The Best Portable Coffee Makers

A guide for the best travel coffee maker in 2023

Coffee to go is something necessary in today’s day in age. Even though there is a coffee shop around every corner (source) or at work.

What if you want to save a few bucks every day? What if you like a specific roast? Perhaps you’re going camping or the hotel room doesn’t have a coffee maker.

Depending on your situation you want the best portable coffee maker when traveling.

Even if it’s not for you and you’re looking for the perfect gift for coffee lovers, you don’t want to pick a random portable coffee machine only for it to not meet your requirements.

These travel percolators are popular and are available at popular stores such as Walmart & Target, however, Amazon typically has the lowest price we found and available.

Java Groove's Choice

AeroPress is The Best Portable Coffee Maker for Traveling

Aeropress is the best portable coffee maker. It’s compact enough to carry with you anywhere. It doesn’t require electricity and it’s super easy to clean. It also brews some of the best tasting coffee.

Buy an Aeropress from Amazon or read more below.

You don’t want to blindly select a random portable coffee machine only to have it arrive and not work as promised.

Keep in mind there are a few things you should consider:

The considerations could go on ad nauseam, but these questions should help immensely.

Some things should be noticed about portable coffee makers. You can’t have the best of all worlds. Below are some key considerations you should take:

Electrical or Manual
Small/Compact = Not enough power but portable. Either won't reach the desired heat or take time to reach. Especially difficult if you're in high altitude or cold climates.
Bigger = More power but not portable. Where does it get energy?
Does it heat water?

It’s our opinion that ultra portable coffee makers are not perfect yet to be your daily driver in every situation.

It’s our opinion that ultra portable coffee makers that are made for traveling are not perfect yet to be your daily driver in every situation.

Looking for the Best Coffee Maker at Walmart?

Car Coffee Maker

All these coffee makers are portable and/or compact. Many of them simply need hot water. We feel these are mainly geared for those looking to make coffee in their car.

With most of the powered ones you’re going to need a 12v adapter of some sort to connect to your car’s power source (cigarette lighter jack?).

Click here to drop down to the bottom of the article we listed a 12v water heater.

Outin Portable Battery Espresso Machine

The Outin was recently updated to their portable espresso maker to version 2. It heats up faster than the competition and provides 20 bars of espresso.

You can use your own ground coffee or coffee capsules. It works with all the major capsules (sorry K-Cup lovers).

If you’re set on using your own ground you should tamp the coffee down using their tamper.

It comes with a USB-A to USB-C wire. You’re going to need your own 24v or 12v car adapter if you’re going to charge it in your car.

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Battery Powered Coffee Makers

Make Americano style coffee with these portable espresso makers

Keep in mind that heating anything to 195° consumes a lot of energy. Think how fast a phone battery dies when it’s hot.

There are very few battery powered portable coffee makers available.

Some were advertised as coffee makers, but it’s actually Americano coffee.

Many of the battery powered coffee makers that were touted as amazing in early 2021 are no longer available for whatever reason. Others are better off never to reach the market in the first place.

Check out more no-nonsense coffee related articles:

Chulux single serve coffee maker – Just as good as a Kuerig at a third of the price.

The best french press coffee maker

Mainstays single serve review

The best coffee maker for older adults

How to grind coffee with a food processor

CONQUECO Portable Espresso Maker

The Conqueco heats up water in 12 minutes using a rechargeable lithium battery.

This portable espresso maker only takes genuine L’OR and Nespresso capsules.

Technically it makes espresso, but you can add more hot water to make an Americano (What is an Americano wiki).

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CONQUECO Capsules

Best L'OR Espresso Capsules for CONQUECO

We call this the best L’OR capsules because it is a variety pack of 50.

There are 5 boxes with 10 capsules in each box. They are compatible with Nespresso machines (excluding the Vertuo).

Each capsule costs about .50 cents each.

Best L'OR Espresso Capsules for CONQUECO

If you’re new to the Nepresso Espresso game we suggest trying a variety pack to find the best Nespresso flavor for you.

The 50 pack comes with 5 boxes of 10 capsules.

Each capsule costs approximately .70 cents each.

Why Do They Call Coffee Java?

Portable Electric Single-Cup Coffee Makers

These are the best electric portable coffee makers. They are compact and affordable. They heat up your coffee and are easy to travel with.

iMiGoo Single Serve Coffee Maker

The iMiGoo coffee maker is a great electric travel coffee maker.

It makes coffee fast and since it only has one button, it’s pretty easy to use. You use your own coffee grounds.

You can do more than make coffee on the go with an iMiGoo. It can heat water, hot milk, tea and whatever else you can think of.

