As an engineer I really enjoyed all of the details of this, especially the waste heat recovery (straight out of a thermodynamics problem set). Also a huge fan of the focus towards sustainability, thanks for this.
Hello Mr.James, I have purchased a victoria black eagle gravimetric machine with two group heads for my coffee shop. However, I found it hard to find a full guide video on youtube on all that concerns the machine, starting from calibration to maintenance, and so on. I've been watching many of your videos, and you were a huge role in me deciding to buy this machine rather than other brands. However, vendors here where I stay don't seem to care much about teaching you all about the machine and expect the buyer to learn all the details themselves and they leave us with a brief explanation. I would like to suggest a video if possible by you on all we need to know about the victoria black eagle. This will be a huge help to the coffee industry and the clients who are buying the machine, especially if taught by you whom I think is an example of an excellent coffee teacher for me and the main youtuber that I watch to learn about specialty coffee while running my business. Thanks for being a great teacher for the specialty coffee community.
I totally agree @Hassan Al-Hammadi. Where in Brazil the vendors just want to sell the machine, but without any kind of support or teaching the hole thing. And it goes with any brand, just "buy my product and Google it to learn something." Unfortunately. And yes we love to hear James talking about anything. I am in love with eagle one's project and waiting news from eagle one prima.
Interesting. In the old world one might say well why would James Hoffmann provide such specialized instruction for free. But in today's world those who don't need such instruction will watch it anyways at 3am so it pays for itself.
Same thoughts exactly. We bought a Victoria Arduino Venus Bar and you'd expect better explanation on maintenance, calibration etc. I've looked at other brands, and they have step by step videos from installation to maintenance of the machine.
To add to that, some companies have their own youtube channel with said videos. I think given how good your (james hoffman) videos are, some features videos, and instructional videos would be really cool and helpful
I'm Mexican and I loved that you put Mexico City in the topic... Because of economy, a cheap espresso machine in the UK is expensive to us. Nevertheles we have a huge coffee culture! Love the way you try to innovate! Love your contet!
I'm not surprised, most of the expenses involved in coffee seem to be relatively fixed. When I was living in China, the cost of coffee was barely any less than what I had been paying in the US. Some aspects do get cheaper, labor and real estate, but the machines and the beans don't really change that much in price just because you're not in a rich part of the world.
Jaja justo pensé lo mismo, la gran mayoría de los dueños se van por maquinas restauradas de 5-10 años o hasta más, ni siquiera las barras de café de mi ciudad pueden alcanzar a comprarse las mejores :(
Just started working on a new Black Eagle in London. After seeing how a BE works now, it's really interesting seeing how the Eagle One builds on this. I love the sustainable idea and how it's looking at saving cash for businesses as part of the design. One thing I would have maybe liked to see normalised in new espresso machines are front loaded portafilters, like we see in the KB90. Maybe that's probably beyond the scope of the Eagle One though (also could price it up? I really don't know.) While we've seen the PUQpress and other new types of kit behind the bar look to limit the physical damage that day-to-day coffee work does, I'd love to see more of it. Also, since you asked, sustainability has invariably become less of a concern during the pandemic in the cafes I've seen. Most (almost 100%) coffee has been served in takeaway cups and customers often feel less scared by takeaway disposable packaging. This has only just started to change since being able to seat guests again. That combined with the amount of gloves getting used, single use masks, blue roll, takeaway cutlery etc etc. waste seems to be way up. I hope it's able to go back to where we were before. I don't mean this as any fault towards any business owners, literally the main focus and priority right now is to survive and it's so incredibly stressful. Anyway, the new look Prufrock is great. Great looking machine, can't wait to see it in action.
I like how this channel talks about things beyond coffee -- a little bit of physics, engineering and sustainable industry that we all coffee-lovers should concern about!
That all we coffee lovers should be concerned about* Not trying to be an asshole, so sorry if this comes off that way, im just trying to help the commenter out.
Some serious thought has gone into this machine. It also looks incredibly industrial and minimalist in design, and that gives it a form of elegance (that I can't believe I've said about a coffee machine). If only I had a coffee shop and needed something like this...
well, if you have the funds to spare... How about becoming the bestest of best friends for the coffee obsessed people in your life? This thing looks as big as a slightly elongated microwave. I'm seriously considering to get this for me and my five flatmates, if it's as affordable as I hope. Splitting the price by six of course. I'm not that generous
This is the machine I use every day at work and it’s honestly a joy to use, opening the cafe with this machine makes my life so easy and it makes some very nice espresso
James, your audience is begging you; a video sharing all you know on Aeropress technique (perhaps even sharing some thoughts comparing the Aeropress to the V60) - we're crying out for it!!
Benjamin Arbez I don't like Tim Wendelboe's recipe and many others agree with me, I'd much rather have a concentrate more in line with the original Aeropress recipe
@@ramedina Just as many others would disagree with you and prefer the lower concentration brew similar to most modern filter coffee. It's all personal preference
Oble Absolutely, but I'm tired of that recipe being pushed by some as an ultimate recipe, my advice would be try everything including competition recipes (although they can get expensive)
This is incredible! I really appreciate a machine that is efficient, stylish, and ecofriendly. Can’t wait to see this machine at coffee shops all over!
A lot of learnings from this video - hits all three lenses of innovation (Viability, Desirability, Feasibility). I also love zooming in into 'sustainability' and how we normally just ignore the small things but accumulates into staggering amount of waste. Something that we don't see or notice but ultimately destroying the planet. Great content James!
Just going to say it. Your transparency is one of the best parts of your content. I trust your opinion on coffee and the related products more because you let us know every time you could be biased on a product. I love it
It surprises me a bit that there's enough heat in the drip tray to offset the electricity used on the motor needed to circulate the water through there. But, then again, this is clearly intended for use in a coffee shop, so there's probably more hot water there than you'd expect. OTOH, this savings is double if you've got AC on and a net loss if you're having to heat the shop in the winter. Obviously, on a ship or something of that scale, there's tremendous savings to get like that.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade It looks like a passive device, with the waste water driven by gravity and the cool water passing through a coil under its incoming water pressure. Even if it does use power it's still a net gain even when your heating is on. The amount of heat put into the room by the machine will be about the same either way, the heat exchanger just replaces some electric heat with heat recovered from water that would have gone down the drain and been lost from both the machine and the room entirely.
Window AC units sometimes also have an extra coil/heatsink on the bottom of their condensation trays to help with managing the state of the refrigerant using the dripped water and thus increasing the efficiency.
