I have been a big Nespresso fan ever since I was given one as a gift a couple of Christmases back. To the point were my expensive chrome Italian espresso machine now sits despondently just a metre from its little plastic Nespresso nemesis.

Pods, are you kidding me? What about the grind man? What about the aroma? What about the art of the pour?

I know. I know. But it is just too easy to make a decent cup of coffee with Nespresso.

Anyway. Knowing my addiction well, Kelly just gave me an early birthday present of a Nanopresso that we can take away with us when travelling.
This is a compact plastic device (just 15.6 cm long and weighing 336 grams) that uses a hand pump to generate 18 bars (261 PSI) of pressure to extract your coffee via either a fine grind coffee or using standard Nespresso pods (there is a separate adapter for this).

To operate it, you simply unscrew the top section and pop in your Nespresso pod. Using a separate adaptor you can opt to use coffee grounds instead, and there is even a little scoop that stores away in the lower section (as well as a wee little cleaning brush).

Next, you unscrew the bottom section into which you pour boiling water.
This is carefully re-screwed into place, the unit is inverted over your cup and then you pump the retractable plunger to extract the coffee.

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The hand pump is easy to operate and the whole unit easily disassembles for cleaning. The whole thing has a feel of a quality product.

This is all really neat, but the big question is….how does it taste?
Well. Pretty darn good. The cremá was decent, and the shot tasted fine.
In fact, after adding some hot milk from our existing Nespresso milk frother, I could not tell the difference between coffee from the hand pump and the standard machine.

Only 2 negative things I can say at this point.

1. There was some spattering of the coffee as it left the machine under pressure. Although perhaps this will ease as I refine my pumping enthusiasm.
2. The water reservoir only holds enough for a single shot, so you will need to refill for a double shot or to make a second cup.

I would also add that this bit of kit is not cheap. We purchased ours through Alternative Brewing Australia for $94.95AU (complete with Nespresso adapter). There are cheaper models available on the site for around $50.00AU.
But then again…how many savings in store-bought cups of coffee before you have paid for it?

So my initial review is 4.5 out of 5.
We will be taking the Nanopresso with us on our trip across Australia in a couple of weeks. I will report back to let you know how it holds up to the rigours of outback travel with two caffeine thirsty travellers.

Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post and I have no affiliation with Wacaco the manufacturer of the Nanopresso.