We Put Two Portable Espresso Machines Head-To-Head—There Was A Clear Winner

If you're into coffee and the outdoors,

there's a pretty good chance your social media algorithm

has fed you ads by a brand called Outin.

Their kit is battery powered and rechargeable,

which makes it a great option for camping, road trips,

or really any remote scenario where you're fiending

for espresso and there's no proper coffee shop to be found.

They're battery powered and USB-C rechargeable.

They have a rugged exterior with a kind of outdoorsy vibe.

They also have a few key differences

that Outin was not very helpful about when I emailed them

asking for a side by side comparison.

So we did one on our own.

We tested them side by side by brewing 30 shots

of espresso in each of them.

Let's dive into what we found.

First up is weight.

The difference in weight between the two is explained

by another key difference between these two units,

which is the battery capacity.

The Nano packs 7,500 milliamp hours of battery life,

whereas the Mino packs 9,000 milliamp hours of battery life.

We got an average of two to three shots

out of the Nano per charge,

whereas the Mino gave us four to five.

The Nano took about a hundred minutes

to fully charge from dead,

whereas the Mino took about 90 minutes to charge from dead.

Shout out to the Fino, which is the grinder Outin makes

to accompany these handy little espresso machines.

For testing, we ground on the 1.2 setting

and we used our trustee Costco Columbia Supremo medium roast

because it's really consistent and easy to dial in.

This is where we get to what is, in my professional opinion,

the biggest difference between these two units

and that's the capacity of each of their baskets.

To keep things consistent, as we tested, we stuck

with 1:2 ratio of grounds to water.

Both actually include a spoon that does serve

as your tamper, so once you're finished dosing your grounds

into the basket, you actually just use the spoon

to pack it down.

Super easy, not a lot of adjusting or dial-in needed.

Just hold down the button for two seconds.

Weird and kind of janky quirk I came across with the Nano is

that it left an average of 17 grams of water in the chamber.

So instead of using that to dose the shot,

it just got left in there.

Mino really didn't have this problem.

The average that it left over was only about five grams,

so pretty substantial difference

when you're using such a small amount of water

for a shot of espresso.

You will not be surprised to learn

that the Mino gave us a much better shot, better body,

better undertones, definitely a better shot

for just drinking a straight up shot of espresso.

The Nano wasn't bad, but I wouldn't really rely on this

if you want something that's reminiscent of a shot

of espresso you'd make at home,

let alone something you get at a good third wave

coffee shop.

The Mino is a little bit more expensive.

Yes, and it does weigh 40 grams more.

But in all other regards, it is a far superior machine.

Outin is reluctant to say this is V2 of Nano.

It's essentially a different machine,

but it pretty much does everything the Nano can do,

but better, more efficiently

and a better outcome with a better shot of espresso.