Sharing kasi baka may isa sa inyo na naghahanap din ng way to do proper espresso sa maliit na condo without buying a full setup.（Btw pics attached, KFC sundae affogato ko kanina haha.）

Nakatira ako sa isang one-bedroom near BGC, kitchen ko basically hallway na may stove. Walang space for a real machine, and honestly hindi rin kaya yung budget for a Cafelat Robot. Two years na sa specialty coffee, mostly V60 sa umaga. Buying half kilos from Kalsada, Yardstick, or Curator, kung ano yung fresh nila that week.

Espresso lang yung frustrating kasi hindi ko magawa at home. Sinubukan ko yung moka pot pero it's not espresso talaga, iba yung mouthfeel. Yung AeroPress with pressure cap ko is closer pero fake yung crema pa rin. Nakita ko yung OutIn nano sa isang thread and stalked reviews for weeks bago ako bumili. March ko finally natanggap. Honestly one of the better coffee purchases I made this year. First proper shot pa lang, real crema, tamang mouthfeel, actual espresso na kaya kong gawin sa maliit na kitchen ko. Cold water in, one button, done in a few minutes. Fits sa drawer next to my V60 kit, hindi nakakaabala.

Four months in, ginagamit ko pa rin daily, walang problema. Battery lasts around 4 shots on cold water starts, more than enough kasi one to two shots lang ako per day. Cleaning is quick basta agad-agarin after. Actually surprised ako sa reliability, medyo skeptical ako sa umpisa na tatagal ba yung battery-powered machine sa daily grind, pero solid pa rin siya.

Yung dial-in medyo naging learning curve sa umpisa. First week kasi in-espresso ko yung mga usual beans ko for V60 na medyo light, sour ang labas. Then a coffee friend told me medium-dark yung sweet spot for portable espresso. Bumili ako ng Kalinga medium-dark from Curator, nag-click agad. Chocolatey body, thick crema, forgiving sa grind. Yun na naging daily driver ko.

Nag-rotate din ako sa Benguet from Yardstick, medium roast na may nutty caramel notes. Also solid sa nano, super smooth mouthfeel, naging morning favorite ko kapag gusto ko ng something lighter than the Kalinga.

Yung Sagada natural from Kalsada, pinapatira ko sa V60 kasi mas bagay yun sa light roast profile niya. Not a machine issue naman, iba lang talaga yung method na kailangan for that kind of bean. Setup ko ngayon is V60 for light and complex bags, nano for medium and medium-dark. Sakto naman.

Oh, isang bagay pa. Kung mag-o-order kayo ng OutIn, get the Basket Plus at the same time. Yung stock basket is around 7g na maliit for a proper double, more like a ristretto. Yung Basket Plus fits 17g, and yun talaga yung nagpaganda ng shots ko. Malaking difference sa ratio and mouthfeel.

Kung nakatira kayo sa maliit na unit at gusto niyo pumasok sa proper espresso na hindi kailangan ng buong counter o malaking budget, this is honestly the way.

Espresso sa maliit na condo, four months in, notes on local beans