I love coffee, I need it to start my day, or else I simply refuse to start my day! It’s the boost of energy, dose of motivation, and rush of serotonin that I need every morning. And, I’m pretty sure that’s the case for most of us. However, with the pandemic caging us to our homes, we’ve been unable to grab some coffee from our preferred baristas and coffee shops! Hence, learning to brew my own coffee is something I’ve had to learn, and it’s really not so bad. There is a different satisfaction and pleasure in sipping caffeine that you know is the result of your own hard work, something precariously prepared with your own personal touch to it. A unique, innovative, and interactive coffee machine is all you need, and ninety-five percent of the battle is won (the other five percent is you setting aside your laziness and actually operating the machine)! From a sleek coffee grinder and brewer designed to replace your Keurig to a Jenga-inspired modular coffee maker – this collection of super cool and easy-to-use coffee machines will start you off on your coffee brewing journey. Cheers!
1. The Gevi
A 2021 winner of the Red Dot Design Award, the Gevi rubbishes the notion that a coffee machine needs to look like a large, bulky, boxy appliance. The 2-in-1 coffee grinder and brewer are visually separated into their two parts. The appliance comes with a base platform that has its own dedicated weighing scale to help you weigh the beans before you add them to the grinder. The grinder comes with a bean hopper on the top to feed the beans in, while commercial-level 60mm flat steel burrs help create a consistent grind of your beans (while anti-static measures help prevent particles from sticking/clumping). The dose consistency from beans to powder of the appliance is around 0.2g.
2. X&Y
Introducing their take on the brewing system, Kurz Kurz Design unveiled their X & Y pour-over set, featuring a stainless steel gooseneck kettle and brewer coated in charcoal black and cobalt blue. X&Y comes in both charcoal black and cobalt blue. Developed in stainless steel, the gooseneck kettle and filter stand come complete with added thermal insulation from a banded construction. On top of that, a strip of cobalt blue-dyed leather comes with the package specifically designed to wrap around the gooseneck kettle’s handle, doubly ensuring a safe pour.
3. The Brewster DCM5000
Designed especially for those of us who work from home, the Brewster DCM5000 is compact and highly technical to limit the mess of making coffee and make it easier to use. The team of India-based designers conceptualized the Brewster DCM5000 as a coffee maker that could be placed on a desk without taking up too much space. Downsized to fit in any workspace, the Brewster DCM5000’s bulkiest part is the 250ml water tank.
4. The Oblic Dropper
Reinterpreting the classic coffee dripper through a portable, compact lens, industrial designer JenFu Yang conceptualized the Oblic Dropper, a handheld pour-over device ideal for bringing coffee with you on the go. Following a similar build to conventional immersion coffee drippers, the Oblic Dropper allows users to brew pour-over sin record time across multiple coffee mugs. Equipped with an integrated stopper, transferring Oblic Dropper from one cup to the next can be a clean, seamless transition without any spillage.
5. The Rapha + Rocket R58 Espresso Machine
The Rapha + Rocket R58 Espresso Machine features two PID-controlled boilers that ensure optimal extraction of any type of coffee. It boasts a touchscreen display with a variety of functions to help you prepare the perfect cup of coffee! A twin stainless steel portafilter and a wooden handle seal the deal on this intriguing coffee maker. A no-burn steam and water wand prevent you from burning yourself.
6. The Qterra Craft
As portable as an ordinary Starbucks travel mug, the Qterra Craft is designed to give you coffee so fresh you’ll feel like it was brewed right inside it… and you’d be right! The Qterra Craft is a pretty clever little device, giving you the freshest coffee or tea—even while you’re traveling—by simply brewing it on the spot. The mug comes with a lid that holds tea leaves or coffee grounds in a telescopic Q-Brew Basket that extends downwards into the vessel when the lid is twisted. Fill the vessel with piping hot water and twist the lid just minutes before you actually want your beverage. Then twist the lid when you’re done and the used leaves or grounds ascend back into the lid, secured with an air-tight seal.
7. Cenga
Inspired by the build of Jenga towers, Cenga is a modular, handmade coffee set with a grinder, dripper, and canister included in a single unit. Piled together like a Jenga tower, Cenga is a handmade modular coffee set conceptualized by a team of designers to bring home everything you’d find in a cafe. Starting from the top of Cenga, a grinder for coffee beans funnels the grounds into a dripper before heating up some water and dripping that into a canister to serve.
8. Cosie
Cosie is a siphon coffee maker designed to bring the emotional experience of watching your coffee brew at a cafe into the comfort of your own kitchen. Since Cosie is a siphon machine, the coffee inside the canisters is extracted through steam pressure generated by boiling water, a process that users can watch while brewing their own coffee. The integrated siphon also makes the general upkeep and management of Cosie much easier to keep up with. After spooning in their desired amount of coffee grinds into the machine’s top compartment, users need only fill the main cartridge with water and turn its handle clockwise to kickstart the brewing process.
9. Niche Zero
Designed by UK-based brand Niche Coffee, Niche Zero is a specially designed single-dose grinder that refreshes you with not just a cup of coffee, but also with its eye-catching design. The grinder, which comes in either white or black, features a gently curved metal body, retro-style switches, and wooden accents and stubby legs that make it look warm and approachable.
10. Minimal
Encased in a vinyl travel case, Minimal is made up of a glass dripper and cup, and a filter stand stocked with reusable cloth filters. Both the glass dripper and cup are made from borosilicate glass to ensure the same quality heat resistance found in glassware like Pyrex and lab flasks. Minimal also comes with a wooden lid that doubles as a coaster so when you’re camping, you’ll always have a place to set your cup.
