NASA and Apple engineers Make a Coffee Machine: Blossom, $11K

Koffee_Kosmo

Found this story in my inbox today and thought to post for all to see and comment

http://abcnews.go.com/business/t/blogEntry?id=17354790

KK

Brett H

Wow... Interesting.  The cynic in me says that's a really expensive Aeropress (I thought that about the Bunn Trifecta)but one can't deny the expertise involved.  With an 'in home' warranty and no doubt a 110V power supply we won't see one here to try. 

UNM

Some interesting features. Price? Tell them they're dreaming. Style?  Hmm Low thermal mass is a plus for temperature control, but with a standard portafilter that kinda ruins it.

Brett H

on 1349220054:

Some interesting features. Price? Tell them they're dreaming. Style?  Hmm Low thermal mass is a plus for temperature control, but with a standard portafilter that kinda ruins it.

Okay, watched the video: http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/1/3432980/blossom-one-limited-coffee-maker-11111 Pro There's a Commodore 64 in the background Con They're using a $150 grinder with an 11K machine???

beanflying

Been Done before by plenty of home users with some of the old open boiler Levers so just one for the inner wanker to say look at home much money I spent. Last one I saw was a La Peppina 4 or 5 years ago. Nice low thermal mass, pid control ..... This isn't the reinvention of the wheel someone just added a little styling on it and a coat of paint. http://www.blossomcoffee.com/

conikal

on 1349402881:

Been Done before by plenty of home users with some of the old open boiler Levers

NO !!! ..sorry BF, but this concraption is no match for a classic lever like the  Peppina or Caravel. Those machines are capable of generating "espresso " levels of extraction pressure and produce genuine espresso coffee. This overpriced , under engineered, pretentious, POS,  is nothing more than a poorly mechanised Aeropress with  PID  tep control and a volumetric pump. They should have made something interesting,...... instead , i believe they deliberately produced something controversial (in function, style and price),  in order to gain attention.

Koffee_Kosmo

Will it get off the ground ? No one can predict But all valid points made by some with there heads screwed on right Would the membership categorise it as a piece of art  KK

beanflying

on 1349404877:

NO !!! ..sorry BF, but this concraption is no match for a classic lever like the  Peppina or Caravel. Those machines are capable of generating "espresso " levels of extraction pressure and produce genuine espresso coffee. This overpriced , under engineered, pretentious, POS,  is nothing more than a poorly mechanised Aeropress with  PID  tep control and a volumetric pump. They should have made something interesting,...... instead , i believe they deliberately produced something controversial (in function, style and price),  in order to gain attention.

It has no pump but in the brief it talks about paper proprietary baskets so I would think this is Aeropress as you suggest but it also takes standard E61 types so a 9bar'ish Espresso shot as controlled with the direct Plunger (like a Pavoni at 10% of the price  :D ). The rest pretentious etc YEP  :thumb:

conikal

There is no way that lever arrangement can generate enough pressure on the plunger to get anywhere near espresso extraction levels. It would be lucky to get more than 2 bar pressure,..and even that would need a strong ,heavy barista hanging on the lever ( preying it doesnt bend !)

beanflying

I would agree the leverage points are wrong for 9 bar based on my Pavoni and my Engineering background, still most odd they would make suggest it would take conventional baskets (wrong extraction coming up). Looking at the photo I suspect it is 3D rendered only rather than they have a working prototype to that design unlike some of the others shown on the site. Earlier ones are still running similar leverage. Like the much heralded Bunn Trifecta before it that was going to sweep all and revolutionize the industry ...... Then there was the Clover before it and funny how in Melbourne in particular mechanical and electronic wizardry is giving way back to old school manual brewing.  :pan Blame it on the Rocket Scientists using Ibricks to make an overpriced under performing ....  :stir :rofl:

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1349262239:

Okay, watched the video: http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/1/3432980/blossom-one-limited-coffee-maker-11111 Pro There's a Commodore 64 in the background Con They're using a $150 grinder with an 11K machine???

Don't forget to watch the video linked in the quote above of the working prototype KK