The Outin Nano portable espresso maker. Photo by Howard Bryman.
In the competitive market of portable espresso brewers, the Outin Nano, a lighthouse-shaped device with a built-in pump and onboard heat, aims to be a beacon of both convenience and consistency.
Most gadgets designed for brewing espresso on the go are manually pumped and cannot heat water. In smaller handheld formats, especially, this tends to mean a herky-jerky flow as brew pressure drops between manual compressions. The need to heat water externally further sinks the prospect of a few special sips in the wild to an undertaking just too cumbersome and potentially wasteful to be worth it.
With its ability not only to bring a small and precise amount of water up to a consistent and brew-worthy temperature but also to automatically deliver that water at high, even pressure through a bed of finely ground coffee (or a capsule) at the single press of one button and in a package that fits in a backpack water bottle sleeve, the Nano blazes a new trail.
Espresso mise en place: The Outin Nano setup. Photo by Howard Bryman.
Meanwhile, at home, any espresso machine worth its salt rarely costs less than several hundred dollars. Outin sells the Nano for $149.99 and the important Basket Plus accessory for $39.90 — a compelling bottom line for a point of entry to espresso no matter where one intends to brew it.
A Growing Startup
An independent startup founded in 2021, Outin’s mission is to make fresh espresso easier to enjoy in the great outdoors.
Currently headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Outin launched the Nano in January 2023 and has fine-tuned it over several iterations since then. A full team dedicated to the Nano’s continued development and support now rounds out the ranks at Outin, which has also brought in dozens of baristas and coffee professionals for feedback and ideas.
Outin representatives are also showing up in person with booths at trade shows, including the 2024 SCA Expo in Chicago this past April. In June, at the World of Coffee event in Copenhagen, Denmark, Outin was a sponsor of the World Latte Art Championship. Clearly, the company is making every effort not only to appeal to the backpacker set but also to build a brand and products that earn the respect of specialty coffee aficionados and professionals.
The Nano Experience
The appreciably sturdy and waterproof plastic fuselage of the Nano instilled confidence from the moment I unboxed it and gave it an initial rinse. Brewing with grounds rather than capsules brings a couple of the Nano’s included additional bits and bobs into play that are somewhat fiddly at first, and could be confusing for novices, but as the workflow grows familiar, it’s really pretty simple.
Outin provided the Basket Plus accessory for my tests, and for the more experienced or ambitious espresso lover, this is a must-have. The Plus bumps capacity up to a maximum of 18 grams of ground coffee, and as an erstwhile user of traditional espresso equipment, I can scarcely see myself falling in love with anything that holds less.
The steel basket on the right is the “Basket Plus” a must-have accessory, compared with the stock basket on the left. Photo by Howard Bryman.
At the base of the steel Plus basket spreads a traditional array of filter holes, after which, like a spouted portafilter, another layer of steel directs the stream through a single wide hole toward the cup. The quality of espresso and crema are largely dependent on the bean, dose and grind, although Outin asserts that the slight resistance of this constrained exit flow provides some additional stability to the brewing pressure.
Another worthwhile accessory (sold separately for $49.90) is the Nano Dual Stand, a handsome, lightweight walnut holder that transforms the Nano from backcountry brew baton to an attractive stationary brew station. Particularly in my crowded coffee corner where space is limited, I enjoy its look and functionality — it doubles as a pour-over station, holding a pour-over brewer over a mug for drip coffee brewing.
The Nano brewer itself performed flawlessly, and yet the Nano isn’t necessarily for everyone. Its settings can’t be adjusted, nor can a user know exactly what pressure or temperature it’s applying or when. Dialing in a coffee on a black box like the Nano is consequently more about the Nano than the coffee.
The Outin Nano portable espresso maker performs exceptionally well for its price category. Photo by Howard Bryman.
The standard procedure (with the Basket Plus) will be familiar to anyone who’s prepared espresso before. A gram scale is helpful for dosing consistency and precision, and a good grinder is also critical for getting the best results.
I weigh out 18 grams of whole beans, grind finely and load the grounds into the basket through the included dosing funnel. I stir with a WDT (Weiss Distribution Technique) tool to evenly distribute the grounds and break up any clumps, tap the basket on the counter to settle the fluffed-up grounds, press it with the tamper, seal the basket with its cap, thread it onto the Nano, pour some water in the top and press the button.
Outin also sells extra baskets, so the option is there to handle all these steps in advance and carry a few additional prepped-and-ready baskets for brewing on the go.
Cleanup is simple as the coffee is fully isolated within the basket, so the body of the Nano needs only a slight rinse after each brew. One can use the bottom of the included plastic cup for knocking the spent coffee puck loose from the basket, making it easy to toss into a compost bin, and all the other brewing pieces rinse clean in seconds. The Nano’s accessories, meanwhile, do not entirely escape some kvetching. The stand, which isn’t required for brewing but is a nice option, is potentially delicate; a replacement shipped promptly by Outin has held up nicely, but the first one I tested broke during normal use. (The company says it’s developing a sturdier version.)
The Basket Plus’s included single-wire WDT tool is rather anemic; it works, but multi-needle tools work much better. The metal funnel and self-leveling tamper included with the Plus are thoughtful and well-made essentials, but because the tamper is a fixed-depth device, the dose and grind remain the only variables affecting puck density. And the multilayer construction of the filter basket tends to hold a tiny bit of water after rinsing, which leads one to wonder whether it’s ever fully clean or dry.
An Overall Winner
These minor quibbles aside, when paired with a fitting coffee, grind and dose, the Nano undeniably cranks out quality espresso shots.
For beginners and for capsule fans, the Nano is a slam dunk. The basic kit is fun, durable, easy to learn and as packable as a flashlight. The Basket Plus can later provide an educational platform to delve deeper into the craft and yield even more satisfying results.
Pros
● Portable and convenient
● Also appropriate for home use
● Capable of producing very good espresso
● Affordable
● Self-heating
● Compatible with standard-size Nespresso capsules in addition to ground coffee
Cons
● Settings can’t be adjusted
● Requires the Basket Plus for best experience
● Minor quibbles with extras and add-ons
The Outin Nano Portable Espresso Maker can be purchased at the Outin website. Coffee Review does not receive commissions or referral fees for any sales that may be generated from our equipment reviews. However, in some cases, products were reviewed as part of our fee-based service offerings.
