Outin Mino: Smaller, Yes. Better? Maybe.

The Outin Mino is the highly anticipated follow-up to one of my favorite portable espresso makers.

After spending 18 fruitful months with the original Outin Nano, I approached this new model with cautious optimism.

Outin has been marketing the Mino as some sort of game-changing innovation, but this review will tell you a more nuanced story.

For several months I’ve been pulling shots and traveled with the Mino.

What emerged is a picture of a capable machine that makes some smart improvements while introducing a few frustrating limitations. Let’s dive into the nitty gritty.

Heads up: The review unit was provided by the brand. However, they have had no influence on my testing procedure.

What’s New with the Mino

I’ve come to appreciate Outin over the last 18 months. At first, I assumed it was just another generic brand from China. However, a new generation of innovative coffee brands has emerged from China in recent years. Lebrew. DiFluid, and BooKoo are brands that come to mind.

And Outin appears to be part of that same movement.

Their packaging is super elegant and thoughtful, and the company now offers a full range of cleverly designed accessories for their espresso maker lineup, including a portable grinder I’ll review soon.

The Mino represents a clear evolution from the Nano, though perhaps not the revolutionary leap Outin’s marketing suggests.

At first glance, it’s noticeably more compact than its predecessor. While the weight remains nearly identical, the smaller footprint means it takes up less precious suitcase real estate when you’re traveling.

It comes with a nice little travel pouch in a fashionable beige color along with a plastic funnel and a combined spoon and tamper also made of plastic. There is also an insert specifically for Nespresso-style capsules.

Size Reduction: Not What It Seems

The Mino’s smaller footprint deserves closer examination, because the size reduction isn’t quite what the marketing suggests. While it’s noticeably more compact than the Nano, this isn’t achieved through revolutionary engineering or a smaller core mechanism.

The real difference comes down to the cups. The Nano ships with a bigger cup that adds bulk to the overall package. Remove the cups from both machines, and the actual brewing units are remarkably similar in size. What Outin has done with the Mino is reduce dead space in the cup itself.

They’ve also designed a quite clever mechanism where you can position the Mino at different angles. At one angle, there’s enough space in the cup to brew directly into it, but when you screw it into the most compact position, that space disappears. The cup is made from Tritan, so you can drink from it with a clear conscience about safety.

However, I would always prefer to sip my espresso from something other than plastic, no matter how good the plastic is. A traditional espresso cup is simply a much nicer experience.

Performance

Heat-up time sees a meaningful improvement. The Mino averages around 3 minutes from room temperature water to brewing temperature (60 ml water used), compared to the Nano’s 4-minute warm-up for the same amount.

That might not sound dramatic, but when you’re bleary-eyed and desperate for morning coffee in a hotel room every second counts.

Okay, perhaps not every second. But one minute faster is noticeable.

Temperature consistency remains excellent, holding steady in the 92-94°C range, which is a solid brew temperature . This matches the Nano’s performance closely. Also, like the Nano, the machines decreases in potency as the battery is getting drained, resulting in lower temperatures and slower heat up times.

Shot Number	Temperature (°C)	Heat-up Time
1	94	3:00
2	92.9	3:10
3	92.5	3:20
4	91.4	3:30
5	Stopped at 80°C	Ran out of battery

However, one has to remember that the water loses 4-5 degrees on its journey from reservoir to puck, so actual brewing temperature is a bit lower.

This makes the Mino well-suited for darker roasts, though medium to light roasts benefit from a preheating cycle.

Here’s a technique I’ve found effective: run water through the device once without the basket attached, then pour that same water back into the reservoir. This preheats the internal components and bumps your brewing temperature up several degrees. The smart sensor inside the reservoir recognizes the water is already warm, so it only needs a quick boost to reach target temperature. This barely taxes the battery since you’re not heating from scratch.

Battery life

Overall, battery performance shows modest gains over the Nano, which makes sense since the capacity has increased to three 3000mAh batteries (9000 mAh total), compared to the Nano’s three 2500mAh batteries (7500 mAh).

