To make real espresso at home without a countertop machine, use a hand-pump or battery portable espresso maker that reaches about 9 bar or more. Coffee & Cream also stocks moka pots for the stove, plain instant coffee and a French press, which use little or no pressure and give a strong cup for milk drinks.
Why pressure matters
A pump pushes hot water through fine coffee at about 9 bar. A certified Italian shot uses about 7 g of coffee, water near 88 °C, and about 25 seconds, and lands near 25 ml with crema. Espresso has no single world standard, and on a home portafilter machine a single shot is usually about 30 to 40 ml, in 25 to 30 seconds. The espresso, lungo and ristretto guide covers the other cup sizes.
Crema is the dense foam on top of the shot. It forms when water under very high pressure dissolves more carbon dioxide from the roasted coffee. A moka pot brews at about 1 to 2 bar, below espresso pressure. The cup is strong and can carry a little foam, and its dissolved solids sit around 3 to 4%, against about 9 to 10% in espresso. A hand pump or a battery maker that reaches about 9 bar or more can pull a real shot, and the Wacaco, IKAPE, LePresso and Hibrew makers below are rated at 15 to 20 bar.
Moka pot espresso on the stove
A moka pot brews a short, strong cup on the hob at about 1 to 2 bar. Fill the base with cold or room-temperature water up to the safety valve, fill the funnel with ground coffee for a moka pot without pressing it, heat on low to medium, and take the pot off when the top chamber is full and it starts to gurgle. The moka pot guide has the full steps, cleaning, and which pot suits gas, electric or induction.
Use a medium-fine grind, between espresso and filter. Very fine espresso coffee can slow the flow in some moka pots and taste harsh, so start with a bag from ground coffee for moka, such as Lavazza Qualità Rossa, Lavazza Qualità Oro, Illy Tostato Forte for moka or Kimbo Espresso Napoli. Bialetti Perfetto Moka Classico 250 g is a dark roast made for moka pots, half arabica and half robusta.
Real espresso from a hand-pump or battery maker
A portable maker pulls a real shot with a hand pump or a battery motor, with no machine on the counter. The IKAPE V1 heats its own water, and the Wacaco Nanopresso and IKAPE Kapo K1 need hot water in the tank. The portable espresso makers page compares them in full.
- Wacaco Nanopresso: Hand pump, up to 18 bar, no battery and no plug. It does not heat water, so fill the 80 ml tank with hot water, boiling if you want the shot hot. The basket takes 8 g of fine coffee, tamped hard. See Wacaco.
- IKAPE V1: Rechargeable, 19 bar. It heats cold water to 92 °C before the shot, in about 3.5 minutes. The ground basket takes 8 to 10 g. See IKAPE.
- IKAPE Kapo K1: Battery motor, 18 bar, and no heater, so add hot water. The 51 mm basket takes 14 to 18 g, with 16 g as the dose to start from. About 60 ml of water in the 100 ml tank gives about 35 to 40 ml in the cup.
- LePresso 4-in-1: Battery, 20 bar, with a built-in milk frother. It takes ground coffee and capsules compatible with Nespresso or Dolce Gusto, and brews up to 80 ml. See LePresso.
The same comparison page includes the Hibrew H4A (15 bar, a 10 g ground adapter, and capsules compatible with Nespresso) and the MaxxPresso M3 and M4 (built-in battery; M3 takes ground coffee and capsules compatible with Nespresso, M4 takes ground coffee). None of them take Vertuo capsules, and Coffee & Cream does not stock Vertuo. Use a fine grind from espresso ground coffee, or grind whole beans in a grinder.
Espresso with instant coffee
For a quick strong shot, stir 2 teaspoons of plain instant coffee (about 4 g) into 30 ml of hot water until it dissolves. Use plain instant. A 3 in 1 sachet already contains sugar and creamer, so it will not give you a clean shot.
Davidoff Café Espresso 57 (90 g) is a dark roast, freeze-dried, with tasting notes of dark chocolate and roasted nuts. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons in hot water that is not boiling. Davidoff Café Crema Intense (90 g) is a medium roast: 1 to 2 teaspoons in water at about 85 to 90 °C, not boiling. Jardin Deep Dark is a dark roast in 95 g and 180 g jars, at 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup. The instant coffee range also includes Davidoff Café Fine Aroma, Davidoff Café Rich Aroma, Jardin Colombia Medellin 95 g, and Bon Aroma Gold in 200 g and 100 g.
