Every once in a while an out-of-the-box thinker will dream up a way to truly revolutionize a product. The Twist espresso maker is just one of those ideas. If you had asked most engineers a few years ago to take an espresso machine, a large complicated device filled with scalding hot, highly pressurized water, and turn it into a handheld device, they probably would have thought you needed to have your head examined.
But that’s exactly what The Twist is, an espresso maker you can hold in one hand. Just put grounds in one side, water in the other, assemble and pull the trigger to get fresh, hot espresso. The Twist is powered by small gas cartridges of the type available at most kitchen goods retailers.
You can read more about The Twist, or buy one for your very own at www.mypressi.com.
If you’ve spent much time around local coffee shops, you’ve probably run into the phenomenon that is latte art.
By precisely pouring white milk and foam through the dark espresso, baristas are able to stain the foam, creating images from simple hearts to leaves, plants, even animals.
But just as inkwells and quills gave way to Microsoft Word, the future of latte art may be machine-assisted. A company called OnLatte has developed a machine that “writes” on foam using a computer-controlled mechanical arm. The machine can produce stunningly detailed images, with precision even the most talented latte artists could only dream of.
Of course, like all machines, the latte art machine is only a tool. The images it creates are only as artistic and creative as the designs it is programmed to reproduce.
Here’s a video demonstrating what the machine can do:
(P.S. Apparently the company has discovered the machine also works on the head of dark beers like Guinness!)
