I'm Italian, from the south, and for us the first espresso of the morning decides how the whole day goes. So when OUTIN asked me to try the Nano, a portable espresso maker, I was ready to be disappointed. Instead it surprised me.
An honest test from a picky Italian
OUTIN reached out and sent me the Nano free of charge, with no agreement on what I'd say. I could have called it horrible or amazing. I've learned over time that if a product I receive is bad, I'd rather not make a review at all, so if you see my face talking about something, it means I believe in it.
I took the Nano on a family trip and on a couple of other occasions. We were on holiday rafting, the weather was beautiful, and I was in a good mood, but believe me, a bad coffee would still have made me grumpy. My family knows.
How it works
The Nano comes in a nice case and is shaped like a water bottle, with a stand. You pour water in the top and put the coffee in the bottom. You can use ground coffee in a reusable capsule, or espresso-size capsules with the right adapter. There's also an optional grinder, but I didn't need it: I filled the reusable capsule with my own ground coffee, the same I use in my moka pot, pressed it, and that was it.
How strong it comes out depends on how much coffee you put in, and you'll learn with time. I got it perfect the first time. We had an amazing espresso in the bush with my wife and kids, far from civilisation. Normally we travel with our stovetop espresso maker, but with the Nano you don't need a stove: just charge it over USB, add water and coffee, and you're good. The more I used it, the more I wanted to, to the point that I was having too many coffees a day.
My 3D-printed coffee set
OUTIN told me about a collaboration with Bambu Lab and MakerWorld, a contest called "coffee goes places". What I missed as a true Italian was drinking coffee with friends: one machine, one cup, me and my wife sharing it. So, even though I'm not a 3D designer, I designed something in Tinkercad: a portable set of six coffee cups with a holder (one has the stand) and a keyring. They're printed in PETG, so they can go in the dishwasher. You make the coffee, serve one friend, then the next, and at the end you wash them all. Everything fits back in a container that's small enough for a bag, with some space left for coffee powder.
My verdict? It's good enough for a southern Italian espresso, and for me it's worth every penny. I was about to go camping and it was coming with me.