Espresso on the go: coffee in the camper, on holiday and in your second home
The sliding door of the camper is open, mist still hangs over the lake, and on the camping table an espresso runs into a small glass. Coffee on the go is a luxury you treat yourself to anywhere: on the terrace of your holiday flat, at the summit or in your second home in Valais. With beautiful equipment that fits in a bag, every place becomes your coffee corner. So the nicest question to start with is a practical one: is there power and water, and how much space do you have?
In short: For espresso on the go, we start by looking at power, water and space. Without power, we recommend a hand press from Flair Espresso or Wacaco with a hand grinder and a small travel scale, and for filter coffee the AeroPress or a pour-over dripper. With a socket and little space, a compact espresso machine fits in, and milk foam works with a battery-powered frother or a stovetop milk steamer. On the go, too, we brew espresso by weight. That is how we advise at Coffee Coaching Club.
Without power: espresso from a hand press
For espresso without a socket, all you need is hot water, from the gas stove, the campfire or the kettle in your holiday flat. With the hand lever presses from Flair Espresso, you pull the lever and watch the pressure build on the gauge. Some models fold up small and travel in their own case. We are the exclusive importer of Flair Espresso in Switzerland. You can see which model suits you in Flair Espresso: which model suits you?
The hand presses from Wacaco are even smaller: you pump up the pressure by hand, and the espresso machine travels in the side pocket of your rucksack. Wacaco: espresso on the go tells you more about the brand, and you will find everything for the outdoors under outdoor coffee machines and equipment.
The hand grinder: freshly ground, wherever you are
A hand press goes with a hand grinder, and with it a small ritual begins: the soft crunch of the beans and the aroma rising while the water heats up. A hand grinder is single dose in its most original sense: you grind exactly the portion you are about to enjoy, and you switch from bean to bean. For espresso you set it very fine, for filter coffee coarser.
Most hand grinders work with conical burrs. In our experience, conical burrs bring more aroma, and the larger the conical burr set, the more body. Beautiful models are made by Comandante, 1Zpresso, Timemore and Kinu, for example, and the hybrid grinders from Varia grind by hand and electrically. You will find them all among the hand grinders, more in hand grinder or electric grinder and Comandante vs. Timemore.
Espresso by weight, at the camping table too
On the go, too, we brew espresso by weight: ground coffee and espresso go on a small travel scale. We grind fine, start at 14.5 grams and work our way up from there, usually to 17 grams, at a ratio below 1:2. That way the espresso by the lake tastes just like at home, and espresso dial-in without a stopwatch shows you how to fine-tune it step by step. Flat pocket scales come from Normcore and Varia, for example, and we are the exclusive importer of both in Switzerland. You will find all models among the coffee scales.
With a hand press, you pour in the water yourself. You can taste temperature differences from just half a degree, and a thermometer or a kettle with temperature control lets you plan every cup. If you bring your own coffee water, you mix it from distilled water and the mineral concentrates from Apax Labs, as shown in composing your own coffee water.
Filter coffee on a hike: AeroPress and pour over
At the summit, with a thermos full of hot water in your rucksack, filter coffee is a wonderful companion. The AeroPress is light and robust and brews a clear, round cup; in the travel version, everything packs away inside its own mug. For pour over, take a light dripper and paper filters with you, from Hario for example, or the travel set from Normcore. Simpler still is an insulated mug with a strainer: ground coffee in, water on top, strainer out, and you drink straight from it.
You weigh out the ground coffee at home, for example 15 grams for 250 grams of water. We set both methods side by side in the filter coffee comparison, and you will find mugs and bottles under coffee pots and on-the-go equipment.
With power and little space: camper and holiday flat
If there is an electric hook-up at your pitch or a socket in your holiday flat, an espresso machine is welcome too, and the camper becomes a little bar. Compact single-boiler machines fit into small spaces, from Profitec or Lelit for example, as do compact dual boilers, from La Marzocco for example. How much power the socket in your camper provides is stated in your vehicle's documents, and the power of the machine is on its rating plate.
In between, there are small battery-powered espresso machines that heat the water themselves, from Nuttii, for example, Timemore's brand for on the go. With a hand grinder beside it, grinding stays entirely power-free.
Milk foam on the go
A cappuccino at the camping table, with a little heart on top, is part of a holiday morning for many people. Without a steam wand, there are two ways to make it. A small battery-powered milk frother from Subminimal fits in your jacket pocket together with its case and comes in ten colours; you warm the milk beforehand in a small pan, and around 55 degrees is a lovely starting point. We are the exclusive importer of Subminimal in Switzerland.