I really appreciate the sustainability features that have been incorporated into this machine; not only are they innovative, but they're necessary. It's important for businesses to be market-driven, but a business can also be value-driven, especially if those values are protecting the environment, which is beneficial for everyone. Thank you, James, for bringing attention to sustainability. I hope you keep it up and keep sharing it with everyone here!
I love the heat recovery from the waste water! That's actually similar to what some large buildings do with the ventilation system where a percentage of air is always brought in for fresh air and it goes through a heat recovery system with the warmer (or colder) inside air. Saves a lot of energy instead of dumping a whole bunch of conditioned air without reclaiming some of the energy.
Hi James, hello from Beijing here. I just started watching your channel after I bought the Breville Barista Pro and decide to make espresso making a hobby. Thank you for the great videos. And today I just realized you are the author of world atlas of coffee, which was published by Citic press in China, where my wife works. Great book! I will wait for the next video.
@@deathbyastonishment7930 he needs to go buy a freshly roasted and ground on demand coffee from a local roaster. Smell the local coffee, then smell the supermarket coffee. -> Suddenly you find yourself, at night on the couch, googling grinder reviews and trying to justify a 500 dollar purchase to yourself, and then, as you mash the order button before you've found said justification, you feel so very barista. Try it. Sorry for your wallet. ... as I sip my Nespresso with sugar.
You can get a hand grinder for $20usd on Amazon and even that will get you a better cup than pre-ground supermarket coffee. Just please get yourself any burr grinder.
I’m loving these ideas to be more efficient and sustainable. As a barista and roaster with an International Development degree I’m always looking at ways to optimize efficiency without feeling completely robotic, and I’m constantly thinking about sustainability from bean to cup. I care so much about the environment and I really appreciate the efforts to reduce thermal energy loss as well as water waste. And the attention to keeping the price point as low as possible without sacrificing quality is just *chefs kiss.* Honestly thank you guy’s so much for your hard work and I hope more and more companies will have a mindset like yours in the future.
This may be my favorite of all James Hoffmann videos. The latest technology in coffee brewing, proudly on display, and the man doesn’t own an iron to press his shirt. Brilliant!
I really feel like Nescafe are sensing the uptick in online specialty coffee interest here in Aus and pushing the buck as hard as they can. I'm getting ads on all my socials for it, nice targeting but pretty hilarious considering viewers of this channel are among the least likely to give them any money (I'd hope). Support independent roasters! Especially in Australia where we've got such a wonderful selection available
I think it's so important that people with sway in the industry like you are doing things like this. Even just making this video addressing the issues with sustainability in the industry is so important. You are setting an example with this machine, showing that these issues can be and should be addressed. Wonderful work you are doing
This was my fav video in a while. I don’t work in the industry, in fact I only own a v60. But it was great to hear the thinking and the innovation that went into this machine. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a few more pictures of the machine itself.
I have said it before I love listening to you. Your tone and delivery is impeccable. Your story telling is perfect and your content ethical, responsible, intelegent and humble. Fyi I don't work in the industry I just like coffee.
As an engineer I wanted to hear more technical aspects and specially how they change or improve coffee quality This had to be a very fulfilling project for anyone involved I think you should take this further and as far as the team and company are willing to go on future machines Sustainability thru efficiency can definitely be a great marketing point and selling point as well Thank you for sharing
How do you touch on so many relevant issues in one 12 and a half minute video?! The environment, coffee industry sustainability, the latest innovation, the need for such innovation and all the frustrations surrounding those pesky tiny cola cans. Bravo to you sir.
What a beast! I have checked most videos in your channel, but really miss one topic: decaf beans. Would it be possible to make a video on this, what the production process looks like and especially if there is a decaf bean somewhere in the world which kind of tastes oke? Would be amazing!!
Love it! As a coffee enthusiast and exclusive decaf drinker - would be great to dive further into decaf processes (water vs. CO2) as well as roasts, bean degradation, flavor, etc.
100% this! Also for fellow Decaf lovers, I'd recommended Horsham Roaster's Peruvian decaf and Dear Green's Colombian decaf. Both are beautiful and fruity and I drink them as filter.
James, your passion is absolutely infectious and I love it. Coffee is just coffee to most people, but to people like us, it's a passion. An ideal. And I must thank you for being so inspiring.
Honestly, to hear you talk about the way a product like this is conceived, is super exciting. It also comes with instant disappointment, because as a home espresso enthusiast, I know I will never be able to use a machine like this! I've been thinking for a while now that you're probably the only one who could successfully lead a crowdfunded, co-created, ultimate home espresso machine project. You, the Simonelli group and coffee lovers from around the world working together. So many of the technologies you discuss here, like power usage but certainly also customization, would be awesome to have in a home machine. One can dream, right?
Talking about processes and approaches like this is super interesting and valuable. It is unusual for brands and businesses to talk about products like this because they are focused on marketing them, they have a vested interest in doing so and aim to create mystique etc so you'll buy it. When I hear about these processes it helps me to believe that I can do that too, rather than looking at a product and being baffled by it. Thanks James!
Being a hardware guy I loved this video! The analysis of coffee and its needs is spectacular and how you vocabularies it. I just keep learning more and more....
I love the passion and desire to innovate that comes out in this. It's awesome that you've demonstrated that reducing waste doesn't have to make things more expensive, it can go hand in hand with reducing financial waste and becomes a win/win and a no brainer.
I have had a Flair Classic for a couple of years and love it! I got a package with two brew chambers and make an Americano with coconut milk for my partner and myself every morning. We have taken it tent camping, to AirBnBs, in our travel trailer, etc. I roast my own coffee beans, which makes it extra fresh and delicious. I just upgraded to an Eureka Mignon espresso grinder which definitely improved the espresso. And now, I've watched this video and I guess I'll have to get the bottomless portafilter (when they're back in stock) because you say it will bring my espresso experience to an even higher level. I've yet resisted the pressure gauge to date. Thanks James - love your videos!
I've been enjoying and learning through your videos since I began my coffee journey. I feel an incredible joy watching that through every video your subscriber count is constantly growing. Thank you for making coffee special for many, many people (including myself)
Hi James I love your passion for the greater good and coffee. In Australia we need someone who cares about innovation, the environment and sustainability, please come to Australia and be our Prime Minister.
