Slayer deploys a magazine of multiple tanks in a cylindrical cluster, similar to the barrel configuration of a Gatling gun.

Slayer’s tanks are mounted to ribs which are attached to a central spar.  This happens to be the way the wings of almost all fixed-wing aircraft are made.

However, our inspiration was not Boeing, though aircraft design and construction did play into our thoughts. Nor was it guns.

Nor was our inspiration the human anatomy, where a highly specialized skeleton is enclosed by the body, while the body provides higher level functionality and sensory support, but not raw structural strength (for this kind of thing see, insects and arthropods).

However, analogies from nature that dovetailed with our thinking were validating.

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)