For a whipped foam top, put equal parts instant coffee, sugar and hot water in a bowl, 2 tablespoons of each, and whisk until the mix is thick and pale. A hand mixer takes about 3 to 5 minutes. By hand it takes 10 minutes or more. Spoon it over milk.
A strong French press cup
A French press steeps the coffee with no pressure, so it gives a bold base for milk drinks with no crema. The French press guide uses a coarse grind, about 1 to 15 (30 g of coffee to 450 ml of water), water just off the boil at about 92 to 96 °C, and a 4 minute steep. Espresso grind is too fine for this brew.
For a stronger cup, keep the water the same and use more coffee than the guide's 1 to 15, then taste and adjust the next brew. In the Coffee Glass Stainless Steel French Press 350 ml, from milk frothers and French presses, the guide's cup is about 20 g of coffee to 300 ml of water, so start there and add coffee.
Espresso in a kanaka makes Turkish coffee
Put one heaped teaspoon of extra-fine coffee (about 7 g) and one small cup of cold water (about 60 to 70 ml) in a kanaka, heat it slowly, and take it off as the foam rises, before it boils. The coffee brews with no filter and no pressure. The Turkish coffee guide has the full method, including sugar levels.
Espresso with milk, without a machine
A moka pot shot or a strong instant shot is enough coffee for a latte or a cappuccino at home. The latte, cappuccino and Spanish latte guide has the milk ratios. Froth the milk with a Nespresso Aeroccino 3, a Nespresso NanoFoamer V2 or a French press. The other frothers and the 350 ml and 550 ml milk pitchers are in milk frothers and French presses. For the chocolate drink, see the mocha guide. A mocha is coffee with chocolate and milk, a different thing from the moka pot.
FAQ
Can you make an espresso shot without a machine?
Yes, with a hand pump or a battery portable maker that reaches about 9 bar or more, such as the Wacaco Nanopresso, IKAPE V1, IKAPE Kapo K1 or LePresso 4-in-1. A moka pot, instant coffee and a French press use much lower pressure or none, and give a strong cup for milk drinks.
How much coffee goes into an espresso?
By the Italian parameters, a single shot is about 7 g of fine coffee near 9 bar, giving about 25 ml in about 25 seconds. On a home portafilter machine, a single shot is usually about 30 to 40 ml. Double and triple shots use roughly 14 and 21 g. The Wacaco Nanopresso basket takes 8 g, and the instant version is 2 teaspoons, about 4 g, in 30 ml of hot water.
How do you make espresso at home with regular ground coffee?
Use a medium-fine grind in a moka pot, or a fine grind, tamped hard, in a portable maker. A bag labelled for moka pots is the easy start for the stove. Only the portable maker reaches espresso pressure. In a moka pot, regular ground coffee makes strong stovetop coffee at about 1 to 2 bar. The ground coffee brew guide matches grind to method.
What do you use if you have no espresso machine?
Use a moka pot for a short stovetop cup, a portable pressure maker for real espresso pressure, plain instant coffee when you want the cup in a minute, or a French press for a larger bold cup. Countertop pump machines are in espresso machines, and the machine comparison explains the types.
How do you make instant espresso at home?
Stir 2 teaspoons of plain instant coffee, about 4 g, into 30 ml of hot water. Davidoff Café Espresso 57 is the jar meant for a quick espresso-style cup: 1 to 2 teaspoons in hot, not boiling, water. Leave 3 in 1 sachets out of this recipe. They already include sugar and creamer.
What is moka pot espresso?
Moka pot espresso is the short, strong cup a moka pot brews at about 1 to 2 bar, with a little foam. Espresso is brewed near 9 bar, so moka pot coffee is a stand-in for espresso in milk drinks. The moka pot guide has the full steps.
How do you make espresso with milk without a machine?
Brew a moka pot shot or the 30 ml instant shot, then add hot milk. For a latte or cappuccino, follow the latte guide and froth the milk with an Aeroccino, a NanoFoamer, or a French press.
Start with ground coffee for moka and a Bialetti pot, compare portable espresso makers when you want real pressure, or pick a jar from instant coffee for the two-teaspoon shot. Orders reach Cairo and Giza in 1 to 2 business days and other governorates in 2 to 4 business days. You can pay cash on delivery or by card. Delivery fees are on the shipping policy.