The Olympia Express Mina: A Beautiful, Frustrating Swiss Paradox

There are certain names in the world of espresso that command instant respect. Olympia Express is one of them. For decades, if you were serious about home espresso and had the money, you probably lusted after a Cremina.

It was, and still is, the Leica M3 of manual lever machines. First designed and built in-house back in 1967, the Cremina became an icon. It was a beautiful, overbuilt piece of Swiss machinery, a purely mechanical tool, that promised a direct connection to the process of making coffee and was engineered to last for generations. This is a company that moves at a glacial pace, more aligned with a “slow food” philosophy than the “express” in its name would suggest.

So, you can imagine the surprise in the coffee world when, in mid-2024, Olympia Express announced something entirely new: the Mina. It was a strange and beautiful looking device, a non-electric, direct lever machine designed for travel. The stated goal was to distill the core experience of the Cremina into a portable 2.5 kilogram (about 5.5 pound) package.

The target audience seemed clear. This was for the existing Cremina owner who wanted a “child machine” for the road, or for the coffee enthusiast driven by aesthetics, someone who views their gear as functional art, or “kitchen jewellery”. This was not a machine for someone looking for the easiest path to a morning shot.

The Mina, in Use

Getting my hands on one confirms the rumours. The build quality is substantial. This thing is a testament to Swiss precision, with a fit and finish that feels absolutely flawless. The central unit is a heavy piece of steel and anodized aluminum, with a chromed brass portafilter and a gleaming stainless steel lever assembly. Nothing on it creaks or feels cheap; it feels permanent. It is, without a doubt, a beautiful object.

Of course, you pay for that beauty. The Mina clocks in at around $1,500 CAD ($995 USD), which puts it in a very particular bracket. Its most direct competitors, functionally speaking, are machines like the Cafelat Robot and the Flair 58, which cost almost half the Mina’s price.

This immediately brings up the question of value. Some online comments have called it “daylight robbery”, while others see it as a justifiable investment in a piece of heirloom art. It is a machine that completely ignores the law of diminishing returns, and it expects you to do the same.

So what is it like to actually live with and use this beautiful, expensive device? My daily experience with the Mina was a lesson in ritual and, at times, a study in patience. The biggest part of the workflow, by far, is thermal management. That beautiful, heavy brew group has a lot of thermal mass, and the tiny 50 millilitre reservoir isn’t nearly enough to heat it on its own.

The owner’s manual suggests two warm-up cycles are enough, but in my experience, that was optimistic. My morning routine required at least three or four full fills of the reservoir with boiling water, dumped and repeated, before the group was at a stable temperature for brewing. I even got to the point where I’d move the machine to the sink and pour boiling water all over the exterior of the reservoir to further heat up things.

For a company with “Express” in its name, this is a decidedly slow start to the day.

Once preheated, the process can be quite satisfying. You fill the chamber one last time, lock in the small 49mm bottomless portafilter, and lift the lever to pre-infuse. The integrated pressure gauge is a nice touch, borrowed from the electric Cremina models (the original ’67s, of course, had no such thing).

Then you press down. The force required is significant, and I quickly learned to brace the machine, either by one of its legs, or by gripping the portafilter handle, to keep it from tipping forward, a common move for anyone used to compact lever machines. When everything aligns, the espresso is delightful. I found it especially well suited to the kind of medium to dark roasts that produce the deep, sweet shots reminiscent of the classic Vivace blends I remember from years ago, a flavour profile that seems to be fading in an era of tart, light roasts.

The question of practicality looms large, especially given its marketing as a travel machine. I see these lovely photos and videos posted by Olympia Express of the Mina on a sandy beach or at a campsite, and I have to chuckle. The reality is, with its need for a kettle and a place to dump multiple rounds of boiling water, this is not a device for true off-grid adventuring. As one reviewer dryly noted, ‘it’s a nice photo, but that’s about it.'” 

The Mina’s portability is for travelling from one kitchen to another, say to a friend’s house or an Airbnb with amenities.

In the current market of manual levers, the competition is stiff. The Mina is not just competing with its own legacy; it is up against some very clever and much more affordable machines. The most obvious comparison is with the Flair 58. The Flair’s single greatest advantage is its electric preheat controller, which completely eliminates the laborious preheating that defines the Mina’s workflow.

The Flair is also built around the industry standard 58mm portafilter, giving you access to a huge world of baskets and accessories, whereas the Mina’s 49mm size is far more proprietary. When you consider that the Flair 58 is just over half the price, it becomes the clear choice for anyone prioritizing convenience and versatility. Many people start their manual journey with a Flair NeoFlex or a Pro 2, learning the ropes on a capable and affordable device. The Mina asks you to skip all that and jump straight to the top, both in price and in material quality.

