We recently tested 10 portable coffee makers from Aeropress, Barista & Co and Bodum to find out which makes the best cup of coffee and is the easiest to use whether you’re commuting or camping.
Watch our video to discover three easy iced coffee recipes, including cold brew, iced latte and an espresso martini, made using the Aeropress Go, Bodum Travel Press and Staresso Espresso Maker.
And go to the best Aeropress and other portable coffee makers to see which came top in our tough tests.
What kind of coffee do you use with a portable coffee maker?
You can use pre-ground coffee in a portable coffee maker, but if you want a richer, stronger and smoother flavour try grinding the roasted beans fresh yourself.
According to some experts, freshly ground coffee needs to be used within 15 minutes of being ground or it loses its flavour.
However, others say that if stored correctly it can be used within 12 hours, or even one to two weeks. Generally, it’s a matter of personal preference.
In the market for freshly ground coffee? Then check out the best coffee grinders in our tests
How do I keep my coffee fresh?
Coffee beans and ground coffee can go stale quite quickly, so if you want the best possible americano or latte, it’s important to store them correctly.
Use an airtight container to keep the coffee from oxidising and dehydrating further. Avoid glass jars and instead go for something that’s opaque. And keep it out of direct sunlight – somewhere cool and dark is ideal.
Finally, don’t put them in the fridge. Despite what many people think, this isn’t the ideal place to store coffee as there’s a risk of it getting damp or absorbing flavours from other foods.
Thinking about coffee pods instead? Read our guide to recyclable, reusable and compostable coffee pods
How we tested portable coffee makers
When testing coffee makers we looked at the following to help us separate the brilliant from the not so great.
- Ease of putting together We examined how easy each coffee maker was to put together out of the box.
- Ease of making the coffee We considered how simple each coffee maker was to use.
- Mess made We looked at how much spillage there was after making a coffee.
- Cleaning We cleaned each coffee maker after use to see how labour intensive it is.
- Residue We poured the cups of coffee through a wire mesh to see how much residue had seeped into the drink.
- Durability We dropped each coffee maker five times to see how well they would survive a camping or commuting accident.
We also tested how leakproof they were and their heat-retention capabilities for the coffee makers which made these claims.
For more information on these tests check out how we tested portable coffee makers
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/07/try-these-easy-iced-coffee-recipes-using-portable-coffee-makers/