OutIn Nano Espresso Maker review: From a full-time traveller

No kettle? No problem.

The OutIn Espresso Machine heats up water and makes coffee within a matter of minutes, using both ground and pod coffee. And I think it could be the solution to all my travel coffee woes.

Whilst you are more likely to own a kettle than a microwave in the UK, I rarely stumble across kettles abroad (only filter coffee machines, and that’s a big NO from me, sorry). And unless I have a good quality hob that can heat water quickly, I often have to go without my precious coffee.

The same goes for when I am at festivals or on road trips. Who wants to lug around a portable cooker and pots?! Whereas, the OutIn machine promises me portability and convenience, so hot water and coffee anywhere!

I am a big fan of the OutIn concept. And thankfully, they gifted me a machine to test out for my travels. In this OutIn review, I am going to be detailing my experience of using this machine. It isn’t a technical review, I’m not a ‘coffee pro’. Just a coffee lover who is always on the move.

But what I can share are my thoughts on the ease of use, the convenience, the quality of the coffee, and the price, as a true coffee lover and addict.

Looking for a full portable coffee setup for your travels? Then check out my full OutIn review.

What is OutIn?

OutIn is a company specialising in portable coffee makers and accessories. Their main product offering is their chargeable Espresso Maker, which can make hot coffee using cold water, as well as coffee from pre-boiled water. It is compatible with both ground coffee and coffee pods.

They also sell a variety of coffee accessories, including a coffee scale and portable coffee grinder. So you can make the perfect brew anywhere in the world.

My experience

I’ve been using the OutIn coffee maker for a few months now to make my daily coffees. I have used both functions, making coffee from hot and cold water, and have charged it a few times. On top of that, I have also been carrying it around between Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico on planes and other public transport.

So, in this OutIn review, I will be going into detail about using the machine, the quality of coffee that it creates, its portability, and the price.

Ease of use

My biggest concern when first looking into portable espresso makers like the OutIn was that they would be a complete faff to use. I like the simplicity of boiling the kettle and filling up a cafetiere, or placing a moka pot onto the hob and letting it brew.

But after using the OutIn machine just once, all my concerns disappeared. It is super simple. You add ground coffee (or a pod) along with water (hot or cold) and press a button, leaving the machine to do its thing!

If you add hot water to the machine, then you’ll have a hot coffee in under a minute. If you are adding cold water to be heated up, it will take around 3 minutes. I usually leave my cafetiere coffee to brew for 4 minutes, so all in, it takes around the same time.

After brewing a coffee, I like to flush it with water to keep it clean. And that takes a matter of seconds when using the setting for pre-heated water (as it just passes the water straight through).

I did find that you need to tilt the machine a little so that all the water drains through from the top. But if you don’t do that, only a few drops are left behind.

Here is my experience with some of the more technical aspects when using the OutIn Espresso Machine:

• Battery life: I have been able to get 5-6 hot 80ml coffees with each full charge. But countless coffees when using it with already hot water (I’d guess in the hundreds).
• Charging time: It charges pretty quickly – it took under about 2 hours for me. So as long as you have access to power and the correct power adapter, all is good!
• Cleaning: I find cleaning the unit to be pretty easy. I just flush through with water after each use and clean the external parts like the cup and coffee pod in the dishwasher or sink.
• Brewing time: If you are using hot water, then you will be able to make a coffee in under a minute. But if you are using cold water, the machine will need time to heat the water, and typically this takes mine around 2-3 minutes to do.

Quality of the coffee

The true worth of a coffee machine is in the quality of the coffee that it makes. It may be easy to use and portable, but if it doesn’t brew a good coffee, then it is pointless to me. Particularly because I am a full-time traveller with limited space to carry things.

Thankfully, I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of coffee that OutIn produces. Every time I get a strong coffee with a beautiful crema (watch the video further up to see) and it comes out at the perfect drinking temperature.

But I would recommend drinking it from your usual mug or glass cup, unless you are without, because I am not a big fan of the taste when drinking from the included plastic cup.

You can fit a good amount of coffee inside the machine, and I find the strength to be just right for me, both for 50ml and 80ml coffees.

If you are looking for a long coffee, then you are out of luck. The largest this will make is 80ml. But they do advertise it as an ‘espresso maker’, so this shouldn’t come as any surprise!

Portability and build

When buying a ‘portable’ coffee maker, you want to know that it is truly portable. I.e. is it slimline or a little bulky? Is it heavy or light enough to carry around on long journeys?

Well, I’ve been carrying this around in my rucksack alongside my other electronics (like my laptop), so I can comment on its portability and the quality of build!

First of all, it is a little weighty to hold, and I was concerned that this would make my rucksack heavy. But actually, I barely noticed the additional weight. Overall, the OutIn espresso maker weighs just under 700g, which isn’t too bad considering it can heat water!

It isn’t as small as other espresso makers without a water heating function, but they have still managed to keep it quite slim at 7.01 cm D × 7.01 cm W × 23.01 cm H (2.76″ D x 2.76″ W x 9.06″ H). It slots in nicely at the side of my rucksack, and all of the components fit inside the machine, so you don’t need to find extra space for those.

The build also appears to be of a high-quality, and the machine is sturdy. It gets moved around a lot with me on my travels and hasn’t had a single problem. Every component screws in nicely together and feels like it has been made to a high standard.

I usually keep mine in the travel case (sold separately), which is lightweight and helps to protect it from scratches in my bag. This case fits in well at the base of my rucksack. But it also has a handle, so you can carry it around separately if you aren’t restricted on space (like on planes).

Whilst I haven’t tested this out yet, it does look like the machine will slot in nicely into a cup holder in your car. I will update this once I have tried it!

The price

At $149.99, the OutIn isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s one of those gadgets that starts paying for itself quickly if you travel often or rely on daily coffee shop visits. Plus, it is competitively priced. Their main competitor, Wacaco, has an electric espresso maker at $159.90, which is rarely in stock.

For me, the biggest money-saver has been not needing to buy new coffee equipment every time I arrive at a new Airbnb or apartment. Whether they don’t have a kettle (for using my cafetiere) or they have an incompatible hob (for my Moka Pot), I used to spend money on new coffee-making equipment just to make decent coffee. Now, I just bring the OutIn.

And then there is the money you may save on buying coffee out every day. I enjoy visiting coffee shops and typically visit a few each week, either for enjoyment or for working, but the cost does add up if you then start relying on them for daily coffees.

You could be looking at $4-6 on a coffee each day whilst travelling. Using the OutIn even a few times a week can save you over $50 a month, easily covering the cost of the device in 2–3 months.

Buying the OutIn Espresso Maker makes sense financially if you’re a regular traveller or remote worker who likes quality espresso without the constant coffee shop hunt (or cost). Or if you are a regular camper or hiker and want the convenience of a coffee on the go!

OutIn review verdict

I can confidently say that I am going to get a lot of use out of my OutIn Espresso Maker – because over the last few months, I already have! It has solved my never-ending coffee problem when travelling: never having the right equipment to make a good brew.

I now know that wherever I go, I can get a good cup of coffee using my OutIn. Yes, I am a coffee addict. And maybe if you aren’t, you may not need such a machine. But for all my fellow coffee addicts out there, this could be your next favourite gadget too!

Whilst I wish I could make a lot more than just 5 coffees from cold water with each charge, this is currently industry standard, so I can’t complain! And I never find myself needing more than 5 coffees in a day (despite my brain telling me I want more), which means I can always charge it fully between uses.

It packs up nicely into my rucksack and has so far visited three different countries with me. It has a lot more to come!