Mina in the Real World

This brings us to the summary of the experience. The positives are clear and potent. The Mina build quality is unimpeachable; it feels substantial and permanent in a way few products do anymore. It is also an object of real aesthetic joy, and for some, the pleasure of using such a beautiful tool is a primary driver. Finally, the tactile, hands-on process and the resulting espresso can be deeply rewarding.

But the negatives are just as significant. The price is a major hurdle for most. The preheating workflow is laborious and time consuming. And then there is the question of reliability. While my time with the machine was mostly a study in its workflow, we at CoffeeGeek have received user reports that paint a more concerning picture.

One long-time espresso enthusiast shared their detailed experience with us. After about a month of daily use, making around three shots a day, their Mina’s internal valve started to malfunction, refusing to open and spilling water.

Upon contacting Olympia Express, they were told to lubricate the valve, and that this was a “known issue” that had appeared during the company’s own product testing. Following the advice given only made the problem much worse for this customer. The situation quickly escalated to a catastrophic failure where the cylinder head seals failed during a shot, sending hot water and coffee grounds spurting everywhere.

For a $1000USD device from a brand legendary for its durability, this kind of failure after only 100 shots is troubling. The user, feeling like an uncompensated product tester, ultimately returned the machine for a full refund.

I should note, Olympia has updated portions of the piston to possibly address this. I was sent one, which does require disassembly of the device to swap out. I did not have the time to install it to update this review, as the machine was already packed away for sending back to the Canadian retailer. 

A Beautiful, Frustrating Paradox

So where does that leave us with the Olympia Express Mina? It is a genuine paradox, a machine built with futuristic precision to honour an old-world craft. It is beautiful to the point of distraction, the kind of industrial design that makes you want to overlook its more demanding nature.

My original plan was to put the Olympia Mina through the full review process. The problem is that this was a loaner machine I had to handle with kid gloves, and more importantly, a review would almost certainly have resulted in a score that would read as a major public slap.

I have too much admiration for Olympia, for their history and for the unique space they have carved out in the espresso world, to do that. So instead I chose a lower-key, feature article look at the Mina. I still owe it to readers to share what I experienced, but I want to do it in a way that reflects my respect for a company I hope will continue improving this device, and creating remarkable machines for years to come.

All this said, for a very small number of people, the Mina might just be perfect. If you are a die-hard Olympia Express loyalist, already own a Cremina and its 49mm accessories, and want a travel companion for your trips to the cottage, it could make sense. If you are an enthusiast for whom aesthetics and brand heritage outweigh all practical and financial concerns, you will probably love it.

For everyone else, it is a very difficult machine to recommend. The laborious workflow, the premium price, and especially the documented potential for early mechanical failure (hopefully corrected with the new piston design) make it a risky proposition.

You can get a simpler, more robust experience from a Cafelat Robot or a more convenient and versatile one from a Flair 58, all while saving a significant amount of money. The Mina is an investment in a feeling, a philosophy, and an object of undeniable quality. But as one user’s experience shows, that investment can sour quickly.

It is an endgame portable heirloom for a very specific person, but for most of us still on the journey, more practical paths to great espresso abound.

#leverEspresso #mina #olympia #portable #travelCoffee

A very early impressions look at the new Olympia Mina manual lever espresso machine from Olympia Express. This travel-ready lever espresso machine is based on the iconic Olympia Cremina's brew group and lever.

cc @coffee @espresso

#leverespresso #espresso #coffee

https://coffeegeek.com/blog/new-products/olympia-express-introduces-the-mina-lever-machine/

If there’s a brand that enjoys “cult” status (and I mean that in the best possible way) within the world of espresso, quite possibly few companies can top Olympia Express. 

This Swiss company has been making espresso machines for over eight decades now, and has a storied history in the commercial espresso world. That said most of the upper-geek tier of home baristas know the brand for one very special machine: the Cremina. 

Olympia Express has been making the Cremina for 50+ years now, with the most recent update being designed in 2008. I own a Cremina 67 model (manufactured in 1982) that was refurbished entirely (including the removal of an asbestos wrap around the boiler for insulation) in 2007. This machine is 42 years old, but still works great, only needing the occasional gasket replacements. Even the portafilter itself is original (though I did get an aftermarket chopped portafilter made for it). 

The Cremina is also a very hands on espresso experience. 49mm portafilters, direct lever, rudimentary temperature control on the machine, no visible pressure gauge for the lever pressure, and absolutely no guarantees other than your barista intuition that you’ll get a good shot.

