable backpack, bug bites, mud, and moreover bland dehydrated food, but I will not forsake my greeting brew.
I’ve tried each imaginable java gadget successful my half-century of camping. These scope from simple drip systems erstwhile ultralight backpacking, an AeroPress erstwhile not weighing each gram, French property plungers erstwhile assisted by bicycle, and mini countertop java makers erstwhile adventuring by van. Yet I support returning to handheld espresso makers whenever imaginable for reasons of taste, convenience, and — let’s look it — gadget appeal. These portable, thermos-sized machines connection a decent approximation of a real, pulled espresso erstwhile there’s nary barista for miles.
Behold! The Ikape Kapo K2 Pro.
There are 2 ways to spell here. The cheapest, fastest, and easiest-to-clean models are built astir Nespresso java capsules — you move acold h2o in, property a button, and voila, liquid gold. More costly models usage crushed java and target group who reason complete things for illustration leaf versus burr grinders. Or you tin get the champion of some worlds pinch a hybrid instrumentality that useful pinch some java grounds and capsules. It doesn’t really matter which logo you bargain because they each look to stock a communal mill location successful China. Cera+ and OutIn are celebrated brands, but you’ll astir apt besides beryllium good picking from the dozens of cheaper, alphabet-soup names found connected Amazon.
I precocious tested the Ikape Kapo K2 Pro (58mm) portable espresso machine from Cera+. It’s listed for $239 but is sold connected Amazon for $200. It only useful pinch crushed coffee, but it allows you to dial successful your preferred sensation done granular controls complete temperature, travel speed, and the magnitude of clip you want the grounds to pre-soak, stand, and extract. It features a powerful 20-bar pump and a 13,500mAh artillery that recharges complete USB-C. In my testing, it’s bully for astir 5 18-to-20-gram extractions erstwhile starting pinch acold water. You’ll get galore much if you preheat the h2o aliases usage little of it. Each extraction takes astir 3 minutes, springiness aliases take, depending upon really overmuch h2o you adhd to the 80ml (2.7oz) reservoir.
A $5,000 La Marzocco vs. the $200 Ikape.
Using freshly crushed beans, the espresso produced by the La Marzocco, connected the left, had acold much crema but tasted remarkably akin to the Ikape.
There’s a batch to negociate and cleanable erstwhile brewing existent espresso connected the go. Maybe conscionable get a portable Nespresso instead?
The Ikape extraction “tiger tailing,” which I’m told is important for a bully espresso.
In a unsighted sensation trial against a friend’s costly La Marzocco espresso machine, the Ikape performed amazingly well. Two of america plebes couldn’t sensation immoderate difference, but the proprietor of the fancy instrumentality confidently could, citing a much sour and little full-bodied consequence from the Ikape. Mind you, we’re talking $199 versus $5,000, and moreover he had to admit that the handmade Italian instrumentality didn’t nutrient an espresso that was 25 times better!
On the different hand, erstwhile testing the Ikape pinch store-bought java grounds, it produced a alternatively lackluster espresso that wasn’t overmuch amended than what you’d get from a Nespresso capsule. To get the astir retired of the Ikape you’ll request to transportation on a grinder, which undermines its portability.
1/5The app lets you dial successful your nonstop settings and show things remotely if you want.
If, for illustration me, you bask java but don’t obsess complete it, past the cleanup and fiddliness of the Ikape conscionable isn’t worthy it erstwhile traveling. The Ikape is for anyone that enjoys the slow anticipation of a really fantabulous espresso brewed successful a spot it has nary correct to be.
When the prime is betwixt java aliases nary coffee, it’s difficult to hit the “good enough” brew produced by those no-named, handheld “espresso makers” that activity pinch Nespresso-compatible capsules — particularly erstwhile generic machines tin beryllium had for around $50. And if you salary a fewer cents much for charismatic capsules, Nespresso makes it comparatively painless to cod and responsibly return each those mini aluminum pods for recycling.
Thoreau urged america to “simplify, simplify.” And really, what amended measurement to twist that connection into support for your addiction than by dropping a mini java pod into a battery-powered thermos and letting modern engineering do the rest? You tin still task into the chartless and suck retired each the marrow of life this summer; conscionable make judge you’re decently caffeinated while doing it.
Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
Follow topics and authors from this communicative to spot much for illustration this successful your personalized homepage provender and to person email updates.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·