Olympia Mina Manual Espresso Machine – Pure Espresso, Premium Price

Classic Goes Mini – The Olympia Mina manual espresso machine brings tradition to a compact format. What makes it so special? The Olympia manual espresso machine Mina is fully unplugged – no electricity needed. That means it’s just as at home on your kitchen counter as it is on the beach. A dream come true for espresso nerds who refuse to go without portafilter coffee, even when camping. But is this nearly €1,000 luxury machine up to the task for daily use?

This review is part of our group test: “7 Espresso Machines in Review – What Is the Best Espresso Machine for Your Home?”. We examined models ranging from €300 to €6,000 – from compact entry-level machines to high-end barista dreams. Along the journey came latte art experiments, a few scorched fingers, and more than enough caffeine coursing through our veins. Here’s the guide and overview of all machines tested.

Classic Goes Mini – back in 1967, Swiss manufacturer Olympia Express brought a small manual lever machine into private kitchens with the launch of the Cremina. That electric Olympia espresso machine quickly became a cult classic – famed for its near-indestructible build quality. Now, the Olympia manual espresso machine Mina continues that legacy in fully-unplugged mini format: You heat the water separately on a stove or gas burner, then pull your shot using the same lever mechanism found in the Cremina.

Measuring just 22 × 17 × 31 cm and tipping the scales at just 2.1 kg, this Olympia manual espresso machine is compact enough to fit into any kitchen – but it’s not just built for the countertop. Designed primarily for outdoor use, it’s a portable espresso ritual you can take anywhere.

The manufacturer promises flawless materials and craftsmanship, extreme durability, and the ultimate espresso companion for life on the go. As the only fully unplugged machine in our espresso machine group test, the Olympia manual espresso machine Mina stands out from the high-tech crowd – think Ligre and Sanremo. It’s all about ritual and purism here, not convenience or speed. Unlike the other machines, the Mina is dedicated solely to espresso – milk has to be steamed separately with an external frother.

At €999, the price is bold. In return, you’ll get a suitcase packed with disassembled parts, a tiny tamper, a 49 mm open portafilter, and a drip tray. But can the Mina live up to the high expectations that come with that price tag – or is it just a design piece made to look good next to a lifted 4×4 or in your architect’s kitchen?

Olympia Manual Espresso Machine – So, What’s It Like Living With Mina?

Specs are one thing, but how does the Mina actually perform in everyday life? From materials and handling to workflow and that first cappuccino – here’s what it’s like to use this machine day to day.

First Impressions: Design, Build & Feel

Olympia Express stands for perfection in materials and craftsmanship – espresso machines built to last a lifetime. The Olympia Mina manual espresso machine stays true to that promise with top-tier build quality and a finish that feels engineered, not just designed. And when it comes to looks, the Mina has all the makings of an icon: pure minimalism. It resembles a piece of 1960s medical equipment – sterile, stripped-down, uncompromising. For fans of the industrial look, that’s cult status. For others, the lever machine might come across as cold and distant. But one thing’s for sure: it’s a serious eye-catcher and guaranteed conversation starter in any kitchen.

Unboxing, however, brings a slight reality check. Instead of a premium reveal, you’re greeted by a travel case with poorly cut foam inserts – the parts are wedged in so tightly, you’ll need some muscle to get them out. Premium feel? Not quite. That said, the machine itself is nearly flawless – with only one minor letdown: the stainless steel tamper lacks the signature swirl finish you’d expect at this price point. A more refined aesthetic would have done justice to the brand’s high-end promise.

Still, the Mina’s core components leave no doubt about Olympia’s seriousness. The brew group, lever, and portafilter are crafted from aluminum, stainless steel, and brass – solid, stylish, and clearly made to last. The tactile quality is also top-notch: the brew head has a brushed, anodised finish, the mounting screws for the feet offer just the right amount of grip, and the plastic handle sits comfortably in hand while you dial in your grind.

Olympia Manual Espresso Machine Mina: Aufheizzeit & Workflow

Ready to go right out of the box? Not quite. After the first unboxing or whenever you’ve transported the machine, a few quick steps are required. Within seconds, you’ll have the feet and lever screwed into place – and that’s when the ritual begins. It’s almost meditative, like a Japanese tea ceremony. Since there’s no built-in boiler, the brew group must be preheated manually before you can pull a proper shot.

To do that, you pour preheated water into the group in several rounds and use the lever to push it through the coffee grounds. (Watch out – the fill opening is small. Aiming takes practice!) It takes a few minutes for the system to reach its working temperature. At home, with a kettle delivering constant heat, you’ll be ready in about five minutes. Outdoors, with a gas burner and a chilly wind, the process takes significantly longer and can really test your patience.

Pro tip for better temperature management: preheat your cup with hot water while you prep the brew. Lever-pulled espresso from the Olympia manual espresso machine Mina doesn’t reach particularly high temperatures, so every bit helps.

Espresso Ceremony, Step 2: Brew Time. Once the brew group is hot enough, it’s time to pull your shot – and here comes the next challenge. Without a towel, you’ll easily burn your fingers when locking or unlocking the portafilter, since you need to hold the hot brew head in place to apply counter-pressure. The Olympia manual espresso machine Mina is just too light for one-handed operation.