This is why a very niche segment of the espresso making public adores the machine and brand: very few machines give you this kind of intimate connection to producing a great shot of espresso. La Pavoni is there too with the Europiccola and Professional lever machines, but La Pavoni’s huge; Olympia Express is “boutique” small and very hand crafted (and also 4x the price of a La Pavoni Europiccola). Have a look at the parts breakdown of a Cremina machine (photo from Olympia Express).

Because of Olympia Express’ stature and position in the market, they don’t often come out with new products, but the past two years have seen some new and exciting things from the company. Last year, they introduced the Moca SD single dose grinder. This year, they’re introducing a machine that many of the company’s most ardent fans and insiders have been looking forward to. It is the Olympia Mina, and we have one on loan to do our full First Look and Snapshot Review process on. Many thanks to both Olympia Express and Canada’s Quality Coffee Systems for facilitating this.

Please note, this post is not a review or any kind of proper evaluation of the Mina. This is our introduction to the product, pointing out it’s build quality and potential position in the market. Our forthcoming First Look will be the first time we properly evaluate the product and provide initial opinions on it.

The Olympia Mina

Take the core bits of the Olympia Cremina and distill it down to a 2.5kg package that could be carried in a small carry case. That’s essentially what the Olympia Mina is. It is based around the Cremina’s lever system design, using the same portafilter size and lever arm, all fitting into an aluminum housed reservoir and plunger system.

Unpacked and its case, the Mina is made up of the central anodized aluminum wrapped steel reservoir, plunger, and pressure gauge assembly, two metal legs with rubberized feet, the unscrewed lever arm, four thumbscrew bolts, a chopped 49mm portafilter, a double wall filter basket, a custom (and very tiny, but also very heavy) tamper, and a mirror finish steel drip tray.

Assembly is very quick: the very first time I put it together, it took me under 2 minutes, and it is very intuitive. Grab a leg, mate it to one side of the reservoir, and screw on the two thumbscrews. Repeat for the other side. Screw on the lever arm. Insert the portafilter. Done.

Looking over the machine, everything is absolutely top tier in the fit, finish and look. The machine comes in only one colour: hunter-green anodized aluminum and steel, with black accents. Most of the metal parts are stainless steel, though the portafilter is chromed brass, and the dispersion plate and screen inside might be brass: I will have to confirm later on. Olympia did jacket the main reservoir in an outer clad of anodized aluminum, which gives the machine an extra unique look.

The fit of the legs into the sides of the reservoir is… perfect. The portafilter slots perfectly into the machine, and when new, the gasket connection as you tighten it is very tight (but should become easier with use). Nothing creaks on this machine. Everything feels tight, secure and purposeful. Olympia, as far as build quality goes, hit an absolute home run of “Swiss engineering” with the Mina.

Workflow on the Olympia Mina

Make no bones about it, the Mina is a machine that needs a fair amount of warm up time. The central reservoir and plunger area is thick steel, most likely with a brass dispersion plate inside (will confirm that), and an outer jacket of aluminum. It also holds only about 50-60ml of water. Even 50ml of flash boiling water won’t heat up all that metal.

So to really coax a great shot out of the Mina, get ready to really preheat that grouphead and reservoir. Figure on at least 3 or 4 full fills and flushes before it starts to get up to temperature. The good news is, once you do get it fully preheated, it should retain heat very well.

The process I’ve used so far in pulling shots on the machine is this (keeping in mind, I’ve only made about 20 shots on the Mina as of this writing):

• heat up your kettle to boiling
• put the portafilter in place in the grouphead
• With the lever lowered, fill the reservoir. Let sit for 10 seconds
• slowly lift the lever to engage the inlet valve and V-ring which allows water to flow past the plunger piston to the chamber above the machine’s dispersion screen
• press down on the lever to flush the hot water through
• repeat 3 more times
• lower the lever, fill the reservoir, and remove the portafilter
• grind, dose, tamp your coffee (I’ve settled on 15g in the 49mm basket)
• before inserting the portafilter, raise the lever to allow the water in the reservoir to flush out
• lower the lever, insert the portafilter loaded with coffee
• fill the reservoir to about 1cm from the top
• raise the lever, to allow the hot water to move down into the plunger / dispersion screen area of the reservoir
• press down on the lever for your “preinfusion” session. Let rest for 5 seconds
• raise the lever, and press down, watching the gauge and flow, aiming for 7-8bar of initial pressure
• brew roughly 30ml of espresso
• once brewed, raise the lever, put a different cup under the portafilter, and press down again to push out any remaining liquid and dry the puck
• lift the lever, and remove the portafilter, dump the puck and clean the portafilter with some water from your kettle
• enjoy your espresso.