In my testing I could get one more shot out of the Mino compared to the Nano. With my testing dose of 60 ml I was able to get four shots from the Mino, where I could only get three from the Nano.

It’s possible that these results would be more pronounced if I were to reduce the capacity down to 40 to 50 ml in the reservoir.

I believe that’s the case because on shot number 5 the Mino was almost able to heat it to the target brew temperature, running out of battery at 80 C.

If you’re using the Mino with an external kettle rather than relying on the self-heating function, battery life is a non-issue – you can pull hundreds of shots on a single charge since the pump draws minimal power. This makes the Mino viable as a compact home setup, not just a travel companion.

The Basket Situation

The Mino ships with a “semi-professional” basket, holding 11-13 grams depending on your beans. This sounds like an upgrade from the Nano’s tiny 6-7 gram pressurized basket, and in some ways it is. But here’s where things get complicated.

That 11-13 gram dose lands in an awkward middle zone for travel use. It’s not quite enough to share with someone. And sometimes I even wish it was a bit bigger, just for solo-sipping, especially first thing in the morning when you need caffeine ASAP.

When I’m at home, I love smaller espresso shots. But that’s because there I have the opposite problem – I’m usually getting too much caffeine due to my obligations as a coffee gear reviewer (and addict, in general).

But on the road, the equation changes. Making espresso while traveling takes effort: grinding, prepping, brewing, cleaning, managing battery life. For all that work, I’d rather pull an 18-gram shot. This also allows you to share the shot if you’re traveling with a partner.

The basket itself is technically unpressurized, but it sits inside what’s essentially a pressurized housing.

You can test this by putting some water in the housing and then you’ll see that it’s not dripping through. To further complicate things this holder also goes into yet another holder. This seems a bit clunky and unneccessary.

This hybrid design also creates an unusual effect. Unlike pure pressurized baskets that generate fake crema through aeration, the Mino produces genuine crema – you can use a very fine grind size which means you are building real pressure, even 9 bars or more. However, that entire shot gets forced through a single tiny exit hole, which does something to the texture.

Interestingly, I find this texture quite pleasant with certain medium and medium-dark roasts. The aeration is creating a mouthfeel that’s a bit different from standard espresso. The shots tend to have reduced acidity, and a thick, yet silky body. Conversely, they also sometimes feel a little bit flat and less popping compared to what one would pull with a regular basket.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there’s this ongoing debate in the espresso geek community about basket diameters and which ones produce better results.

Let me just say it straight, I don’t believe one size is objectively superior. Smaller diameter baskets with taller pucks tend to deliver more blended flavors, fuller body, and smoother texture. Larger baskets like 58mm can bring more clarity and precision to individual flavor notes, though they can also introduce sharpness or astringency if you’re not dialed in perfectly or if your dose is small relative to the basket diameter. It’s a bit like the debate with conical versus flat bottom drippers. Both can have their merits.

The Mino’s basket size does have a very small (and unusual) diameter being 44 mm. However, since the shots are also only 10 to 13 grams, the puck depth isn’t that extreme. So, in many ways, the actual dynamics are not that different from a 20 gram dose in a 58mm basket. The real differences in flavor probably comes from the strange pressurized basket holder.

Capsule Compatibility

Like the Nano, the Mino accepts capsules, and for travel scenarios, this can be a lifesaver.

Grinding and prepping every shot isn’t always practical. Sometimes you’re in a situation where pulling out a grinder isn’t feasible, or you’re simply too exhausted to go through the full workflow. In those moments, popping in a capsule and getting a decent shot feels like a small miracle.

I’m not suggesting capsules produce the same quality as freshly ground coffee. They don’t. But having the option adds versatility that I’ve come to value more than I expected.

Compatibility Issues and Missed Opportunities

One thing genuinely puzzles me about Outin: they’ve built a thoughtful ecosystem of accessories for the Nano, showing real attention to user needs. Yet they haven’t made the Plus Basket Kit compatible with the Mino. This seems both strange and a bit lazy, especially since some users might already have a Nano and Plus Basket in their collection.

