The idea behind the mobile espresso maker OutIn is compelling. OutIn solves the problem faced by all mobile espresso makers. Finally, we no longer have to carry a kettle or gas stove with us or look for hot water elsewhere. Because OutIn has an integrated water heater. A 7500 mAh battery charged via USB-C has enough power to heat cold water several times and build up sufficient pressure. In theory and in the manufacturer's announcement. We took a closer look at the practice. Unfortunately, we come to somewhat different conclusions.
The best mobile espresso idea
Hot water is one of the main challenges when making mobile espresso. This is why many manufacturers don't address the hot water issue at all and leave it to the brewer. The brewer then needs a kettle, gas stove, or a fire.
Not only heating the water is a challenge for mobile espresso brewers, but also heating up the entire brewer! Making coffee on the go is the topic of our detailed outdoor coffee article and video.
OutIn doesn't leave us with the challenges of boiling water with the Nano; instead, it integrates a small water heater into the brewer. It should be sufficient, depending on the water amount and coldness of the water, to heat the brewing water 5 times. We're already dealing with one of the slightly embellished marketing claims from the manufacturer. 5 heating cycles really only works if you use the minimum water amount. And even then with some compromises. There are several other marketing claims that we can't support, which we'll discuss further down in the article.
OutIn Temperature Reality
According to the manufacturer, the espresso brewer should brew at 92 degrees. In our tests, we reached 90 degrees in the upper chamber only once. That was using just 40 ml of water. With larger water amounts, we stay at temperatures between 85 and 88 degrees in the heating chamber. With larger amounts like 70 ml, the temperature is 85 to 86 degrees. We tested these results with our OutIn and cross-checked them with temperature values from two additional models.
In reality, we have to assume significantly lower brewing temperatures because the brewing water loses temperature on its way from the heating chamber to the coffee, transferring additional heat to the material.
This also affects the espresso taste, which, especially with lighter roasts, clearly emphasizes the acidity of the coffee. We therefore recommend selecting espresso roasts for the Nano that match in flavor. From our selection, that would be, for example, the Mamy Espresso or the Dreispitz Blend. Darker roasts are the right complement for the OutIn. Lighter roasts already have plenty of acidity on their own, which is further intensified by the lower temperatures.
The lower temperature can of course be avoided if the brewing water is externally boiled, for example with a kettle. Then we recommend temperatures above 95 degrees. This heats up the brewer and provides good brewing temperatures, ideally between 92 and 94 degrees. This way, you solve additional problems or promises of the brewer.
Marketing vs. Reality
Maybe it's the fashion of this time to announce and promote things as loudly and flashily as possible with high numbers. And we only address the topic when it's particularly striking. OutIn communicates along these lines - but as soon as the brewer is tried out, some announcements fall apart.
200 seconds is how long heating should take according to the marketing promise. But this really only works if you use the absolute minimum amount of water. OutIn does mark the "200 seconds" with an asterisk* on its own website, but doesn't explain the relationship between water amount and heating time in more detail. We heated 70 ml in 4:30!
The heating cycles and battery performance also follow this pattern. The battery manages a maximum of five heating cycles only with the minimum water amount!
With other claims, the manufacturer follows the usual trend in the marketing world of making side issues look big with high numbers. The OutIn should be able to build up 20 bar of pressure. That's nice and well, but every good espresso machine ultimately brews with 6 to at most 10 bar of pressure. Yet manufacturers, especially of cheaper espresso machines, keep throwing around maximum pressure potential, which contributes little to the matter.
And the 92 degrees in the heating chamber are also more of a smokescreen because the temperature should actually be much higher in the brewing chamber of the machine, and it isn't reached there.
The OutIn espresso maker with standard delivery contents. You can get it from the manufacturer itself or also at Amazon*.
So much (more) potential!
What I just described should not give the impression that I think the OutIn espresso maker is a bad product. I think it's brilliant! With the right roast that works well with lower brewing temperatures, the OutIn does exactly what I want from a mobile espresso brewer.
- It's easy to use.
- Takes up little space.
- Easy to clean.
- Makes good espresso (with appropriate coffee).
- The espresso amount is perfect (when using the Basket-Plus set).
- And most importantly: the brewer heats the water itself!!!
That's an absolute game changer, and that makes the OutIn Nano the most flexible and best manual espresso brewer for numerous applications. In theory, I can brew coffee almost anywhere with it because the heating happens on its own and a cup also catches the espresso directly.
Want example locations? I can imagine not only the kayak, but the gondola on the ski lift. Yes, even while driving, on the beach, on a bicycle in the bottle holder... The OutIn Nano espresso maker is the perfect outdoor espresso brewer!
And the espresso result in the cup, that's when all previous criticism fades away, especially when we're brewing espresso on the water in a sea kayak and enjoying it.
And yet... the brewer itself could be even better! In my view, it only takes two things:
- The brewer should heat up to at least 96 degrees before starting the brewing process.
- OutIn should be transparent about how long the brewing time is and how many brewing cycles the built-in battery can handle at maximum capacity. That would be clean and would ensure that customers aren't disappointed later. Because even just two espresso brewing cycles that work on the go are already a game changer and fulfill all wishes for most people on the go. Otherwise, we simply hang a power bank on the brewer and recharge it.
A small note on this. The brewer consumes more power than can be fed in parallel from an outlet. It is therefore not suitable for continuous operation.
Delivery Contents and Build Quality
The OutIn espresso brewer makes a robust and high-quality impression. In the basic version, it weighs under 700 grams and is also quite compact (23 cm tall, 7 cm diameter).
The standard delivery contents include a small brewing chamber for 5-6 grams of coffee, a pod chamber, and a shower. The pod chamber or brewing chamber can each be slipped into a rotatable portafilter. Also included is a small dosing cup that can be placed on the brewing chamber to make it easier to fill the coffee. It also serves as a tamper. All these materials are in black plastic.
We wanted to fully utilize the brewer and not settle for small brewing amounts. It should be noted here that these are certainly much better suited to the lower brewing temperature. But since OutIn itself offers the Plus Basket Set with a stainless steel tamper and 16-17 gram basket, that was our choice.
Working with the larger brewing chamber and the neat little tamper makes the work easier and also increases the impression of quality of the OutIn Nano brewer.
16 grams of coffee powder in a brewing chamber means at a 1:2 ratio then 32 grams of espresso in the cup!
Links and Further Information
- Coffees from us that taste good to us on the OutIn: Mamy Robusta, Dreispitz Blend
- OutIn Nano Basket Plus Set from the manufacturer and at Amazon*.
- KM Barista Milk Jug from the video
- Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 Scale from the video
*This is an affiliate link to Amazon. Ordering through it doesn't cost you any more. We receive a small commission that we can use for further test equipment. Thank you!