Hello James, Let me start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed your video: Clean and precise edits, a nice mix off seriousness and lightness, a good storyline that drew me in, and a powerful blend of passion and authenticity. Your production is not surprisingly very similar to the creation of a delicious shot. Having said that and after reading numerous comments, I encourage you to consider the following: - the manufacturer’s wholistic approach to sustainable design now needs to extend beyond the production process and fully encompass the user experience - assuming full responsibility for the users’ experience (shop owner, barista and customer) leads to approaching that “problem” using the same admirable strategy that was used to design the product. - without preordaining the outcome, I can see online manuals, videos (produced by you), faq’s, and a searchable database that intelligently responds to queries. - and a searchable database of shops that own this tech... I for one would look them up and go out of my way to be their customer, thus adding a value proposition to the shop owner for this investment. Thanks for the share and invitation to provide feedback. One more thing... an affordable “home consumer” version would be most welcome if that’s even possible. Perhaps a follow up “problem” worth addressing?!
James "I'm Making The World A Better Place One Shot At A Time" Hoffmann. Thank you for putting so much effort into this project. The magnitude of improvement shows how much opportunity is out there! It is an excellent opportunity to foster larger conversations.
One topic I would be interested to know is repairability. I feel this this should go hand in hand with sustainability. How easy is it to repair and maintain and what are the estimated costs in the long run? I feel like the more electronics we introduce, the faster it will become outdated and unsupported.
Not sure about electronics. But 8% gain heat exchangers sitting in a place as unkind as a drip tray..... Somewhat related (although surprisingly rarely appreciated in this Age of Fashionable Hysterics): Waste heat minimization, only make any sense at all, in rooms which are already too hot. Otherwise, "waste" heat, whether from old-school lightbulbs or "inefficient" espresso equipment, simply offsets heat you would otherwise have to get from a separate heating appliance. Even less related: My pie-in-the-sky coffee preparation industry waste reduction end goal, would be to wrap an Aeropress in just enough supporting structure, to enable it to handle a hydraulic ram (or manual lever) netting 8 bars of pressure. And, also to fine tune filters allowing it to be used successfully for pour over without clogging.... It's already very forgiving, as far as thermal insulation goes. Just seems like it could be standardized into a really cheap, well understood and available-everywhere "universal" extraction vessel. Emphasis pie-in-the-sky :)
@@paulnorman8274 well your point about "waste heat" offsetting some room heating consumption only makes sense with certain kinds of heating systems. if you're using heat pumps for heating then it's actually less efficient to offset it as it's more efficient than the "waste" energy. Also you'd have to consider that not all cities need heating. NY in summer, Los Angeles, etc... Will actually need more A/C as waste heat increases.
@@paulnorman8274your waste heat point is interesting but wrong. Because heat travels from high to low it is more energy efficient to heat a room from the bottom than it is from the ceiling. If those lightbulbs where attached to the ground then yes the waste heat is heat that you'd have to generate anyways, but because they're ceiling mounted its less efficient
Very exciting journey you took! If you get regular consumers interested into a pro barista machine, you did great. So good job, James! Wishing you all the success in the world.
I really liked how they have focused on markets outside of prime US and European cities. I often see almost every single company from clothing and tech to coffee would make stuff with just those markets in mind which is very ignorant... nailed it with this one!
As a person working in the energy efficiency industry, this is exciting to see. The technology is proven and accepted as viable in numerous commercial and industrial applications, to an extent where some utilities provide energy efficiency incentives or rebates to help offset the added capital cost. Hoping to see more of these types of innovations resolve our global fiscal and sustainability challenges!
For me ( not running a coffee shop) the pandemic lead me to your channel and to home brewing. I take my own coffee to work in a flask now, and buy far less cups of coffee. But I buy ( and receive from friends ) far more little bags of different coffee and accessories. It's been a personal joy. I'm sure I'll still visit my favourite coffee shops in time.
I've owned the Black eagle for a good 3 years now and except from having a few issues the first year around with malfunctioning parts, it's been a fun companion. However, for being a machine for coffee nerds who like full tweakability I found it staggering that Victoria Arduino decided to cap several settings without good reason. My biggest concern is the pre-wetting. It is capped at 5 seconds with a pause of 5. I personally would have loved it to be able to pre-wet until the first drop of coffee hits the cup and proceed with full pressure from there. We often experiment with super fine grind (close to turkish) and off the charts ratios like 1:0,4. To get that working at its best you really need a good 10-15 seconds of prewetting at the least. How come they lock down the firmware?!?!!
It's beautiful to hear you talk about a project close to your heart. I got an impression that you're proud and happy with everything that was achieved and if you're happy with a coffee related machine... I've got nothing to add because I never used an espresso machine before so I can't relate to it, but I did watch a lot of videos and I can say that this one was, subjectively, too short. This is a fun topic, the machine and the intentions which lead to it. A deep dive sometime later maybe?
I'm very impressed with your presentation, it's a great platform for discussions. That was the perfect meaningful coffee talk no one is even thinking about. I'm sure the majority of the comments will be as usual, witty or cynical, but that's it, you nailed it in all its dimensions. Great video.
I got excited at first when I thought "well this will be something decent and I will be able to have expresso at home for a price I can live with". Ooops.
@@mikeyoung9810 ya, 20k USD is just not for the average home coffee Enthusiast. It's still an amazing machine and would be something I happily would like to buy one day, but for now I'll stick with my simple DeLonghi 702 and french press.
@@AJ-ox8xy Setting aside the price, the fact that there isn't a single grouphead unit alone is likely sufficient to prevent these from being popular at home. Most people at home just don't need more than one grouphead. Perhaps you might be having parties, but even then you're probably not going to need more than that. If you do, you're probably better off hiring somebody to bring a cart and make the coffee for you anyways.
Well done James. You can tell you’re proud of what you’ve helped achieve here and rightly so. Really enjoyed this video and seeing the geeking out process. Beautiful machine as well!
I work in 2 cafes (same owners) and both have eagle ones in (2 group and a 3 group) and I have to say I love working on them. It’s low profile and compact design makes it very easy to pull great coffee and engage with customers simultaneously. It’s durable, dependable and most of all fun. I’ve worked on other machines where the character is lost after becoming familiar with it and it can just get a little dull. But the eagle one has always been a highly enjoyable, unique and stylish machine and continue to enjoy them.
Interesting thought I hear in architecture and green building tech: "the most sustainable building is the one that's already built." The basis being that it is more environmentally costly to tear down and old building and build a brand new high efficiency one than it is to modify and improve an existing one. I think this could be an interesting way to think about in advancing coffee tech. Innovating in a way that uses existing infrastructure as the basis for advancement. In other words "the most sustainable espresso machine is the one that's already built" Thoughts?