Weighing at 1.65 pounds and about 8.5” inches tall, it’s easy to take with you. Makes 8oz per serving.

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Overall the reviews were very positive. It’s not meant to be your daily coffee maker. However, if you’re on the go then this is a great buy.

We highly recommend watching a YouTube video on how it works to avoid spilling boiling hot water on your hand when trying to open the lid or pouring.

Keurig K-Mini Coffee Maker

This Keurig coffee maker is one of the most compact. If you really need a Keurig at the hotel or keep it in the camper then this could work.

There are 2 models the Keurig K-Mini and the Mini-Plus and they’re the same size.

You get more features with the Plus model, such as removable water reservoir, strong brew button, and able to store up to 9 K-Cups.

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Portable Manual Coffee & Espresso Makers

Manual coffee makers are your best bet if you need coffee on the go. They require hot water to to be poured in and physically extract coffee.

Wacaco Nanopresso

A fan favorite. This is a manual machine where you have to pump enough pressure to get a decent espresso.

It’s small and compact for easy travel. It gets 18 bars of pressure (9 is all you need).

Once you practice enough with it you can dial in the coffee grinds and water temperature to get a decent cup.

The link is for the Wacaco Nanopress and Nespresso capsule accessory that comes with it.

Check out our full review on the Wacaco NanoPresso

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Wacaco Pipamoka

Wacaco seems to come up with innovative ways to brew coffee on the go.

Weighing in at about a pound and 7.16” tall, it’s a small coffee maker. Makes 8oz of coffee and holds 16g of ground coffee.

The Wacaco is a manual, vacuum sealed coffee press that’s insulated in a stainless steel container.

It works like a french press, pressing hot water through the coffee grounds, except this does it in a vacuum sealed container which means more pressure. Once you get the hang of it you can make a cup in less than 3 minutes.

Presto MyJo Review

Highly reviewed with 4.5 out of 5 rating on 1000+ reviews. The MyJo water reservoir is microwave safe.

It’s the best choice is you’re looking for a cost effective and convenient way to brew with K-Cups on the go.

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AeroPress Coffee Maker

As mentioned before Aeropress is the best portable coffee maker. It’s the staple device that should be in everyone’s arsenal.

There are competitors. We did a review of Delterpresser vs Aeropress here.

It makes a smooth cup of Joe using contained pressure and infusing the coffee. This reduces the oils, which in turn reduces bitterness.

Play Video about best travel coffee maker

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Check out Award Winning AeroPress Recipes

Cafflano Klassic - Portable All-in-One Pour Over Coffee Maker

The swiss army knife of coffee portable coffee makers. It grinds, it steeps, it keeps your coffee warm!

If you’re a stickler for freshly ground coffee on-the-go then this portable coffee maker is your best bet.

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Looking for a Gift for a Coffee Lover?

Checkout or list of the best gifts that won’t break the bank.

Alternative Powered Coffee Makers

These are the best alternative powered coffee makers.

Coleman QuikPot Propane Coffee Maker

A 16 ounce propane tank will help you make coffee for over 4 hours. Rest assured it doesn’t require matches, it uses a proprietary technology to push start. Comes with a removable filter basket to brew your coffee of choice.

The ideal use of this is for camping or working outdoors. Comes with a 3 year warranty.

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The major issue was how long it took to get started. Doesn’t matter if you add boiling water in the machine, it’s going to take 20 minutes to get a cup.

**Many users complained that 10 cups isn’t really 10 cups. Others said they added water to it as it was percolating to make up for lost water.

Some users were concerned if it was safe because it gets hot, but throughout reviews users said they haven’t experienced any issues. One user reported it was used on a folding table with no problems.

MAKITA Coffee Maker

Japanese manufacturer Makita makes plenty of heavy duty products that are well received by it’s users. It’s completely wireless, heavy-duty coffee maker that you can take fishhh…I mean to the job site.

9 inches tall, 8.6 inches in length and weighs in at 3 lbs, it’s smaller than other wired coffee makers on this list.

The removable water reservoir can hold up to 1 cup of water. It doesn’t come with a battery.

Use any kind of ground coffee. Find out what coffee is best for you.

All these coffee makers are portable. Many of them simply need hot water. Mobile coffee maker that you can take on the go in your car. They connect to your car’s power source (cigarette lighter jack?). They are the best portable coffee makers for your car.

Uniox 12 Volt Car Water Heater

Although not a coffee maker per se, this is a super useful gadget if you’re on the road.

Plug it in to a 12V cigarette lighter and in about 10 minutes you have piping hot water.

It’s made of stainless steel & thermal insulated.

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Having a portable kettle that uses DC12V is a great idea for some. You see other devices above that requires hot water and this is just the thing to get that for you.