Bean Scene Magazine (click here to view)  in Melbourne featured Slayer as the cover story for their November issue.  The article was an over-the-top free association on Slayer and I just loved it.  I especially enjoyed the way Steve captured the essence of Slayer as “an irrational exercise in exuberance” because this joy in creating a new super-functional machine that celebrates the human element illuminates our path even now.

You can read everything in the issue, but one final feature of the article worth noting is the way Slayer the machine is described in the context of the important new ways independent roasters and retailers are considering their business.  They are making money with coffee, raising the bar on quality for their customers, and doing good at origin through innovative thinking and exploration. . . and action.  Even if you are not roasting your own coffee, it is possible to align your cafe with an independent Third Wave roaster who is.

My thanks to Steve Agi, the editor of Bean Scene, coffee fanatic, and beloved “caffiend”.  Your article was terrific!

Eric in Seattle

(Slayer’s 1.4 gallon dedicated preheat tank supplies buffered 193 degree F water to brew & steam tanks)

In newer generation espresso machines, brew temperature stability is achieved through three features:  independent, but relatively small brew tanks, PID for temperature control, and a supply of pre-heated water to each brew group.

On most machines with independent brew tanks the main water inlet to the espresso machine comes through the steam tank, and there is no cold water inlet to brewing.

On these machines, the steam tank supplies pre-heated water to each brew group through a heat exchanger (HX) that draws heat from the steam boiler and distributes it to where it’s needed. This happens in real time as you pull shots. During peak periods this hot water draw can be as high as 12-16 oz per minute.

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(Pieced together from conversations in noisy places while over caffeinated. . . and augmented as required)

“Slayer espresso machines are showing up now in real cafes all over the place.

Melbourne, San Francisco, Kirkland, Ann Arbor, and Calgary.  Soon more will be showing up in New York, Germany, Vancouver BC, New Zealand, Portland Oregon, and beyond.

For us this is the beginning of something very exciting.  Introducing an espresso machine specifically designed for the expert user, that enables variable pressure brewing for flavor profiling.  On the way, we have sampled hundreds of coffees.  What we have found is almost all coffee benefits from the lower pressure, pre-brew phase that Slayer pioneered.

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(more images)

One nice thing about building Slayers in Seattle USA is that there is no shortage of great coffee roasters willing to try out a new thing.  In fact, not surprisingly it’s primarily the most artisanal roasters of extremeness that have taken notice.

Proximity like this also means that there is no shortage of great coffee to dial in for flavor profiling.  We have tried quite a few of the local greats.  Zoka’s Paladino, Vita dal Sol, Stumptown Hairbender, and Vivace Vita & Dolce.

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Here are a few shots of Slayer’s new studio that I thought you might find interesting.  Slayer has officially moved to its new digs in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood.

Energy levels are high, as we build out the space, receive production components, meet with customers & vendors and argue with the landlord.

An expanded  loading dock is also being added at our request that apparently must conform to the building code/design intent of this historically registered building, circa 1905.   So it seems this will be a huge wooden “stable door”, and will take several more weeks to finish and install.  Can hardly wait.

Right now, work is being completed in days that would ordinarily take weeks.  Plumbing, drainage, work stations, desks, lighting, and handling systems.  We are also adding a pseudo lab/cafe where we will keep Slayers running at all times for customer use and testing.

The area for this was not plumbed or powered when we moved in, so Ron our resident electrician and power panel assembler is working to get these things in place, channeling through brick, finding long lost power connections, often in the catacomb-like areas that lie below the main floor of this 104 year old building.

Twenty-two foot high ceilings, mean it will be easy to store components on lofty racks.  While a bank of regularly spaced fifteen foot windows give this work environment the feel of a cathedral consecrated to espresso, hailing from gothic times.

It is perhaps this cavernous quality and the way the building pulls in light from outside and casts shadows against rough-hewn columns, like ancient trees, that lend these snapshots an odd feeling of languor and quietude.

Eric Perkunder in Seattle

Recently some commentators have lumped Slayer into a category with La Marzocco and Synesso.  I don’t really mind this, because the comparison reflects the fact that Slayer defines a new category of equipment: ultra-traditionals.  These other machines play in the premium range, but Slayer is perhaps the first purpose-built machine for the Third Wave.  It is by design the ultimate traditional barista machine.

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Prior to SCAA, I had anticipated that we would be somewhat busy with everyone wanting to actually see & play with this machine that they’ve read about. However there is no way that I could have dreamt that things would be as insane as they were. We arrived at 10:00 each moring to set up and would immedieatly have people coming by and when the show floor opend at noon things went mental until well after 6:00.

To say that I was overwhelmed with the number of people who took me up on the offer to bring their coffee is an understatement. I had such a great time pulling shots with all you guys – and tasted some of the best espressos in my life! I can’t imagine that there will be another espresso ‘perfect storm’ with the SCAA & the WBC & the launching of a cool new barista espresso machine all happening at the same time. This resulted in our 10×20 foot booth being packed with easily 50 people. Several people said that they had to come back 3 or 4 times just to get close enough to the machine to take pictures & pull shots…and this was the first time (since 1993) that I have not walked the SCAA floor, I just didn’t have time.

Thank you everyone, who came to hang out at our booth!!  If you didn’t make it to SCAA, check out the video that Chris took with his little camera. It was shot opening day between 12:00 and 2:30.

Cheers

Jason

Coming to terms–finding the right words!

Espresso machine manufacturers like to lay claim to a tradition of hand-made espresso machine manufacturing.  Maybe you’ve noticed this too.

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When I go to a show and see a new machine, I would love to actually play on it – specifically with MY coffee. I know what its supposed to taste like and it would be great to see how my coffee tastes on their machine. 

So, at the SCAA, we’re going to have two machines up & running. One will be manned by John & Joel who’ll be pulling shots for everyone who just needs a coffee.

The second machine is being set up for roasters & baristas to play with. We’ll have a 2gp Slayer plus two grinders: Anfim Super Caimano & Mazzer Kony (both with digital timer mods). Here’s your invitation to play! Bring a bag of your espresso to SCAA (probably 2lbs or more).

Start by choosing your preferred grinder (flat or conical burr set), set grind, dose & brew temp using the machine at a straight 9 bar shot – establishing a baseline. Next adjust the grind finer (generally I go 2 to 3 settings finer) and play with low pressure preinfusion and various brew geometries on the Slayer.

Who knows, you may experience your coffee for the first time ;-)

Cheers

Jason

Does anything provoke stronger feelings and louder opinions right now than the mere mention of pressure profiling?  In specialty coffee, I don’t think so.   For this reason alone the topic merits some discussion here.  It also merits discussion as Slayer is on the verge of introducing a machine that takes full advantage of brew pressure deltas, by which I mean the ability to brew coffee with more than a flat pressure profile, to enhance coffee quality.

Since this is a blog about the broader aspects of our industry, and not simply an advertisement for Slayer, I want to reflect on my own relationship with brew pressure profiling first, then relate it to Slayer.  So here goes. . .

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