Yes and no. Sometimes, it's possible to innovate off existing solutions but, sometimes there are the happy accidents that fork away, or even start another evolutionary trend. One should always start where you are with what you have and solve the immediate problems at hand before indulging in Blue Sky Musings. New products shouldn't be produced just for generating a new fashion and more profit. They should solve real problems, instead of just turning consumers into magpies.
What they mean is that when you tear down a building and build a new one, there's a huge amount of resources involved. Repurposing materials from the old building and including more sustainable ones in the new one will reduce it, but it will likely take many years, if not decades, to overcome that initial use of resources. At this point, anything made in the last couple decades is probably not something that can be replaced with something more sustainable at all as things have gotten pretty efficient. At least when architects are focused on that.
Completely agree... BUT coffee shops don't stop buying coffee machines, so if they are to buy something new, it might as well be sustainable. Like cars. I'm completely happy with my old VW kombi, but most people insist on buying new or newish, despite the fact that the production of a new hybrid car is disastrous in terms of environmental resources.
Someone should tell Tesla....... Or all modern car builders for that matter.... In practice, keeping a leaky old lumber cabin in Fairbanks, Alaska comfortable in winter by application of massive amounts of wood fired heat for another century, will in no way be more efficient than replacing it with a similarly sized factory built and QA's reefer box with 4 pane windows and a proper HRV. Even in most places outside Alaska, reefer boxes with HRVs would massively improve energy efficiency of almost all existing dwellings.
While watching this video about a machine I will never buy, it hit me that the main reason I am subscribed is because I simply love to listen to you talk. :)
Hey James! Thank you for the video. I am a home brewer and I think currently coffee is inaccessible to the people who wanna brew at home as it is not approachable (price-wise). From decent grinders to espresso machines, it is a very expensive hobby for a person to have as I see myself shelling a lot of money on that. I think coffee products and brewing equipments need innovation in a way that it brews great coffee with it not being as expensive for home brewers and cafés alike
Excellent video. I love hearing about how products are designed. The idea that I could engineer and create better interfaces and experiences for people is what attracted me to software development decades ago. The efficiencies that are built into this machine are very satisfying to me. Cheers!
My hope with these sorts of projects is that they can open the floodgates both in terms of technology as well as people's priorities in terms of pushing sustainability forward.
Videos about your life's work (like this one) is very much welcome! Great to know the decisions behind features of coffee products/machines like this. 👍
I like mechanical, the electronics have their applications, and can be awesome in the right places. But for a steam valve I love a good analogue thing. Heck, I'd like an E61 brew group with solenoid (so it can be backflushed easily) but with the analogue abilities to vary pressure with your hand via whatever trickery is needed. But skip putting it all on a touchscreen, there's a satisfaction with a button that goes click, and a lever.
I don't mind the solenoids for the steam wands, personally, but the fancy little screen is when it starts to bug me for sure. I can see the value, but it starts to make it feel more like a toy than a professional espresso machine to my brain, for some reason
I guess it almost feels like the same kind of menu characteristic of cheaper home espresso machines, actually, whereas most of the nicer ones tend to be a bit more analog feeling and polished in a really functional sort of way.
I’m interested in how “workable” the Eagle One is for shop owners. As parts inevitably meet their service life limits, how accessible is the replacement of those parts for a reasonably technical shop owner? I would shudder to sit down and tally all the hours and dollars we have spent working on our shop espresso machines over the last 20 years. This certainly should be counted into the fiscal sustainability of a coffee shop.
I will probably never be able to afford such a machine but I really love the "behind the scenes". I also like the 50s look of it very much. It's absolutely gorgeous!
Hey, we’re an early Black Eagle adopter and the first Café in the US to get the Eagle One! Been following you for a long time- maybe we can do a coffee swap?? 👋🏻☕️
Andrew Webb ugh.. traveled through in February for work just before the world shut down. Fingers crossed I’ll be back, loved Gold/yellow glassware and the drink in it!
Ive seen the video of James demonstrating about this machine in its early stages as Black Eagle and it's amazing how much it evolved. More than the function of consistency & work flow, now it also dealt with sustainability. A product that has a greater purpose. This is amazing to me. A sustainable coffee shop is part of my dreams and educating people on how that can be achieved is one of my main concerns too. Will definitely follow through the progress this brand makes in the industry.
I think you hit the nail on the head. If you want to sustain coffee culture And keep shops in business then making innovation more accessible to everyone is the goal. It’s that pesky expected return on investment that will hinder the production and release of more affordable sustainable machines. Profit before progress prevails yet again. Thanks for trying to do better.
James, as many of us are home brewers, can you tell us what technology from your Eagle One made it onto the Prima One? Is this a machine you'd recommend to the advanced home users?
i love it when machines are easily accesible and repairable, doing many repairs myself. I also love the look and feel of more sophisticated designs that in my opinion are usually minimalist in nature. I still own my Braun coffeemaker, which is just junk from the moment you buy it, so i try to enhance it's use through maintainance... but machines like this are really the way forward and at least make it a better return on investment. A machine you can repair again and again is ultimately much cheaper. In my experience in repairs they tend to outlast many other devices that aren't designed that way. But then again i love to buy broken machines and get them to run again and this looks like the kind of machine you could pick up from a scrapyard in 40 years and bring back to life with a few hours of TLC and i love that. Looks good
I had the pleasure to work on a black eagle and it has been by far the best espresso machine I’ve ever used. When I say by far I mean nothing compared to the ease of use especially during rush hours. It’s a tank and the UI is intuitive from a baristas point of view. They are expensive but worth it.
wow ! I think that what you are doing is actually really great !!! First thing that comes to mind for me is making an analogy with how the car company Tesla made it's way into the market. They are definitely innovators which means that they included really high technology in their cars but that came with a price at the beginning. Now, I'm not saying that they are anywhere close to being cheap at this moment in time but we have noticed a drop in price. So I think that making an expensive ( perhaps revolutionary in a sense) expresso machine with the purpose of shifting the paradigm ( which you are doing with all the heat recovery and distribution technology ) wouldn't be such a bad thing even if it would not sell in the beginning in the poorer countries... I am sort of new to the coffee industry and I don't know how many other companies strive to get the results you are aiming for but for me, hearing this for the first time is absolutely amazing that someone is thinking about this! Keep uo the good work ! and thank you for the lovely and informative videos !!
