No More HOTEL Coffee! The 9 Best Travel Coffee Makers

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If you are looking to travel but need coffee on the go, look no further than the Aeropress Go. This travel coffee maker is highly portable, high-quality, and durable, giving you some of the most flexible coffee brews you can get. If the Aeropress Go isn’t your cup of tea (or coffee), then I would recommend a Cafflano branded product, which is similar but also quite different.

With that said, I recommend nine different coffee makers for you on your travels, so let’s get into it!

1. Aeropress Go

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This little coffee maker quickly made the top of my list. I use Aeropress Go as my primary coffee maker every morning (ever since the brand gifted one to me to check out). It makes delicious, clean coffee, and it is extremely quick about it as well! I can go from boiled water to a cup of coffee in about a minute.

On the travel end of things, it easily packs up into a little red mug that it comes with, and you can throw it in the back of the car, in a bag, or carry on without having any worry of damaging it due to the plastic it is made with.

I have taken this one on plenty of trips, and it easily just sits in the bottom of my backpack, and I can grab it whenever I want to make a quick cup of coffee.

The only thing to keep an eye on is that Aeropress Go doesn’t make a large cup of coffee; however, I generally add a little more hot water at the end to make it the size that I want, and it makes that great cup of coffee that I wish to.

I am constantly bragging about this coffee maker to anyone who will listen to me, which is why it easily tops this list as my favorite coffee maker.

2. AeroPress Original

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What? Another Aeropress? Yep, the original Aeropress is the next on this list. It makes the same delicious coffee I discussed with the Aeropress Go but is a bit larger. I haven’t owned this version; however, based on what everyone is saying, it is also highly portable.

You will mainly be sacrificing having the to-go mug that the Go version comes with for a larger capacity.

This version of the Aeropress is also made from the same plastic as the Go, and you won’t have to worry about damaging it, no matter how hard you cram it into that backpack (we all know that is what packing is like).

Like the Aeropress we already discussed, this coffee maker makes an extremely clean cup of coffee, as it utilizes little round filters that filter out all the extra “mud” of the coffee. Some people like this, while others don’t!

3. Fellow Products Prismo

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This is not a coffee maker in its own right. However, this is an accessory if you want something a bit stronger than an Aeropress can handle.

Fellow gifted one of these to me a while back and was quite impressed! The Prismo is an attachment for the Aeropress that has a pressure valve. You screw the Prismo onto the bottom of the Aeropress, push it down, and wait for the correct pressure before releasing the coffee.

The idea is that the standard Aeropress doesn’t allow for much pressure (1-3 bars) to give it a more espresso taste.

With the Prismo, you can get a higher pressure and make coffee a little more like an espresso shot. If you have an Aeropress or are buying one, I would go ahead and get this. It will significantly expand the coffee experience with one of my favorite coffee makers.

One of the most significant upsides of this little attachment is that it replaces the single-use paper filters with a metal filter that can be used repeatedly! Over time, the metal filter’s holes do like to get clogged and are difficult to clean. It’s well worth the effort, though!

4. Cafflano Kompact

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Whew, we finally passed all of the Aeropress products! Now, on to other cool brands like Cafflano. This Kompact unit is built to be an alternative to the Aeropress and essentially does the same thing, as it is also an immersion brewer that uses pressure to push the coffee through a filter.

Unlike the Aeropress, though, it does feature a reusable filter (which means no emergency runs to the store to get filters). Due to the method for pushing/pulling on the unit, you don’t have to worry about setting it onto a mug. This means you don’t have to think about the mug size you are using.

This unit can also be sealed tight, which means you don’t have to worry about spilling your coffee out of the maker while it is in use!
This means you can make a cold brew on the go. You add coffee and water, teal it up, and then open it up when you are ready and brew yourself some cold brew.

In the end, while I don’t think this is necessarily a better unit than the Aeropress, it is an excellent alternative that does things just a little bit differently.

5. Cafflano Klassic

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If you are looking for something that does it all, the Cafflano Klassic might be what you are on the hunt for! Unlike any other coffee maker on this list, with this one, you can grind your beans, brew the coffee, and drink it all in one unit; it’s all there!

Not only that, but it collapses into a to-go-go-size mug when you are all done! Its brew style is unique, as most coffee makers like this are immersion brews; this one is a miniature pour-over, so if this is your preferred method, this is an excellent option.

Everything is made of high-quality, excellent materials; however, it also pushes up the price a bit. However, it is worth it.
If you disdain pre-ground coffee but also like to make coffee on the go, you shouldn’t be looking any further than this coffee maker here.

It also would make an excellent gift for someone wanting to get into coffee, as it includes everything they need to get started.

In the end, while I don’t think this is necessarily a better unit than the Aeropress, it is an excellent alternative that does things just a little bit differently.

6. It’s American Press

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The It’s American Press (which the brand gifted to me a long while back) is one of the lesser portable units on this list. However, it was portable enough and durable enough to be added on! I own one of these, and it has been one of my favorite coffee experiences out there.

