Minor update.
I’ve tried pairing the 9barista with several induction cookers with reasonable success but the challenge for travel is their large footprint and their weight at around the 2kg mark.
Enter the Rekrow Elegance Micro Burner using butane gas. Small footprint and weighing in at 970g including the rather solid Bellman Burner Stand.
As I’ve learnt from @wilburpan, It’s important to get the temperature right with the 9barista. For various reasons you want the whole process completed between 3 and 6 minutes and the actual pour seems to be best between 30 and 45 seconds depending on the roast level of the beans. Provided the heat has not been set too high, the pour time is controlled by adjusting the grind, pretty much the same as for other espresso machines.
Fortunately, with the Redkrow, I turn it on to its maximum heat and the whole process takes place between 5 and 6 minutes. Perfect.
I put a temperature strip on 9barista with a view to figuring out the gas setting I’d need, but its not needed because as mentioned it’s as simple as turning it on at the start and then off at the end. No adjustments necessary.
Of course travelling with a gas cooker means that prior to any flight it needs to be emptied and cleaned. And after landing, a stop is required to pick up cigarrette lighter refill fuel at pretty much any gas station or corner store. But it’s a small inconvenience for being able to leave an induction cooktop behind.