My local coffee shop/bar/roastery, Cirque in Tulsa, OK, tired to just do pickup and delivery to keep from shutting down, but they couldn't make ends meet. So they came up with a great idea. They ramped up the roastery side of their business and launched a new coffee called "Death to Good Coffee." They developed the cheapest roast they could make consistently that still lived up to their quality standards and only sell it wholesale . Now almost every grocery store in Tulsa sells it and it is about $5 cheaper per bag than any other local/specialty coffee, but beats many of them on quality. It became my go to bean after getting laid off and deciding to go into teaching and take a lower salary to get though this massive economic downturn. I would love it if you did a video on Cirque's "Death to Good Coffee." If you click "about" on their website it tells about this particular product. Let me know if you would like me to ship you a bag, as I don't believe it is sold online.
On the subject of sustainability, I think something that often gets overlooked is repair-ability. Let's say I buy a machine to do a particular job for me. I have initial options where, usually, I can pay more to get something that works better, is more efficient, maybe even is more durable and takes longer to break. However, everything breaks. It's a rule of existence. When the machine does break, will the company provide me the resources to repair it? Trouble shooting guides, instructions, replacement parts, etc. Besides you know, the things that need to be changed frequently like gaskets - I'm talking about the real things. A lot of companies now are against that. The sustainability of their business model is to sell the product, and it's not always in their best interest to sell a product that only needs to be purchased once. They may lure you in with warranties, a promise to repair it for you after a few years - which often involves ship a massive piece of equipment, sometimes halfway around the world - or have an incentive to encourage you to buy a new one, or a newer version. If an object weighs 50 kilos or so, how much the cost of sending it on a round trip several thousand miles diminish the energy savings that the engineers struggled to eke out? If we're talking about certain evil corporations, they make a concerted effort to make parts hard or impossible to find, as well as schemes for planned obsolescence. I doubt you're involved in the latter, but I see a lot of electronics on that machine. A lot of electronics on a thing that's going to be surrounded by hot humidity all the time. If I were in the market to buy an espresso machine (I am, actually, though only a home use one and not a business one), a problem I would foresee that would make me hesitant is "What kind of support will I have for this? Will they be willing to help me fix it? Would I even be qualified to or capable of fixing it even with help?" A lot of times now-a-days, when seeing two options, one a mechanical version that is slightly less and an electronic version that is slightly better, I will go for the mechanical simply because I can understand it better. Efficiency isn't always efficient, especially there are normal wear and tear uses that diminish that efficiency and it takes more work than is saved in order to maintain the optimal performance.
Yeah, and right to repair laws aren't in just yet. Companies like Apple and John Deere are trying to force people to buy new or replacements rather than crack them open or go 3rd party repair shop.
Do I need to know this much about such high end machines? No. Will I watch the whole video yes? :D
around 10k US$ / 7750 GBP
@@ai5506 /oo\
That’s his super power definitely.
it's not that high for a commercial machine with all these features and 3 group heads
It's really not bad compared to any la marzocco or slayer machines even the one group slayer is £9,000!!
As an engineer I really enjoyed all of the details of this, especially the waste heat recovery (straight out of a thermodynamics problem set). Also a huge fan of the focus towards sustainability, thanks for this.
I really want him to go into the details of the design thought processes and what his complaints along the way.
Not opening a coffee shop would be great for sustainability.
Rankine reheat cycle 💀
Hello Mr.James,
I have purchased a victoria black eagle gravimetric machine with two group heads for my coffee shop. However, I found it hard to find a full guide video on youtube on all that concerns the machine, starting from calibration to maintenance, and so on. I've been watching many of your videos, and you were a huge role in me deciding to buy this machine rather than other brands. However, vendors here where I stay don't seem to care much about teaching you all about the machine and expect the buyer to learn all the details themselves and they leave us with a brief explanation. I would like to suggest a video if possible by you on all we need to know about the victoria black eagle. This will be a huge help to the coffee industry and the clients who are buying the machine, especially if taught by you whom I think is an example of an excellent coffee teacher for me and the main youtuber that I watch to learn about specialty coffee while running my business.
Thanks for being a great teacher for the specialty coffee community.
I totally agree @Hassan Al-Hammadi. Where in Brazil the vendors just want to sell the machine, but without any kind of support or teaching the hole thing. And it goes with any brand, just "buy my product and Google it to learn something." Unfortunately. And yes we love to hear James talking about anything. I am in love with eagle one's project and waiting news from eagle one prima.
Interesting. In the old world one might say well why would James Hoffmann provide such specialized instruction for free. But in today's world those who don't need such instruction will watch it anyways at 3am so it pays for itself.
Same thoughts exactly. We bought a Victoria Arduino Venus Bar and you'd expect better explanation on maintenance, calibration etc. I've looked at other brands, and they have step by step videos from installation to maintenance of the machine.
To add to that, some companies have their own youtube channel with said videos. I think given how good your (james hoffman) videos are, some features videos, and instructional videos would be really cool and helpful
I think this kind of info is the best Mr Hoffmann can get! Fast actions required!
I'm Mexican and I loved that you put Mexico City in the topic... Because of economy, a cheap espresso machine in the UK is expensive to us. Nevertheles we have a huge coffee culture!
Love the way you try to innovate! Love your contet!
I'm not surprised, most of the expenses involved in coffee seem to be relatively fixed. When I was living in China, the cost of coffee was barely any less than what I had been paying in the US. Some aspects do get cheaper, labor and real estate, but the machines and the beans don't really change that much in price just because you're not in a rich part of the world.
Preparr ca 8TUSD for the machine
Jaja justo pensé lo mismo, la gran mayoría de los dueños se van por maquinas restauradas de 5-10 años o hasta más, ni siquiera las barras de café de mi ciudad pueden alcanzar a comprarse las mejores :(
Just started working on a new Black Eagle in London. After seeing how a BE works now, it's really interesting seeing how the Eagle One builds on this. I love the sustainable idea and how it's looking at saving cash for businesses as part of the design. One thing I would have maybe liked to see normalised in new espresso machines are front loaded portafilters, like we see in the KB90. Maybe that's probably beyond the scope of the Eagle One though (also could price it up? I really don't know.) While we've seen the PUQpress and other new types of kit behind the bar look to limit the physical damage that day-to-day coffee work does, I'd love to see more of it.
Also, since you asked, sustainability has invariably become less of a concern during the pandemic in the cafes I've seen. Most (almost 100%) coffee has been served in takeaway cups and customers often feel less scared by takeaway disposable packaging. This has only just started to change since being able to seat guests again. That combined with the amount of gloves getting used, single use masks, blue roll, takeaway cutlery etc etc. waste seems to be way up. I hope it's able to go back to where we were before. I don't mean this as any fault towards any business owners, literally the main focus and priority right now is to survive and it's so incredibly stressful.
