The 2018 Global Specialty Coffee Expo is a chance for coffee companies across the world to showcase new machines, ideas, and gadgets. Here’s what we’re excited about.
BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
We’re here at the 2018 Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle, walking the show floor and chatting with producers, folks at coffee companies, and roasters trying to find the most interesting products of the show floor. Today, we’ll bring you a few of the fun and exciting things we’re stoked on.
1. The Design Lab Award Winners
Every year, roasters, cafés, and coffee companies from around the world send their packaging materials, photos of their spaces, and products to be judged in the Design Lab Award competition. This year’s winners include Elixr Coffee of Philadelphia (packaging), Kickapoo Coffee Roasters (spaces), and SOMA (vessels). On display you can see the dozens of other entrants, showcasing creativity across the coffee community.
2. Spotlight on China
This year’s expo put a spotlight on China, a country currently producing lots of coffee that perhaps many specialty coffee shops haven’t seen. Attendees were able to try coffees from China, along with hearing presentations from producers, including a talk at the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) on Saturday.
3. The La Marzocco MODBAR AV
Don’t worry if we gloss over this quickly—we’re coming back to it soon because the technology and innovation La Marzocco presents with this machine is so cool we’re still wrapping our heads around it. Just imagine a Modbar fused with a Linea PB and you can imagine the new Modbar AV, which combines the best of both machines. More on this very soon!
4. The Curtis GemX
Ever wonder how long that pot of coffee has been sitting? The Curtis GemX takes the guesswork out. Along with monitoring coffee freshness, the GemX also eliminates noisy buzzers and timers using LED lights to indicate how long coffee has been sitting and when you need to brew a fresh pot.
5. The Mazzer Robur S
We saw the new line of Mazzers at HOST Milano a few weeks ago, and now Mazzer is sharing their new grinders here in Seattle! The Robur S in particular is awesome—along with cutting coffee ground retention in half, the machine is IoT compatible, meaning you can monitor the number of shots your baristas are pulling even when you’re not in the cafe. The folks at Mazzer are friendly to boot, so check out their booth and try out a grinder yourself!
6. Duvall Espresso
It’s not often we learn about new espresso machines from a totally new company, but the Duvall Espresso machine is like no other. The machine touts itself as precise—without a motor. The machine is powered by pistons and motors, and perhaps we’re not quite sophisticated enough to understand the technology, but this is definitely a booth to check out.
Stay tuned for more floor coverage!