It is worth noting, this is all based on very early use, with no actual temperature testing done. Just tasting the results, and modifying the routine to get better results. As we move on with the First Look and full review process, I will be finding the optimum work process for this machine for different bean types.

Who’s the Mina For?

Let’s get something out of the way, right away. This is not the machine to buy if you want an exceptional espresso experience with very little fuss and muss. That’s not the Mina’s target market, at all. In fact, this is not the machine to buy if you want a relatively easy manual lever espresso experience that can deliver exceptional shots repeatedly. For that, you should consider the Flair 58 or the Superkop.

The Mina is for two types of people in espresso world: the person who already owns an Olympia Cremina and wants a sister machine that can pack up for travel, and the person who wants to get very close and intimate with the espresso making process. The type of person who realises the journey is much more enjoyable than the destination.

There’s already a lot of speculation and discussion about this machine in some usual channels (by folks who haven’t seen the Mina in person yet, or used it). It is frequently compared to Cafelat’s Robot, to the Flair 58, and the Strietman CT2 machine.

Probably the most “fair” comparison in terms of use and ability is to the Cafelat Robot. A machine that costs about ⅓ the price of the Olympia Mina. I own one, and if I’m honest, the better shot experience is going to come from the Robot. It’s easier to use, can hold more coffee, is easier to heat up, and is also built exceptionally well. Like the Mina, the Robot is a bit of a work of art for your counter.

But there is something very special about the Mina. It too is a work of art, and has a lot more parts to it than the Robot does, which somewhat justifies the cost. Also keep in mind, the Cafelat Robot is manufactured in China, with final assembly in the UK (Paul Pratt, the owner of Cafelat, still does some of the assembly himself!). The Olympia Mina is manufactured and assembled in Switzerland, using some parts sourced from Italy.

I wouldn’t spend too much time comparing this machine to the Flair 58 (half the price of the Mina) or the Strietman CT2 (2.5x the price of the Mina) because these two machines are electric-assist for water temperatures. I have a lot of experience with the Flair 58 (and love it), and none with the Strietman.

There is another machine I’d compare the Mina to, that for some reason, the online forum folks aren’t mentioning much: the Superkop. They are similarly priced and are both full manual machines, but the Superkop’s ratchet system and 58mm portafilter system for full 3:1 ratio shots if you want put it in a different league, both in shot output ability and in actual use. I will say, achieving a fantastic shot on the Superkop will always be easier than it is with the Mina, mainly because of how much preheating the Mina requires, and the lower water volumes it can use.

Wrapup, for Now

We are going to do a proper First Look article for the Mina, with initial unboxing, first use, and initial comparative use, putting it up against the Cafelat Robot and the Superkop. This will come in about a month. We’ll continue the process for our full review, which will most likely be our Snapshot Review process. That will include long term testing, tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way, and some feedback from our focus groups.

You can buy an Olympia Express Mina today if you like: in Canada, it is available from Quality Coffee Systems (unlisted on their site, but contact them, they have stock as of July 30, 2024), or you can try to pre-order (unlisted currently) from Olympia Express’ US distributor, Cerini Coffee. If you live outside of North America, visit Olympia’s vendor page to find a vendor in your country. The machine retails for $995USD, or around $1,450 CAD.

NB: none of the links above are commission or affiliate links for the Mina.

https://coffeegeek.com/blog/new-products/olympia-express-introduces-the-mina-lever-machine/

#leverEspresso #manualLever #mina #olympiaExpress #olympiaMina

There’s no surprise at all that we love the Superkop espresso machine at CoffeeGeek. Our twice-updated First Look heaps praise on the device, and the uniqueness offers, both in operation and in the fact it is the only wall mounted espresso machine you can buy today.

We still use the Superkop to this day, and are way overdue for the publication of our Full Review. Spoiler alert, it’s going to score over 90 points once the review is published. Just about everything regarding this device is first rate and well built. One thing we’ve discovered since the First Look was published is just how temperature stable the thick polycarbonate water reservoir is for pulling espresso shots.

When we published the review, the Superkop was actually cheaper to buy in Canada than it was in the USA.

This has now changed. As of June, 2024, the Superkop is available through Amazon in the USA, at a price of $799.