Anyway, the new look Prufrock is great. Great looking machine, can't wait to see it in action.
I like how this channel talks about things beyond coffee -- a little bit of physics, engineering and sustainable industry that we all coffee-lovers should concern about!
I agree, I was able to get my engineer husband sucked into watching with me because of that!
He knows his audience really well, and the fact that he apologizes tht he has to tell u facts or theories, i absorb so much more knowledge
That all we coffee lovers should be concerned about*
Not trying to be an asshole, so sorry if this comes off that way, im just trying to help the commenter out.
Now do a single group head, domestic machine and call it “The Chicken One”!!
Not "The Turkey One"? 🤣
Call it “The eagle Three” and watch everyone get confused about which model has the most groupheads
Chicken Zero
Headless chicken
Being a sidekick it would be "Robin"
Some serious thought has gone into this machine. It also looks incredibly industrial and minimalist in design, and that gives it a form of elegance (that I can't believe I've said about a coffee machine). If only I had a coffee shop and needed something like this...
well, if you have the funds to spare... How about becoming the bestest of best friends for the coffee obsessed people in your life? This thing looks as big as a slightly elongated microwave.
I'm seriously considering to get this for me and my five flatmates, if it's as affordable as I hope. Splitting the price by six of course. I'm not that generous
@@MrFreshBanana is quite, super expensive
@@guille_snapshooter not compared to other commercial machines, but for an individual (or even a flat of people) it is probably too expensive.
This is the machine I use every day at work and it’s honestly a joy to use, opening the cafe with this machine makes my life so easy and it makes some very nice espresso
James, your audience is begging you; a video sharing all you know on Aeropress technique (perhaps even sharing some thoughts comparing the Aeropress to the V60) - we're crying out for it!!
Just watch/do Tim Wendelboe recipe and stay away from competition recipe, you'll be fine :)
Benjamin Arbez I don't like Tim Wendelboe's recipe and many others agree with me, I'd much rather have a concentrate more in line with the original Aeropress recipe
@@ramedina Just as many others would disagree with you and prefer the lower concentration brew similar to most modern filter coffee. It's all personal preference
Oble Absolutely, but I'm tired of that recipe being pushed by some as an ultimate recipe, my advice would be try everything including competition recipes (although they can get expensive)
@@ramedina Oh yeah, that I definitely agree. I like to try various recipes for each brewing method too 👍
This is incredible! I really appreciate a machine that is efficient, stylish, and ecofriendly. Can’t wait to see this machine at coffee shops all over!
A lot of learnings from this video - hits all three lenses of innovation (Viability, Desirability, Feasibility). I also love zooming in into 'sustainability' and how we normally just ignore the small things but accumulates into staggering amount of waste. Something that we don't see or notice but ultimately destroying the planet. Great content James!
I love seeing and hearing the excitement James has over design, function, sustainability, and more. This brightened my day.
Just going to say it. Your transparency is one of the best parts of your content. I trust your opinion on coffee and the related products more because you let us know every time you could be biased on a product. I love it
Capturing energy out of the waste water? As someone who worked with steam power plants for six years(U.S. Navy), this is what I like to hear.
It surprises me a bit that there's enough heat in the drip tray to offset the electricity used on the motor needed to circulate the water through there. But, then again, this is clearly intended for use in a coffee shop, so there's probably more hot water there than you'd expect. OTOH, this savings is double if you've got AC on and a net loss if you're having to heat the shop in the winter.
Obviously, on a ship or something of that scale, there's tremendous savings to get like that.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade Luckily here, they don't have to deal with superheated steam!! That was always a little scary.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade It looks like a passive device, with the waste water driven by gravity and the cool water passing through a coil under its incoming water pressure.
Even if it does use power it's still a net gain even when your heating is on. The amount of heat put into the room by the machine will be about the same either way, the heat exchanger just replaces some electric heat with heat recovered from water that would have gone down the drain and been lost from both the machine and the room entirely.
Window AC units sometimes also have an extra coil/heatsink on the bottom of their condensation trays to help with managing the state of the refrigerant using the dripped water and thus increasing the efficiency.
@@davidthedj I like it.
I really appreciate the sustainability features that have been incorporated into this machine; not only are they innovative, but they're necessary. It's important for businesses to be market-driven, but a business can also be value-driven, especially if those values are protecting the environment, which is beneficial for everyone. Thank you, James, for bringing attention to sustainability. I hope you keep it up and keep sharing it with everyone here!
I love the heat recovery from the waste water! That's actually similar to what some large buildings do with the ventilation system where a percentage of air is always brought in for fresh air and it goes through a heat recovery system with the warmer (or colder) inside air. Saves a lot of energy instead of dumping a whole bunch of conditioned air without reclaiming some of the energy.
Hi James, hello from Beijing here. I just started watching your channel after I bought the Breville Barista Pro and decide to make espresso making a hobby. Thank you for the great videos. And today I just realized you are the author of world atlas of coffee, which was published by Citic press in China, where my wife works. Great book! I will wait for the next video.
What a beautiful machine I say as I sip from my pre-ground supermarket French press brew.
There’s nothing wrong with a French press, but god damn you need to grind your own coffee ☕️
@@deathbyastonishment7930 he needs to go buy a freshly roasted and ground on demand coffee from a local roaster.
Smell the local coffee, then smell the supermarket coffee. ->
Suddenly you find yourself, at night on the couch, googling grinder reviews and trying to justify a 500 dollar purchase to yourself, and then, as you mash the order button before you've found said justification, you feel so very barista.
Try it. Sorry for your wallet.
... as I sip my Nespresso with sugar.
And here I am watching another guy extol the virtues of coffee instant type 2
You can get a hand grinder for $20usd on Amazon and even that will get you a better cup than pre-ground supermarket coffee. Just please get yourself any burr grinder.
I'm watching this at the gym and I burst out laughing, thank you ❤️
I’m loving these ideas to be more efficient and sustainable. As a barista and roaster with an International Development degree I’m always looking at ways to optimize efficiency without feeling completely robotic, and I’m constantly thinking about sustainability from bean to cup. I care so much about the environment and I really appreciate the efforts to reduce thermal energy loss as well as water waste. And the attention to keeping the price point as low as possible without sacrificing quality is just *chefs kiss.* Honestly thank you guy’s so much for your hard work and I hope more and more companies will have a mindset like yours in the future.
I never thought I would find a person talking, with hardly any visual drama, so fascinating.
This may be my favorite of all James Hoffmann videos. The latest technology in coffee brewing, proudly on display, and the man doesn’t own an iron to press his shirt. Brilliant!
