You spend a lot of time in the car. Work, night shifts, trips to clients, long stretches of highway. You get tired, you need coffee, and then you end up with lukewarm gas station coffee for €3 or €4 that has almost no flavor. Sound familiar?

In this guide, we'll explore all the options for car coffee. From thermoses to instant coffee, from a 12V car coffee maker to a portable, battery-powered espresso machine. You'll get an honest look at the pros and cons, what to look for when choosing the best car coffee maker, and when a portable espresso machine like the Rolling Roast Nomad is simply the smartest choice.

After this page, you'll know exactly what the best solution is for real coffee in the car.

Why Most Car Coffee Disappoints

Most people just mess around when it comes to coffee in the car. The most common "solutions":

• Quickly enter the gas station and hope the machine spits out something drinkable
• Make coffee at home and pour it into a thermos
• Instant coffee with lukewarm water
• A cheap 12V coffee maker that takes forever

The result: you overpay, your coffee is weak, lukewarm, or just plain awful, and you're back to drinking it with reluctance. While that one good espresso in the car is what keeps you awake and sharp.

Car coffee machine: all options at a glance

If you search for "car coffee maker" or "car coffee maker," you'll find all sorts of options. Let's go through them one by one, honestly, without any sales talk.

1. Gas station coffee

Plus points

• Found everywhere along the highway
• You don't need to bring anything yourself
• At some stations the coffee is quite okay

Negative points

• Expensive if you do this every day
• Quality is variable and often lukewarm
• You have to stop, get out, stand in line
• No control over beans, grind and strength

Conclusion: fine occasionally, but as a permanent solution it's a waste of money.

2. Thermos with coffee from home

Plus points

• Cheap and simple
• Your own beans and taste
• No power needed in the car

Negative points

• Coffee quickly becomes stale and loses flavor
• After a few hours it's just lukewarm
• You can no longer adjust the strength and quantity

Conclusion: OK for short trips, but not ideal if you're on the road all day.

3. Instant coffee or instant coffee

Plus points

• Light, compact, easy to carry
• Only hot water needed
• Handy as an emergency solution

Negative points

• Taste is usually mediocre, not real espresso
• No crema, no body, little experience
• Often a lot of sugar or strange flavors in ready-made stuff

Conclusion: fine if you just want “something with caffeine”, but not if you like good coffee.

4. Car coffee maker 12V

These are the devices that you plug into the cigarette lighter.

Plus points

• Specially made as a coffee maker for car 12V
• No separate battery needed, just plug it in
• Often cheap to order

Negative points

• 12V has little power, so it takes a long time
• Build quality is often poor
• Chances are your fuse will blow if more is attached to it
• Usually not real espresso, more like weak filter-like coffee

Conclusion: it's "something", but if you're a serious coffee lover, you're not going to be happy with this.

5. Portable battery-powered espresso machine

This is the category where things get interesting, and where the Rolling Roast Nomad falls into.

Plus points

• Works on a built-in battery, no cigarette lighter required during brewing
• Can make real espresso with pressure and crema
• Compact, fits easily in a bag, compartment or trunk
• Often 3 in 1: ground coffee, Nespresso compatible capsules, Dolce Gusto compatible capsules

Negative points

• Higher purchase price than a cheap 12V device
• You have to charge the battery occasionally
• A little more action than just pressing a button at the gas station

Conclusion: For people who really want good coffee in the car, a portable, battery-powered espresso machine is simply the most logical category.

What to look for when choosing the best coffee machine for your car

You're not looking for "something with coffee." You're looking for the best car coffee maker for your needs. Then consider this:

Safety

Making coffee while driving is simply not a good idea. Stop your car and take a moment.

• Can you operate the device safely when standing still?
• Is it stable, for example in a cup holder or on a flat surface?
• No loose cables or adapters getting in the way

Power supply: 12V vs battery

You have roughly three options:

• Car coffee maker 12V
• Power bank or external battery
• Portable, battery-powered espresso machine with built-in battery

12V is often slow and weak. A power bank is an option, but it's a hassle. A portable, battery-powered espresso machine has a built-in battery. You can charge at home or at work, and you don't need cables in the car.

Type of coffee: filter, instant or espresso

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you want real espresso or just black coffee?
• Do you prefer to work with ground coffee or capsules?
• Do you already use Nespresso or Dolce Gusto at home?

If you're already using capsules, a machine that works with Nespresso-compatible capsules or Dolce Gusto-compatible capsules is easy. For maximum flavor control, ground coffee is ideal. A good portable espresso machine can do both.

Speed

You don't want to wait fifteen minutes for a cup.

• How long does it take to heat up?
• How long does it take to make a shot?
• Can you easily make a second shot?

