shot quality is of course excellent (but so is the r58, and didn’t notice a huge difference beyond the benefit of better preinfusion). it really came down to the feel of the machine and experience using it. the r58 is so slick, feels really premium, all metal and wood accents (on mine). the mini feels big and clunky, lots of plastic, and just overall kinda inelegant? it definitely feels more like a workhorse machine.

idk, it’s only been one day so maybe i’m being too quick to judge. i’ll be using it daily for the next couple months where i’m staying rn, so we’ll see. the steam wand though is amazing. takes way less effort to get good texture than i’m used to, and super quiet and fast.