James, in Australia, there's Nescafe Blend 43 instant coffee ads before your videos. Peak irony.
What you mean, instant coffees are great. I can't be bothered to grind and brew 5 cups a day XD :P
Happened to me in the UK too, ironically before his supermarket instant coffee roundup, which Nescafe did so terribly in :D
I really feel like Nescafe are sensing the uptick in online specialty coffee interest here in Aus and pushing the buck as hard as they can. I'm getting ads on all my socials for it, nice targeting but pretty hilarious considering viewers of this channel are among the least likely to give them any money (I'd hope).
Support independent roasters! Especially in Australia where we've got such a wonderful selection available
Yeah, but Blend 43 is kind of a big deal in Australia... XD
@@Lliamhd Even if that _were_ true, Nescafe Blend 43 is the worst of the instants aside from Woolies macro blend.
I think it's so important that people with sway in the industry like you are doing things like this. Even just making this video addressing the issues with sustainability in the industry is so important. You are setting an example with this machine, showing that these issues can be and should be addressed.
Wonderful work you are doing
This was my fav video in a while. I don’t work in the industry, in fact I only own a v60. But it was great to hear the thinking and the innovation that went into this machine. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a few more pictures of the machine itself.
I have said it before I love listening to you. Your tone and delivery is impeccable. Your story telling is perfect and your content ethical, responsible, intelegent and humble. Fyi I don't work in the industry I just like coffee.
As an engineer I wanted to hear more technical aspects and specially how they change or improve coffee quality
This had to be a very fulfilling project for anyone involved
I think you should take this further and as far as the team and company are willing to go on future machines
Sustainability thru efficiency can definitely be a great marketing point and selling point as well
Thank you for sharing
How do you touch on so many relevant issues in one 12 and a half minute video?! The environment, coffee industry sustainability, the latest innovation, the need for such innovation and all the frustrations surrounding those pesky tiny cola cans. Bravo to you sir.
What a beast! I have checked most videos in your channel, but really miss one topic: decaf beans.
Would it be possible to make a video on this, what the production process looks like and especially if there is a decaf bean somewhere in the world which kind of tastes oke? Would be amazing!!
He hinted at one point that that was a subject he wanted to talk about decaf. Hopefully that's on it's way!
Love it! As a coffee enthusiast and exclusive decaf drinker - would be great to dive further into decaf processes (water vs. CO2) as well as roasts, bean degradation, flavor, etc.
I really enjoyed Hasbean's decaff, definitely worth a try
Joel Ravier hey mate, the decaf beans I tend to see are darker roasts, are there lighter roasts as well?
100% this! Also for fellow Decaf lovers, I'd recommended Horsham Roaster's Peruvian decaf and Dear Green's Colombian decaf. Both are beautiful and fruity and I drink them as filter.
James, your passion is absolutely infectious and I love it. Coffee is just coffee to most people, but to people like us, it's a passion. An ideal. And I must thank you for being so inspiring.
Honestly, to hear you talk about the way a product like this is conceived, is super exciting. It also comes with instant disappointment, because as a home espresso enthusiast, I know I will never be able to use a machine like this! I've been thinking for a while now that you're probably the only one who could successfully lead a crowdfunded, co-created, ultimate home espresso machine project. You, the Simonelli group and coffee lovers from around the world working together. So many of the technologies you discuss here, like power usage but certainly also customization, would be awesome to have in a home machine. One can dream, right?
Talking about processes and approaches like this is super interesting and valuable. It is unusual for brands and businesses to talk about products like this because they are focused on marketing them, they have a vested interest in doing so and aim to create mystique etc so you'll buy it. When I hear about these processes it helps me to believe that I can do that too, rather than looking at a product and being baffled by it. Thanks James!
Being a hardware guy I loved this video! The analysis of coffee and its needs is spectacular and how you vocabularies it. I just keep learning more and more....
I love the passion and desire to innovate that comes out in this. It's awesome that you've demonstrated that reducing waste doesn't have to make things more expensive, it can go hand in hand with reducing financial waste and becomes a win/win and a no brainer.
Robotic water volume control? Heat exchangers?
Eagle One: the Fremen stillsuit of espresso machines. There's your SEO done.
Eagle One mk2 will probably require a nose plug
I get it, algorithm, the new Dune trailer is out. MAY THY BLADE CHIP AND SHATTER! ;)))
"I should've suspected trouble when the coffee failed to arrive." - Liet-Kynes
Would be great if people were in any way likely to search that.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of this crossover: imgur.com/a/HMSV7Jo
(I was the first though ;p )
I have had a Flair Classic for a couple of years and love it! I got a package with two brew chambers and make an Americano with coconut milk for my partner and myself every morning. We have taken it tent camping, to AirBnBs, in our travel trailer, etc. I roast my own coffee beans, which makes it extra fresh and delicious. I just upgraded to an Eureka Mignon espresso grinder which definitely improved the espresso. And now, I've watched this video and I guess I'll have to get the bottomless portafilter (when they're back in stock) because you say it will bring my espresso experience to an even higher level. I've yet resisted the pressure gauge to date. Thanks James - love your videos!
As a coffee nerd and a thermofluid design engineer by trade this video was such a pleasure to see!
He really got me with the heat exchanger in the drip tray! The engineer in me loved that!
I've been enjoying and learning through your videos since I began my coffee journey. I feel an incredible joy watching that through every video your subscriber count is constantly growing. Thank you for making coffee special for many, many people (including myself)
Hi James
I love your passion for the greater good and coffee. In Australia we need someone who cares about innovation, the environment and sustainability, please come to Australia and be our Prime Minister.
Sorry mate, we need him here, with fewer distractions than he would have running a country...
Specialty coffee lover and UX designer here... you spoke some very UXy words, congrats. I didn’t know these skills of yours 🎩👋 chapeau
I legitimately giddily laughed out loud when he explained the efficiency gained from heat exchanging the drip tray. This is the perfect nerd machine!
Hello James, Let me start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed your video: Clean and precise edits, a nice mix off seriousness and lightness, a good storyline that drew me in, and a powerful blend of passion and authenticity. Your production is not surprisingly very similar to the creation of a delicious shot.
Having said that and after reading numerous comments, I encourage you to consider the following:
- the manufacturer’s wholistic approach to sustainable design now needs to extend beyond the production process and fully encompass the user experience
- assuming full responsibility for the users’ experience (shop owner, barista and customer) leads to approaching that “problem” using the same admirable strategy that was used to design the product.
- without preordaining the outcome, I can see online manuals, videos (produced by you), faq’s, and a searchable database that intelligently responds to queries.
