Wacaco - Picopresso

Picopresso user here. I got the pico for the ease of travelling with it whilst still being able to get the same espresso i get at home. Started with ground coffee from BT which wasn’t giving the best shots; later got a Timemore C3 ESP and started grinding fresh for each cup. It made world of a difference. Only took 3-4 cups to dial in for any beans. Cleaning is not a hassle at all, barely takes a min if you clean it after every use. The only thing with any manual espresso is that it takes quite sometime to get the right technique. And once you get it right - you keep nailing every shot you make. I’d be glad to answer if you have any other questions for the pico. Happy brewing! :)

I would really recommend the Wacaco Picopresso, a bit higher than your budet, but a really really good unit if you like the manual workflow.

There's a lot of machines where you can press a button and get espresso. Or pod machines for example. This is all manual. So you would need to grind beans (pregrounded might not work the best due to not being fresh) > distribute the grounds, tamp, etc. There's loads of "how to make espresso" videos online. I would search the Picopresso on YouTube and see if thats something you want to do. It takes some time to learn, but great once mastered!

I have the Dedica ec685.M And Picopresso. They both need a few adjustments to make them extract a better shot. But when I adjust Picopresso properly, it makes crazy extractions. My hand grinder is Kingrinder K6, the best grinder for its price. 

I have definitely tried several. The Picopresso made great espresso but I found it messy to use and too fussy for travel, plus I did not at all enjoy what was required to generate pressure. The Staresso made adequately drinkable shots, but again I did not enjoy the experience of doing what was necessary to create pressure. Most recently I bought the Trekbrew from Turin and it seems to me to be the most promising of all. It’s is electric, and it can be used with either pre-boiled water or room temperature water. I have been very pleased with the quality of the shots it produces.

i like the picopresso. i use a camp stove or a jetboil to heat some water, an 1zpresso grinder, and a pocket sized scale.

Idk, I kinda feel his pain. I have eureka mignon specialita which seems like a great grinder and my portable pico makes FAR better tasting espresso than bambino with same grind settings/same coffee beans. Bambino shots are always bitter to me, and I've tried so many things - the puck prep is great, no channeling no nothing, the shot is extracted in 20/25/30/35/40 seconds (tried all combinations), yet, it never tastes great. It's good for milk based drinks and I truly love my cappuccinos which are far better than anything I can get from a coffee shop. But my espressos are just very mediocre...

If you want a low tech alternative to a machine, picopresso is the answer. It's cheap, easy to use, doesn't take long to use. The 9Barista is something to get if you like what it is. Dialing in in a 9 barista is going to be time consuming, you'll get several shots out of a picopresso in the same time.

The only real difference is portability. If you are going to travel alot then Picopresso, if mostly at home then flair.

As a long time Picopresso user i disagree. You can preinfuse as long as you want with it. You can stop pumping. Or do rapid or very slow. All this have different effect on pressure. Some experts on YouTube even do turbo shots with Picopresso. Which i doubt flair can handle but can't confirm as i haven't used flair. Neither do i enjoy turbo.

Why not get Picopresso with it's wacaco pressure gauge if profiling is your primary goal. In fact if one can manage sworks have a better quality one. the biggest downside for me personally is you dont have an option for IMS precision basket for neo flex. where as you can easily get 51mm ims for picopresso. i have used HUGH ims with mine and it makes a great difference in taste for speciality coffee beans.

Used Flair Neo / Pro if you can. If not, I'd pick the Picopresso.

consider manual options. The J Ultra from 1Zpresso combined with something like the Picopresso will give you better espresso than budget electric machines at the cost of a little more work.