With steady lever pressure, water is pressed through the coffee puck – manual pressure profiling without a hint of electronics. A dream for espresso purists. To reach the Mina’s max brew temperature – according to Olympia Express, around 43 °C – you’ll need to repeat the process a few times. Even with preheating, the first shot is lukewarm at best. If you enjoy this kind of workflow, you’ll love the ritual. At home, with steady hot water on tap, it’s manageable. But outdoors, with a gas burner or campfire, it quickly becomes a chore. In that case, we’d honestly rather reach for a moka pot.

Mid-test verdict: The Mina heats up faster than large thick film heater or dual boilers but remains significantly slower and more fiddly than modern thermoblock machines like the Ligre or Zuriga. The brand promises durability and purism – but in everyday life, that mostly translates to patience, dedication, and time.

Ease of Use & Adjustability

The Olympia Mina manual espresso machine is as stripped-down as it gets – everything hinges on a single lever. Or nearly. So, does that make it easy to use? At first glance, yes. But you’ll quickly learn: like any portafilter machine, it takes patience and practice to dial things in. Grind size, dose, and tamp pressure determine how much resistance the puck offers. And you’ll have to experiment to get it right – pro tip: go very, very fine.

One word of caution: since the Mina only comes with an open portafilter, the wrong grind size can quickly turn your countertop into a crime scene. Best to skip the white fair-fashion tee during your first few tries… A small downside for those who love to tinker: the included basket holds a max of 14 g of coffee. That makes the Olympia espresso machine Mina fairly inflexible when it comes to adjusting your dose – there’s no room for experimenting with larger brew ratios

With the Olympia Mina manual espresso machine, there’s another challenge: pressure is not only determined by grind size, tamp, and dose – it also depends on how you move the lever. And that’s much harder to reproduce consistently than with a classic espresso machine. It takes trial and error to figure out the right speed and force when pulling the lever. More demanding than just pressing a button – but that’s exactly what makes it appealing for those who want total control over the result.

Others might find the whole process intimidating – especially once they discover how tricky it can be to remove the portafilter after brewing. The machine’s housing heats up fast, so burns are a real risk here. Same goes for pouring boiling water into the tiny opening of the brew group – precision is key. Best done with a gooseneck kettle, which gives you more control when aiming, à la butler James from “Dinner for One”.

When it comes to cleaning, though, the Olympia espresso machine Mina is the least fussy in our entire espresso machine test. It has the smallest footprint, a low-maintenance anodized brew head that doesn’t show fingerprints, and a shallow drip tray that barely needs emptying – it won’t flood, ever. No water tank, no steam wand, no boiler to descale. In fact, this minimalist setup even brings a hygienic bonus: no tank means no standing water, and no accidental warming that might promote bacterial growth.

How Well Does It Handle Coffee and Milk Texturing?

When everything’s dialed in just right – super fine grind, solid tamp – espresso oozes out of the open portafilter like honey from a comb. As mentioned earlier, temperature increases with each shot, but the final result often lands just above 40 °C. That’s actually an ideal drinking temperature where flavors fully unfold. Still, it’s far below what many expect from an espresso – most electric machines deliver drinks at over 60 °C.

As for milk foam? That’s not happening here. This fully analog Olympia manual espresso machine doesn’t steam – cappuccino fans will have to look elsewhere for their frothy fix.

Who Should Take a Closer Look at the the Olympia Manual Espresso Machine Mina?

• Purists and lovers of fully-mechanical tech
• Those who appreciate slow, almost meditative espresso rituals
• The outdoor crowd with prepper Defenders who value style over convenience
• Not for beginners seeking a quick and easy espresso fix

Does the Olympia Espresso Machine Mina Live Up to the Hype?

Olympia promise true espresso craftsmanship with the Mina: fully unplugged, premium build, and designed for coffee nerds chasing the perfect shot. And that’s exactly what you get. The manual lever gives direct control, the mechanism works reliably, and the feel is one of a kind. What remains unclear, however, is how the price is justified. Premium materials and smart engineering can also be found in traditional espresso machines – many of them at similar prices but with far more tech under the hood. With the Olympia espresso machine, you’re also paying for the name. So yes, the Mina delivers what it promises – but that promise is a narrow one, at a very steep price.

Conclusions

Compact, mobile, and stripped down to the bare essentials – the Olympia manual espresso machine Mina is the true outlier in our espresso machine test. It only delivers good results if you bring the time and patience to master its workflow. As for being “the ultimate espresso companion for life on the go”? We’d still take a Bialetti over the Mina any day of the week. The Mina is better suited for home use. Even then, the €1,000 price tag only makes sense if you treat the Mina as a purist design statement – not as a high-performance everyday machine.

For more info, visit Olympia Express.

This article is part of our Coffee Special, full of product tests, exciting insights and some valuable new perspectives on coffee. Curious? Then click here!

The Test Field

Click here for the full group test.

All machines reviewed: Bezzera DUO DE | De’Longhi Dedica Duo EC 890.M | La Marzocco Linea Micra | LIGRE youn | Olympia Express Mina | Sanremo YOU | ZURIGA E2-S

 

Words: Felicia Nastal Photos: Peter Walker