Ease of use and cleaning

You don't have a kitchen in your car, so:

• A quick rinse should be enough
• No complicated filters or parts to lose
• Your car stays somewhat clean and free of coffee grounds

Size and shape

• Does it fit in the cup holder or center console?
• Does it fit in your bag or a pocket in the door?
• Is it sturdy enough to survive a blow?

Portable, battery-powered espresso machine as a coffee maker for the car

A portable battery-powered espresso machine is a mini espresso machine in the shape of a bottle or cylinder.

Inside contains:

• A small water reservoir
• A heating element
• A pump for pressure
• A compartment or adapter for ground coffee or capsules
• A built-in battery

You fill it with water, add coffee, the machine heats it, and pressurizes the water into the coffee. The result: a real espresso with crema, not just brown goo.

This is ideal for use in the car because you:

• No need for a permanent power point
• All in one device
• You can also use the device outside the car: camping, office, night shift

Rolling Roast Nomad: portable 3-in-1 espresso machine for car and on the go

The Rolling Roast Nomad is built for just this scenario: great coffee on the go, especially in the car, camper, truck, and at work.

• Portable 3-in-1 battery-powered espresso machine
  Works with your own freshly ground coffee, Nespresso compatible capsules, Dolce Gusto compatible capsules and Starbucks capsules.
• Built-in battery
  You can charge the Nomad at home or at work. No cables are needed in the car while charging.
• Compact and sturdy
  Fits easily in a bag, compartment or cupboard in your car or camper.
• Real espresso
  You get a shot with body and crema, not weak filter coffee or instant coffee.

In short: if you're serious about coffee in the car, the Nomad is a better fit than a cheap 12V car coffee maker.

In summary: this is the most logical solution for coffee in the car

If you often find yourself on the side of the road or in a parking lot with lukewarm coffee in your hand, a portable, battery-powered espresso machine is simply the most logical upgrade. The Rolling Roast Nomad is specially designed as a portable 3-in-1 espresso machine for car, RV, camping, and work.

Check out the Rolling Roast Nomad

Practical situations: how drivers use the Nomad in the car

Commuting and business drivers

You drive to work or clients every day, often at odd hours. This can lead to:

• Charge the Nomad at home or at the office
• Pause for a moment at a parking lot or at a customer location
• Add water, add capsule or ground coffee, take a shot
• Drive straight away with a good espresso instead of having to enter another gas station

Truck drivers and vans

As a driver, you literally live on the road. It's frustrating when you're dependent on what's along the highway.

With a portable espresso machine in the truck:

• Make your own espresso during breaks in parking lots
• Decide for yourself which coffee you drink and how strong
• Save yourself a lot of money on gas station coffee in the long run

Camper, van and camping

For campers, coffee is often a nightmare: small gas burners, percolators or instant junk.

With a portable, battery-powered espresso machine:

• Don't need a fixed power supply for an espresso?
• Take one compact device with you instead of a large machine
• Can you still drink real espresso in the middle of nature?

Night shifts and security

Think of security guards, control rooms, healthcare workers and other night workers.

With a portable espresso machine:

• Can you make good coffee during a break in the car or in a quiet place on location?
• Are you not dependent on dirty machine coffee?
• Keep yourself sharp and awake with coffee that actually tastes good

FAQ: Car Coffee Maker and Portable Espresso Machine

Can you make coffee while driving?

No. You're working with hot water and equipment. Park your car, make your espresso slowly, and then drive on.

Is a portable espresso machine car safe?

If you use the device normally, fill it with water just before use, and close it properly, it's perfectly safe. Just don't throw a full water reservoir loose in your bag.

Is a portable espresso machine better than a 12V car coffee maker?

For taste and speed: yes. A 12V coffee machine is often slow and produces mediocre coffee. A good portable, battery-powered espresso machine offers more power, faster results, and better flavor.

Does such a device only work in the car?

No. You use it in your car, truck, camper, at the campsite, in the office, and during long shifts. The car is just one of those scenarios.

Conclusion: what is the best coffee machine for the car?

If you rarely use the car and coffee isn't really your thing, a thermos or the occasional gas station coffee will suffice.

But if you:

• Often in the car
• Tired of lukewarm, weak gas station coffee?
• Want real espresso instead of instant coffee
• Want one solution that works in your car, camper, camping and at work

Then the best coffee maker for the car is simply a portable, battery-powered espresso machine.

And in that category, the Rolling Roast Nomad was created to solve exactly that problem: always real espresso, even when you're on the go.

If you no longer want to rely on random coffee along the highway, check out the Rolling Roast Nomad and turn your car into your own mobile espresso bar.

Check out the Rolling Roast Nomad