If you love the steam of an espresso machine, put a stovetop milk steamer from Flair on the gas stove: it makes its own steam and textures the milk finely enough for latte art. You will find all the devices among the milk frothers, plus a stainless steel milk jug, and you can see how milk behaves as you froth it in our milk foam simulator.
Keeping beans fresh and taking them with you
Beans travel whole, and you grind them only when you arrive. In an Airscape canister, you press the air out with the inner lid, so the aroma stays beautifully intact, and the 250-gram size fits nicely into your holiday luggage. If you weigh out every portion at home, you fill them into single-dosing tubes, from Weber Workshops or Normcore for example; you will find all canisters among the bean containers and storage canisters.
Freshly roasted beans need a resting time before they show their full aroma, which is why we work with resting times instead of a roast date in days. For travelling, we love round, chocolatey-nutty coffees such as Cozy Chocolate or Nutty Delight; more in coffee beans for espresso machines.
The second home: your second little coffee corner
The flat in the mountains or by the lake feels like home with a coffee corner of its own, ideally in the same look as back home and with the same cups, so that the first espresso after you arrive tastes just as it does at your own kitchen table. In a small space, a compact espresso machine stands next to a small grinder, or a Flair hand press with a hand grinder on a wooden board.
You buy an espresso machine for many years, and our own service workshop takes care of servicing and repairs. That is why here, too, you can start straight away with the machine that brings you joy every weekend. If you buy a new machine and a new grinder together, we add up to CHF 150 in shop credit* with the bundle bonus. You can see which machine and grinder suit you in espresso machine for beginners and coffee grinder for beginners, and Jackson, our AI advisor, puts together your setup for the road with you around the clock.
At a glance
| Situation | What fits | Right for you if |
|---|---|---|
| Hiking | AeroPress or dripper, thermos | you want freshly brewed coffee at the summit |
| Camping without power | hand press, hand grinder, travel scale | you want espresso wherever there is a stove |
| Camper with hook-up | compact espresso machine | your camper may be a little bit of a bar |
| Travel and hotel | AeroPress in the travel mug, battery-powered espresso machine | you travel light |
| Holiday flat | hand press with kettle or compact machine | you want your cappuccino on holiday too |
| Second home | second coffee corner with machine and grinder | you want to arrive every weekend feeling at home |
| Milk foam | battery-powered frother or stovetop milk steamer | you love cappuccino at the camping table too |
| Beans | Airscape canister or single-dosing tubes | you want to grind every portion fresh when you arrive |
You can also find us in person
In Bern at Gerberngasse 44 and in Zurich Oerlikon at Hagenholzstrasse 50b, many machines and grinders are set up and in operation, and in Bern they run in the café all day long for our guests. Drop by for an espresso before your holiday and see the equipment live in action.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make espresso without power?
With a hand press, from Flair Espresso or Wacaco for example, a hand grinder and hot water from the stove. You grind fresh, build up the pressure by hand and weigh the ground coffee and espresso on a small travel scale. We grind fine, start at 14.5 grams and work our way up, usually to 17 grams, at a ratio below 1:2.
Which grinder should I take with me when travelling?
A hand grinder with a finely adjustable grind size. That way you grind entirely without power, the grinder fits in any bag and turns every portion into a small ritual. For espresso you set it very fine, for AeroPress and filter coffee coarser.
Which coffee machine fits in a camper?
Without a socket, a hand press from Flair or Wacaco; with an electric hook-up, a compact espresso machine too. How much power your socket provides is stated in your camper's documents, and the power of the machine is on its rating plate.
How do I make milk foam on the go?
With a small battery-powered milk frother or a stovetop milk steamer. The Subminimal frother fits in your jacket pocket together with its case, and you warm the milk beforehand to around 55 degrees. The Flair stovetop milk steamer makes its own steam on the gas stove.
How do I take coffee beans on holiday?
As whole beans in an airtight canister, ground only when you arrive. Airscape canisters press the air out with their inner lid, so the aroma stays beautifully intact. Weighed-out portions travel in single-dosing tubes.
Which machine suits a holiday flat?
One that suits the space and the look of the flat: a compact espresso machine with a small grinder or a hand press with a kettle. If you often go to the same second home, you set up a second coffee corner there.
How do I make filter coffee on a hike?
With hot water from the thermos, a light dripper or an AeroPress and freshly ground coffee. You weigh out the ground coffee at home, for example 15 grams for 250 grams of water.
* Bundle bonus: when you buy a new espresso machine and a new coffee grinder in one order paid by advance payment; amount depending on the purchase value; valid for 60 days. You will find all the conditions on the bundle bonus page.
Written by Yalcin Akpinar, qualified food chemist and coffee roaster at Coffee Coaching Club. Updated: October 2026.
