WACACO Pipamoka Portable Coffee Maker, Mini Travel Coffee Machine, Insulated Travel Mug, All-in-one Vacuum Pressured, Manual Coffee Brewer, Quick Extraction, Stainless Steel Cup, 10 fl oz

I've only had this for a day or so, but having already made a few coffee's with it I am very pleased with the purchase and can imagine now using this daily for my morning brew (to drink in the house or take with me to work or the gym).Rather than using it for travel, I was mainly motivated by a desire to have a low maintenance coffee maker (for one person) that could deliver a consistently great brew - and the unique design and function appealed to my minimalist nature. I've had some cheap filter machines in recent years but the hot plates ended up getting rusted from drips, the coffee taste seemed to change and become bitter and oily (maybe due to my not descaling the machine regularly), and the glass jug and filter trays were a pain to keep clean.So I took the plunge, and in summary...---1. "TURNING" IS FINE - The turning of the device to extract the coffee was my biggest concern - watching several videos and reading reviews to get an idea of how it actually felt and how long it takes, didn't give me 100% confidence as to how it would be in reality. Would it feel like an eternity to get the coffee out and would my hands be aching by the end of it?In reality it's fine - I ended up walking around the house for a minute or so while doing the "turning" (like when I'm shaving with an electric razor or brushing my teeth) and it was quite relaxing in a strange way. As to my hands, I just made sure to turn slowly which meant I faced no difficulty in executing each rotation. Those who report it being hard are probably doing it too quick. (Disclaimer: I have good sized hands so I'm not sure if the experience is different for others).2. CLEANING / MAINTENANCE IS EASY - Cleaning up is so simple - you just pop out the "puck" where the coffee grounds went, and drop the used - and now solid - block of coffee into the bin. There is very little mess, and a quick rinse under the tap gets rid of any final bits on the various components. Occasionally it may benefit from a soapy wash to shift any oils that build up but I'm not sure if it even needs that. You also just need to quickly re-set the orange "dial" once done so it goes back to the bottom or top (?) of the extraction element for next time, but it takes a few seconds.3. COFFEE TASTE WAS GREAT - Taste wise I have no complaints - the coffee really hit the spot and I'm looking forward to my next one already. For context, I bought a bag of Starbucks Columbian ground coffee to begin with, as I'd noted a previous Amazon reviewer mention that the medium coarseness of a Starbucks ground they had used was ideal for this device (but I'd assume anything labelled as suitable for a French press or filter machine will do). The device is so simple I can't see it becoming contaminated in any way and so would expect it to remain consistent in the coffee it delivers.4. TRAVEL CUP IS GOOD QUALITY - I have a few insulated mugs with sipping lids and while they work in a similar way to this, I did find that a). they didn't fit in my car cup holders and b). the sipping lid would often leak slightly when I least expected it. So it was a nice surprise to find this cup does fit in my car holder and the screw lid means I can also throw it in my laptop bag without fear of it spilling out (either when full or with some tiny leftover coffee). I understand it also keeps coffee hot for a few hours but I've not tested that out for myself as of yet.5. DRINK SIZE WAS OKAY - The drink size was not a problem for me although if you need a large mug of black coffee every morning then this may come up a little short. Obviously if you are using a filter machine etc. then you can add more coffee scoops and water and decide how much to pour, but this device has space constraints in terms of how much water you can add. However, the volume it delivers was adequate and would fill most "normal" sized mugs.---So there we have it - I like it and I hope this helped, but the final decision is yours...

So, bought this as my work has moved to hotdesking, and needed a more svelte solution to a mug & cafetiere that I can stick in a rucksack & lug around all day without worrying about smashed glass & ceramics rattling around. For this alone it's 100% fit for purpose.As with anything these days, you expect the hype to be a lot greater than the product, but this one lives up to its promises (apart from the tap on the counter bit, which takes a fair few taps to properly get the air out). Makes a good cup of coffee using the Costa pre ground stuff, although 2 scoops of that is a bit too much for the pod capacity (1.5 scoops is enough though) and gives a decent enough flavour. Note: I'm not much of a coffee snob... unless it's instant, that is.There is a small learning curve to getting the twist speed right, but it's easy to work out when the screw bit has released from the inner chamber - you feel the plunger 'pop' when there's no more suction. If there's water left, just wind the nut back a bit, push the plunger down and go again. With that in mind, I can't see a reason why you can't get the sippy lid and permanently replace the existing lid - it'll work without the lid, but it is required to stop you scalding yourself during the tap on the counter bit (and a vacuum above the coffee pod will only negate its effectiveness, as it's drawing water away from that chamber).Cleaning: dead simple. Most of it just rinses under the tap, apart from the pod, which bangs out into the bin before running it under the tap. I'm guessing that over time coffee grounds will pull through the pods mesh, but there's a Phillips head screw to disassemble it for a deep clean - just make sure to gently realign it with the thread when reassembling as it cuts into the plastic - Spare pods are currently available (albeit maybe a little pricey). Note to manufacturer: spare silicone o-rings for the plunger would be nice, as I can see that eventually wearing out/tearing.Stability: there's a non slip rubber foot on the bottom, but I wouldn't put it next to my laptop without a lid as it's a bit easy to knock over. Sippy lid for the win here!Comfort: the lip of the mug feels identical to a standard builders mug, and the outside is double skinned, so very comfortable to drink from and hold.Storage: genius! It's all self contained, so will fit in a rucksack side pocket alongside a small Tupperware tub of coffee. It'll also fit in an MTB bottle cage, but you'll need to put one of those silicone bracelets around the lip of the mug to take advantage of the cage's retention clip - otherwise it's not quite a snug fit, maybe 0.25 - 0.5mm too narrow. Might fly out on rough terrain if you're bikepacking.As for capacity, it'll make a standard UK builders mug worth to the 1 cup line (with enough room for a splash of milk), or half fill one of those giant sports direct mugs.Does it make tea? Yes. I've just tried a cup of twinings earl grey right now (loose leaf, 2 scoops worth), and it's made a pretty strong brew (strong enough to add ice & lemon to for iced tea). But, if you're buying this just for tea, it's overkill - a diffuser ball is far simpler.

First off - this creates a good cup of coffee and is incredibly easy to clean. There's hardly any mess. It's also really well made and the insulated cup seems fairly leak proof and does keep in the heat. The coffee is stronger than filter - probably closer to a stove top moka pot than any other coffee maker. There are two things to be aware ofCoffee - it's important to use a medium to coarse grind of coffee and not overfill or tamp down the coffee in it's little chamber. You will need water to flow through this and it can be hard to use if you make that harder by compacting the coffee or using a fine grind that risks clogging up the filter.Twisting - some wrist strength is needed, and that can be worse depending on the coffee you use. I've a touch of arthritis starting in one wrist and it's not painful using this but I do have to take a little care. Making a cup a day with this isn't an issue - if I was drinking coffee more often it might get annoying. I'm hoping it'll help build my strength if anything!Overall, I'm really pleased with this, it's a nice bit of kit and really robustly made. It's not perfect though - and that's not an issue of design, it's about the brewing method. There aren't many ways to create a vacuum and so the stiffness whilst twisting isn't something that can really be changed - it's part of the package.