Third Wave Coffee: Direct & Specific

Why would you even think of building the Apple in a market where IBM is effortlessly kicking out products designed by the world’s leading IT experts and most capable computer scientists on the planet – not to mention a time when Atari and Commodore are already well on their way to delivering everything that the home user could ever want?

The answer to that question is the same for Apple as it is for Slayer.

It’s because our needs and aspirations as individuals are not defined by the power of an established brand or the influence of gurus and seers telling us where our boundaries are. Our needs and aspirations are the province of our imaginations alone. And in seeing if we can do something better and more artfully than it’s ever been done before, we are apt to surprise ourselves at what we can accomplish. Even out of a modest start something great could happen.

Read the rest of this entry »

X versus the NSF leg– Cleanliness need not be sacrificed for Beauty and Functionality

Slayer’s vertical-plane X form factor provides loads of extra space low down where conditions are cooler and drier, and ideal for electronics and sensitive components. This means Slayer does not need additional height to gain this precious real estate, allowing a lower, sleeker profile and the logical layout of components. With lower height comes other benefits. The barista can make eye contact with the customer while working behind the low-slung machine. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, I’m going to say it. . .  “Slayer combines Art and Technology to create a beautiful, highly functional design.”

The reason I hesitate to state this bluntly is because it seems like this is an over-used marketing catch phrase–a hackneyed bromide, a gimmick.  It seems that every company out there lays claim to bringing these two characteristics together in a single enigmatic product.   However, most don’t.

If nothing else, the Slayer espresso machine truly is the result of a conscious effort to reassert the importance of the espresso machine as the iconic centerpiece, the focal point and object, of the Third Wave cafe, while at the same time introducing new brewing capabilities, particularly around the concept of leveraging brew pressure deltas, to get more out of the coffee.

Jason, Dan and I really did start out with the intention of creating a Slayer espresso machine that married Art and Technology to achieve a level of look and functionality that is simply not available in the market at this point.  The design brief for Slayer called for a product, custom tailored for the boutique coffee category in form and function.   To do this we had to push it.

  Read the rest of this entry »

Well – after someone leaked some cell phone pictures of the machine onto the inter-tubes this past weekend, we figured the cat was out of the bag…and we should let everyone know (officially) that the machine actually exists in the wild.

These pictures are of the pre-production machine we hand built in Seattle early December – and is now being tested in Calgary at Fratello (much to everyone’s delight there). If you’re in Calgary – please give us a shout and we’ll schedule a private test drive ;-)

We’ll be updating the blog more often now with details on what the machine actually does & how it does it.

Let us know your thoughts & enjoy the pix.

Jason

(click the thumbs for a larger view)