More importantly, new Mino owners who want to pull larger shots are left without an official solution. Some users have successfully 3D-printed adapter holders that allow the Plus Basket to work with the Mino, proving it’s entirely possible. Outin could easily solve this with a simple adapter or include a compatible larger basket option. That they haven’t suggests a disconnect between product development and actual user needs.

A Workaround for Shot Size

There’s a technique that kinda addresses the basket size limitation. And it works with all these battery-powered portable machines on the market. You’re not actually restricted to the reservoir capacity for your shot volume.

As you brew, simply add more hot water to the reservoir. You’ll need a kettle with hot water for this. But the idea is simple. Just keep refilling while the pump runs. And suddenly you can pull much larger shots. Want a Lungo-style drink with 100 ml of liquid? No problem. Want enough to share between two people? Also possible.

Technically you are not increasing the amount of extracted solids. However, you get more coffee and it will be at a strength similar to Americano/Moka pot.

And best of all, it will be a bit more satisfying to share than a 20-25 ml shot, otherwise would be.

The 22 Bar Pump Question

Outin boasts about the powerful pump inside the machine, claiming that it can reach 22 bar. Apparently it’s some sort of smart pump that will target a standard extraction around 9 bars, but then it has some extra power in reserve if the grind size is too fine.

However, in my experience what has happened when I’ve been grinding too fine is that the device starts leaking from the side.

I can almost hear it as I’m brewing. It sounds like the dispersion screen pops up slightly due to the pressure inside the brew basket, and that creates a little bit of a gap between the device and basket. Water then finds the path of least resistance and flows out through the side.

It happened a few times when I was on a road trip and had brought the Mino to test. However, when I later tried to replicate the issue systematically for documentation purposes, I wasn’t able to. Instead, the device on one occasion just stopped. You could hear the pump struggle and then give up. On another occasion, I tried using the same grind size I had used for a 58mm basket – a very fine grind size, one I wouldn’t expect the Mino to pull without issues – but this time it was able to do it.

So I’m not quite sure how much of an issue it is. You can grind relatively fine with the Mino. On every single espresso maker out there, there is the risk of choking, so this is not a unique Mino issue.

However, just be aware that the advertised pump is not as strong as Outin says, or at least the overall system is not able to handle pressures in that range of 22 bars.

Who Should Buy the Mino

The Mino targets regular coffee drinkers rather than hardcore espresso geeks, and that’s perfectly fine. For someone used to a DeLonghi or Breville home machine, the quality won’t feel like a compromise. You get genuine espresso shots with nice body, the option to use capsules when convenient, and enough capability to satisfy without overwhelming complexity.

Serious espresso enthusiasts will bump up against the Mino’s limitations more quickly. The leaking issue with fine grinds, the middling basket size, and the lack of larger dose options create friction for those who want to push boundaries. But for the broader coffee-drinking population, these constraints matter less.

Price-wise, the Mino sits in the mid-range among battery-powered portable espresso makers. There are both cheaper and more expensive devices available, but I think if the Mino really wants to stand out against rivals with 51mm baskets, then the company really needs to work on an adapter so the Plus Basket kit can be used ASAP.

Final Thoughts

The Outin Mino does represent genuine improvement over the Nano in several meaningful ways. It’s more compact, heats faster, comes with a better stock basket, and maintains the excellent temperature consistency that made me appreciate the original. The ability to use capsules adds real-world versatility that I’ve found valuable in practice.

But it also introduces frustrations. The lack of compatibility with the Plus Basket Kit is especially disappointing.

Would I rather bring Nano with the Plus Basket on a trip or the Mino? That’s a good question… I think actually I would go for the device that offered the bigger shots.

So Outin needs to fix this ASAP with a conversion kit that fits the Mino.

I appreciate what Outin has built here. It’s a nice iteration. But for power users it’s not quite enough. Especially now that new competitors have entered the market.

Available here:

• Official shop
• Amazon