(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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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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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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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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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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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.

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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.

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Around a month ago, we were experimenting with the new Slayer espresso machine in our studio. The video shows our off the cuff reactions to what we were tasting.

Let me start with some history. I’ve been in the coffee business for 18 years importing, selling & servicing Italian espresso machines, and roasting coffee for 11 years (with my two brothers at Fratello Coffee Roasters in Calgary). Eric started with Starbucks in the early 90’s, moved to ESI, then started Treuh Italia (now called Synesso) with Dan in 2003. Dan started with ESI in the 90’s as well. Eric & Dan began working with us in 2006.

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The Slayer espresso machine sports some remarkable design–in my admittedly biased opinion.  One reason for this has been the involvement of artisans and craftsmen from a range of disciplines from lost-wax sculptural metal casting to knife-making to rapid prototyping through SLA models.

In building the Slayer, we augmented our own knowledge and experience by seeking the help of specialists in each of the disciplines we needed to bring our vision of the World’s Greatest Espresso Machine to reality.

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One of the challenges of developing a product from scratch is converting improved concepts of function into new physical forms that are robust and practical–and anticipate the brewing needs of the growing boutique coffee segment.  Traditional European manufacturers of equipment have a huge stake in equipment fashioned to perform a particular way.  Most notably the “Italian Tradition” of espresso brewing. 

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