It is a newer, better, easier to clean, and better-tasting French press. Instead of it being an immersion brewer like a French press, you slowly push a column of coffee stored in a basket through the hot water.

This brewer makes delicious coffee with a little bolder taste than an Aeropress. So, if something with more of the grind is to your taste, this is your best bet!

I also wouldn’t hesitate to put this in a suitcase. However, you may want to keep it out of your carry-on, as it has metal and will likely be checked at security.

The biggest drawback of this coffee maker is the effort that goes into the brew. It takes a bit of pressure to push the basket down, and it takes about 3 minutes. It does result in some excellent coffee, though!

7. Flair Espresso NEO Flex

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For those who want to drink an authentic espresso on the go, this is your portable coffee maker! The Flair Espresso is a lever action, manual espresso maker that can be torn down quickly and put into a travel case to take with you.

Once put together, it pressures you to make an accurate shot of espresso (like a real one, not a knockoff version).

These are incredible, innovative products that I have been impressed with. Not only do they look cool, but they can do something many other portable coffee makers try to do: make actual espresso.

With some higher-end versions, you will have high-quality portafilters and a pressure gauge to ensure you get the exact pressure you need to make the espresso you want.

Not only is this a great portable espresso maker, but it also makes an excellent, relatively inexpensive espresso maker for your home.
It would also be an excellent conversation starter for guests in your home.

8. Bodum Travel Press

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The Bodum Travel Press is another coffee maker that I own. There isn’t much to it; however, it works awesomely! It is a travel mug with a French press plunger built into the lid.

Add coffee and water, stir, let sit, and then plunge like a French press! However, instead of doing that all in the kitchen, you can let it brew while going out to the car and then drink on the go, all in one unit.

It’s like one of those “one pot recipes,” except…. With coffee. The downside I have found, though, is generally, with a French press, you don’t want to store any coffee with the grounds, as it gets over-brewed. Because this is all one unit, this can be an issue and cause the coffee to taste bitter in the long run.

This is not the perfect coffee maker; however, if you don’t have the time in the morning to make your cup of coffee, you can do it on the go with this one.

9. Wacaco Minipresso GR

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The Wacaco Minipresso GR would be perfect for those who don’t want a process as manual as the Flair Espresso. Thankfully, it is also even smaller and is the most compact espresso maker on this list.

Essentially, you put your coffee grinds in a pod, put in your water, and then use a button on the side to manually build pressure until it gets pressurized enough to come out of the unit. It should create delicious espresso without all the equipment of a regular automatic espresso maker.

Now that I am updating this article, I have since been given this unit as a gift, and it is an excellent espresso maker! Once you learn how it is relatively easy to use and makes a proper espresso shot!

The only downside is that cleaning is a bit more challenging, but as long as you are good with that, it does a great job as advertised!

What should you watch when shopping for a good portable coffee maker?

Every travel and to-go coffee maker needs a few things before being considered suitable for the job.

1. Durability of the coffee maker

If you plan on taking a coffee maker with you on road trips, backpacking trips, and more, you must ensure that the coffee maker can stand up to a beat. No matter what you do outside of keeping your coffee maker in the kitchen, it will be knocked around, rolled around, and more just due to the nature of being a portable coffee maker.

Because of this, you need to buy a coffee maker that can handle that! Surprisingly, this is one of the few items where plastic comes into play. While many coffee makers are made of glass, this tends to break when dropped. However, plastic is much more forgiving, so most options on this list have offered that material.

2. How compact can it get?

You never know where or how you will take your portable coffee maker, which is why you should ensure it can at least be packed away in a small day backpack. The bigger the portable coffee maker, the fewer places you can take it, and the less value it brings you.

That is why you find the Aeropress Go at the top of my list (Paid Link), as everything folds into a mug-sized container and keeps all the components together rather than in a bag.

3. Does it make great coffee?

Where would you be without this coffee maker making good coffee? Sure, it may be a quality coffee maker that folds up tight; however, what’s the point if it makes a lousy brew? This is where getting individual reviews of the products is necessary.

Figure out what taste you like, and gravitate towards that! If you like coffee makers with more body to them, think about getting an immersion brewer; if you like a cleaner cup, then a pour-over will be the best bet.

4. Is it fun to use?

Yes! Making coffee should be a blast, so if you have a coffee maker that is difficult to use, finicky, or just a pain, you won’t use it. I have had some of those in the past, and they tend to sit on a shelf somewhere just to look at. At the same time, others that are easier to use get used regularly and enjoyed.

5. What is your budget?

Always have a budget when shopping for something, especially with coffee equipment. Even to-go coffee makers can get crazy expensive, so make sure you know what you want to spend and don’t cross that line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

So there you have it; these are the best portable travel coffee makers that I would recommend you look at. They all should hold up to what it takes to be a great portable coffee maker that should serve you for years.

If you enjoy coffee culture and want to take that with you wherever you go, then this list should get you started on that journey!