And there’s even better news. If you opt for the black model, currently there is a $50 off coupon, making the machine (and its hefty wood base) just $750. This is $250 less than what the price was just a few months ago, and puts it a lot closer to the Flair 58, which is around $600. Here’s the choices:

• Superkop in Black, $800 ($750 with coupon).
• Superkop in Red, $800
• Superkop in White, $800

Why the Superkop is So Special

Superkop themselves love to push the fact that this is a generational product: it is so well built, and so ultimately simple in operation that it should last decades and decades with minimal maintenance.

For me, it’s the combination of the industrial design beauty, the quality of beverage it is capable of producing, and the day to day function of the device. Especially if you wall mount it.

It’s funny; when I posted our First Look of the device, I did talk up Superkop’s claim that the machine is maintenance free. Several people on social media questioned that, some not believing it.

For the most part, this machine is maintenance free. You will have to replace the gaskets down the road (on the water reservoir) and possibly the reservoir itself will wear out (I’d recommend buying a spare now, just in case the company isn’t around in 10-15 years). But other than that, the engineering design plus robust build quality make it virtually maintenance free. Hidden inside the machine is a pneumatic piston; its purpose is to lift the plunger piston once you cock the lever back to the full upright position. That should last for decades.

The ratchet system is also very robust and should stand up to tens of thousands of uses, if not hundreds of thousands. This is not a plastic toy. The Superkop is all metal, all completely over-built.

Back to why I love the machine so much: in a way, it kind of “automates” the manual lever experience slightly with the ratchet design, unique to this machine in the whole world of modern lever espresso machine makers.

The ratchet design means you don’t have to exert a lot of force to get a full 9bar extraction. Six pulls means you control and pause the introduction of water to the bed of coffee. Having the six pulls gives you a series of controlled steps that you can increase pressure on, decrease pressure on, do planned pauses, or extended preinfusions. There’s a lot of room for experimentation and play here.

Then there’s the all mount ability.

I mean, that’s just fantastic. This can become a functional work of art in your home. If you have a breakfast nook or a dedicated “coffee bar” portion of your home or kitchen, this could be the centrepiece. Even in our home, it still stands out wedged into a corner, beside a buffet table and the door to our basement. Every visitor to our home, when they notice the machine, is immediately intrigued. I usually let them pull a shot from it, with a bit of guidance, and the results are marvelled at.

The Flair 58 might be a better lever machine in terms of output in the cup, but it doesn’t enthuse people like the Superkop does. And if we’re all excited and talking about espresso, we’re going to get better and better espresso. This machine contributes to that.

At $800, or even better yet, $750, the Superkop espresso machine is a solid choice for the home.

• Superkop in Black, $800 ($750 with coupon).
• Superkop in Red, $800
• Superkop in White, $800

https://coffeegeek.com/blog/deals/the-superkop-is-now-under-800-in-the-us/

#espressoDeals #leverEspresso #manualEspresso #superkop

Oh, hello there.

cc @espresso

#leverespresso #olympiamina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4DkwSolMXo

Some great news to share today.

Flair (the makers of the Flair 58, Flair Pro 2 lever espresso machines) have announced a major update to their entry point lever brewer, the Neo Flex.

IT NOW INCLUDES A PRESSURE GAUGE.

This is critically important in a manual lever espresso machine. Yet the price is still $99 ($120 with the case) for the entire device. It also has a new brewing chamber design that doesn't need an extensive heat up.

We're reviewing it in May. Check it out now, if you like (this isn't an ad - they aren't a CG advertiser).

#espresso #leverespresso cc @espresso

https://flairespresso.com/product/neo-flex/

I've been in regular contact with Ross Ainsworth myself, and we've arranged to purchase a machine from him (at a preferred rate because its going to be reviewed) this summer on CoffeeGeek. Why not sooner?

There may be a few updates coming (all backwards compatible for existing owners) that I wanted to wait for.

It shouldn't be much different from the one Lance demos in the video I just posted, but I opted to wait.

That said, waiting is difficult! This review of the Argos is going to be FUN when it happens. There's few products i've been looking more forward to.

/end

#leverespresso #espresso #argos #odysseyespresso

cc @espresso

Today, Hedricks put out his video review on the Argos. This will walk you through what a remarkable machine the project from Odyssey Espresso truly is.

/2

#leverespresso #espresso #odysseyespresso cc @espresso

https://youtu.be/nJUFRXlNIl0?si=dZoC98lVKx6oyGQP

Two years ago, we did a feature on Ross Ainsworth and Odyssey Espresso, and their project, the Argos convertible lever espresso machine.

I love levers, have long been a proponent of them, and the Argos is one of the most exciting new projects in that sphere in some time.

/1

#leverespresso #espresso cc @espresso

https://coffeegeek.com/opinions/interviews/ross-ainsworth-of-odyssey-espresso/