Ireland has become a nation of coffee drinkers. That is not to say we have abandoned tea; sitting down with a cup is still a ritual for many. But a quick look around would indicate that, as a nation, we have become coffee lovers.
There are a significant number of coffee shops on the streets of Irish towns. There are coffee kiosks in random places, and machines popping up in local supermarkets. We have drive-through coffee spots, so you don’t even have to get out of your car.
But there are good reasons to have your own supply. First there is price. Coffee has steadily risen in price since 2020, the result of a mixture of factors ranging from commodities speculation to poor weather – plus availability.
You might be standing on the side of a football pitch in the pouring rain, camping, sitting on the beach or hiking up the mountains, where coffee shops are in short supply. Maybe you are just sitting at your desk and don’t fancy the trek to the coffee machine. And that is where having a portable coffee maker on hand can be useful.
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The Izzpresso Maker is a portable 20-bar espresso machine that not only dispenses espresso shots but will heat the water when needed. It is about the size of a small Thermos flask, so you can put it in a bag or backpack without adding too much to the overall weight and bulk.
There are a few different versions of this coffee maker, but the Izzpresso machine is branded and sold by Cork’s Izz Cafe, and comes in a carry case and a pack with the cafe’s own coffee capsules.
It has a rechargeable battery that not only works to brew your coffee, but will heat the water to 85 degrees in under five minutes. The battery will give you enough power to heat water a couple of times before you need to charge it – we got at least three cycles of hot water, which was enough for six espresso shots, plus one where we forgot to put the capsule in.
We were lured by this coffee maker after a holiday spent trying to figure out a filter coffee machine. Early attempts were reminiscent of dirty water, and there was a lot of wasted time, effort and coffee (we’ve already covered the rising price) before we finally hit on the magic formula.
I’m not saying that the adults in the house needed coffee to function in the morning, but they were certainly crankier without it.
The Izzpresso Maker, on the other hand, was easy to use in comparison. Put water in, pop in a capsule, screw it together and push a button. Wait for the LED to change colour and, in a few minutes, you have coffee.
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It is an espresso machine, so temper your expectations for large, leisurely coffees. It is designed to dispense shots, though you can top your cup up with hot water directly from the device if needed. Still, if you need a Starbucks venti to get going, this won’t do it.
The quality of the coffee will depend a lot on what coffee you use. The bundled coffee pods were convenient – no grounds to dispose of until we got home – and the coffee itself was good. But you can also use ground coffee if you prefer; the coffeemaker takes both small and large capsules, and ground coffee. That makes it more flexible than most pod machines.
And because it heats water, you can keep the non-coffee drinkers happy too. Throw a tea bag in a cup and you are good to go.
What I liked about the whole process was that it was simple. Follow the instructions the first time and it is easy to repeat the process without the handhold every other time after.
In fact, fitting it all back together when we were done was more complicated, and that only took a few minutes to figure out.
It charges over USB-C, which means you will have plenty of options with charging cables already lying around your home. And if you feel the battery won’t live up to your coffee dependency, a decent battery pack can help you bridge the gap.
Good
Small enough to carry in a bag, with enough battery charge to heat water for a few shots of espresso. Everything you need – bar the coffee – is inside the device, including a portable cup.
It works with a range of coffee types, from the pods – large and small – to ground coffee.
It takes about five minutes to heat the water. The built-in battery will heat up enough water for four or five cups, so factor that in.
It was an easy process, and convenient, which was hard to beat.
Bad
The battery life takes a bit of planning, especially if you want multiple cups (or perhaps multiple people using it).
Everything else
The coffee maker comes with an IPX6 rating, which means it is splashproof, and will stand up to some accidental spills.
Verdict
An easy-to-use solution for your coffee problem, whatever that might be.
