If you are looking for an easier routine, have you tried the OXO rapid brewer to make "soup"? It is as easy to operate as an Aeropress, and it makes a really yummy concentrated cup.
A typical recipe is something like 20g coffee and 80g water, yielding about 60g of concentrated coffee. Lance Hedrick has done a few videos on the subject.
It is not espresso, obviously, but it takes no time to prepare, it tastes fantastic and it is very easy to dial-in.
But people want to drink coffee/espresso hot, not room-temperature. So you have to heat the water afterward anyway. I'm not seeing that much potential for energy savings here, unless you're comparing setups with large boilers inefficiently used for small amounts of coffee.
> Both espresso samples were served at 22 °C to ensure a fair like-for-like comparison […]
> It is noted that espresso is normally consumed hot and has transient sensory attributes that are temperature- and time-dependent. Hence, serving espresso at 22 °C will alter its sensory characteristics.
This is a weird test, coffee get’s so much worse when cold. So people can’t distinguish between two bad coffees.
No way. I make espresso over ice and it's great, a lot better than cold brew. The Greek make just about any coffee using the espresso machine over ice and Koreans are quite fond of their iced Americanos, which are a bit dilluted for me but I also enjoy them from time to time. I also made Aeropress over ice with specialty coffee and its was better than the hot drink prepared using the same cofee and recipe. I just do it during summer when one would normally enjoy ice cream, the rest of the time I drink the usual hot espressos.
Room temperature coffe is just like room temperature water: boring.
Our espresso machine (De'Longhi) makes cold brew in like a minute or two. Brilliant. It's tastes like normal cold brew but I enjoy espresso over ice better. Maybe this ultrasonic espresso machine could achieve better extraction with cold water than purely pumping water at high pressure through coffee?
Anyway I'd be quite excited to see a review by James Hoffmann when it hits the market.
This sounds awful. I’m an espresso snob and caffeine isn’t even on my list of why I love it. It’s like they complete ignored what makes a good shot and focused on one element.
Of all the objective and subjective metrics a home coffee drinker is trying to optimize, never once have I heard anyone care in the least about the watt-hours consumed during the brew process. "I really wish I could drink coffee at room temperature all the time and save a penny on electricity while doing it!" Someone will do the math, I'm sure it's not exactly a penny.
TL;DR: Aiming for a high-volume industrial goal, tone-deaf to coffee enthusiasts.
This is really cool, I have so many questions! What's interesting to me is they only replaced the hot water part of the equation, and the system still requires high pressure.
How does ultrasound affect flow rate? Do fines sink to the bottom of the puck and choke the shot?
There is a new movement happening, especially in lighter roast coffees, where we're finding that more balanced extractions (less bitterness/acidity/acridity) are happening at lower pressures, even going so far as grinding so coarse that the puck offers zero resistance - effectively making the pump the limiting factor for flow rate. Light roast coffee is much less porous and more hydrophobic.
I wonder if adding ultrasound would allow light roasts to yield more extraction in general, maybe even keeping the high temperature. Or, would adding ultrasound allow a finer grind size and more resistance without adding the harsh flavors of a high-temperature shot.
mmm.. what about pressure? the real espresso need pressure... is not just hot water. is the pressure of the expanding water that pushes it... not sure it would be the same stuff lol
Wonder why they chose to stick with the portafilter form factor rather than something custom for the method. Perhaps it just fits the task well and they don't need to change, or they want to preserve the look of an espresso machine. Though, if the water is room temp, they only really need the pressure, which doesn't need the entire machine. Seems pretty cool.
Edit: The article shows that they chose this method specifically to use the basket, and the basket allows for the vibrations they need. The other conveniences of the basket form factor also come into play; reloading, cleaning, etc. and don't need reinventing or retraining. Cool stuff. I wonder whether they'll remodel the machine around the basket and remove what's not needed if this becomes a product.
Consistency in output - this is a standard test model to replicate entire existing system and then apply changes components of the system to test a theory.
> For filter coffee, however, the ultrasound-brewed version performed even better: participants significantly preferred it overall, particularly rating its bitterness as more pleasant.
I'm surprised by this, my assumption from hot coffee vs cold brew was that since the water isn't hot, there wouldn't be as much bitterness? Or maybe I'm reading it wrong and it's why they prefer it, because it's less bitter?
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[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 41.5 ms ] threadBut perhaps this can be used in the instant coffee industry or something.
A typical recipe is something like 20g coffee and 80g water, yielding about 60g of concentrated coffee. Lance Hedrick has done a few videos on the subject.
It is not espresso, obviously, but it takes no time to prepare, it tastes fantastic and it is very easy to dial-in.
[1]: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/05/Ultrasonic_col...
Where's James Hoffmann when you need him?
> It is noted that espresso is normally consumed hot and has transient sensory attributes that are temperature- and time-dependent. Hence, serving espresso at 22 °C will alter its sensory characteristics.
This is a weird test, coffee get’s so much worse when cold. So people can’t distinguish between two bad coffees.
Room temperature coffe is just like room temperature water: boring.
Our espresso machine (De'Longhi) makes cold brew in like a minute or two. Brilliant. It's tastes like normal cold brew but I enjoy espresso over ice better. Maybe this ultrasonic espresso machine could achieve better extraction with cold water than purely pumping water at high pressure through coffee?
Anyway I'd be quite excited to see a review by James Hoffmann when it hits the market.
TL;DR: Aiming for a high-volume industrial goal, tone-deaf to coffee enthusiasts.
How does ultrasound affect flow rate? Do fines sink to the bottom of the puck and choke the shot?
There is a new movement happening, especially in lighter roast coffees, where we're finding that more balanced extractions (less bitterness/acidity/acridity) are happening at lower pressures, even going so far as grinding so coarse that the puck offers zero resistance - effectively making the pump the limiting factor for flow rate. Light roast coffee is much less porous and more hydrophobic.
I wonder if adding ultrasound would allow light roasts to yield more extraction in general, maybe even keeping the high temperature. Or, would adding ultrasound allow a finer grind size and more resistance without adding the harsh flavors of a high-temperature shot.
So many experiments to be done!
Edit: The article shows that they chose this method specifically to use the basket, and the basket allows for the vibrations they need. The other conveniences of the basket form factor also come into play; reloading, cleaning, etc. and don't need reinventing or retraining. Cool stuff. I wonder whether they'll remodel the machine around the basket and remove what's not needed if this becomes a product.
I'm surprised by this, my assumption from hot coffee vs cold brew was that since the water isn't hot, there wouldn't be as much bitterness? Or maybe I'm reading it wrong and it's why they prefer it, because it's less bitter?
Still, pretty cool.