- and a searchable database of shops that own this tech... I for one would look them up and go out of my way to be their customer, thus adding a value proposition to the shop owner for this investment.
Thanks for the share and invitation to provide feedback.
One more thing... an affordable “home consumer” version would be most welcome if that’s even possible. Perhaps a follow up “problem” worth addressing?!
James "I'm Making The World A Better Place One Shot At A Time" Hoffmann. Thank you for putting so much effort into this project. The magnitude of improvement shows how much opportunity is out there! It is an excellent opportunity to foster larger conversations.
You literally mastered hand gesturing - they moved the entire time. Well done 👍
One topic I would be interested to know is repairability. I feel this this should go hand in hand with sustainability. How easy is it to repair and maintain and what are the estimated costs in the long run?
I feel like the more electronics we introduce, the faster it will become outdated and unsupported.
Not sure about electronics. But 8% gain heat exchangers sitting in a place as unkind as a drip tray.....
Somewhat related (although surprisingly rarely appreciated in this Age of Fashionable Hysterics): Waste heat minimization, only make any sense at all, in rooms which are already too hot. Otherwise, "waste" heat, whether from old-school lightbulbs or "inefficient" espresso equipment, simply offsets heat you would otherwise have to get from a separate heating appliance.
Even less related: My pie-in-the-sky coffee preparation industry waste reduction end goal, would be to wrap an Aeropress in just enough supporting structure, to enable it to handle a hydraulic ram (or manual lever) netting 8 bars of pressure. And, also to fine tune filters allowing it to be used successfully for pour over without clogging.... It's already very forgiving, as far as thermal insulation goes. Just seems like it could be standardized into a really cheap, well understood and available-everywhere "universal" extraction vessel. Emphasis pie-in-the-sky :)
@@paulnorman8274 well your point about "waste heat" offsetting some room heating consumption only makes sense with certain kinds of heating systems. if you're using heat pumps for heating then it's actually less efficient to offset it as it's more efficient than the "waste" energy. Also you'd have to consider that not all cities need heating. NY in summer, Los Angeles, etc... Will actually need more A/C as waste heat increases.
@@paulnorman8274your waste heat point is interesting but wrong. Because heat travels from high to low it is more energy efficient to heat a room from the bottom than it is from the ceiling. If those lightbulbs where attached to the ground then yes the waste heat is heat that you'd have to generate anyways, but because they're ceiling mounted its less efficient
Very exciting journey you took!
If you get regular consumers interested into a pro barista machine, you did great.
So good job, James! Wishing you all the success in the world.
James has the perfect voice for reading Audiobooks. Are you listening Audible?
Does he have time thou?
Doesn't matter what he reads. I would listen to it.
I want James to teach me to speak Spanish in 30 days. Haha
I don't even drink coffee, I just enjoy listening and learning about the craft.
You missed the perfect chance to say - Am I audible?
Congrats on an intelligently-built and beautiful solution. I hope it continues to bring you and many others joy.
I hope this is successful. I would love to one day see an amateur / consumer version with this emphasis on efficiency and group head temp.
I really liked how they have focused on markets outside of prime US and European cities. I often see almost every single company from clothing and tech to coffee would make stuff with just those markets in mind which is very ignorant... nailed it with this one!
As a person working in the energy efficiency industry, this is exciting to see. The technology is proven and accepted as viable in numerous commercial and industrial applications, to an extent where some utilities provide energy efficiency incentives or rebates to help offset the added capital cost. Hoping to see more of these types of innovations resolve our global fiscal and sustainability challenges!
For me ( not running a coffee shop) the pandemic lead me to your channel and to home brewing. I take my own coffee to work in a flask now, and buy far less cups of coffee. But I buy ( and receive from friends ) far more little bags of different coffee and accessories. It's been a personal joy. I'm sure I'll still visit my favourite coffee shops in time.
Ohhhhh I just want to curl up in that fiberglass sock with a good book and a cup of coffee
Thank you for your Videos, Mr. Hoffmann!
I've owned the Black eagle for a good 3 years now and except from having a few issues the first year around with malfunctioning parts, it's been a fun companion. However, for being a machine for coffee nerds who like full tweakability I found it staggering that Victoria Arduino decided to cap several settings without good reason. My biggest concern is the pre-wetting. It is capped at 5 seconds with a pause of 5. I personally would have loved it to be able to pre-wet until the first drop of coffee hits the cup and proceed with full pressure from there. We often experiment with super fine grind (close to turkish) and off the charts ratios like 1:0,4. To get that working at its best you really need a good 10-15 seconds of prewetting at the least. How come they lock down the firmware?!?!!
It's a shame he never answered this question it's an educated real interesting question
It's beautiful to hear you talk about a project close to your heart. I got an impression that you're proud and happy with everything that was achieved and if you're happy with a coffee related machine...
I've got nothing to add because I never used an espresso machine before so I can't relate to it, but I did watch a lot of videos and I can say that this one was, subjectively, too short. This is a fun topic, the machine and the intentions which lead to it. A deep dive sometime later maybe?
Is a consumer level, single group head on the roadmap?
That would be telling...
@@jameshoffmann just take my money already 😍
😍😍😍 If only my bank account could "sustain" a machine like that.
@@jameshoffmann, please give it a US option with a sub-$200 price...
@@jameshoffmann Who would you be telling?
I'm very impressed with your presentation, it's a great platform for discussions. That was the perfect meaningful coffee talk no one is even thinking about. I'm sure the majority of the comments will be as usual, witty or cynical, but that's it, you nailed it in all its dimensions. Great video.
Hey look another coffee thing I can trade my house for
Maybe not your house, but your truck or car? Yes.
I got excited at first when I thought "well this will be something decent and I will be able to have expresso at home for a price I can live with". Ooops.
@@mikeyoung9810 ya, 20k USD is just not for the average home coffee Enthusiast. It's still an amazing machine and would be something I happily would like to buy one day, but for now I'll stick with my simple DeLonghi 702 and french press.
Mike Young diD yOU sERioUsLy JuSt sPeLL iT “eXpReSSo” REEEEEEEEE *screams in elitist hipster*
@@AJ-ox8xy Setting aside the price, the fact that there isn't a single grouphead unit alone is likely sufficient to prevent these from being popular at home. Most people at home just don't need more than one grouphead. Perhaps you might be having parties, but even then you're probably not going to need more than that. If you do, you're probably better off hiring somebody to bring a cart and make the coffee for you anyways.
Well done James. You can tell you’re proud of what you’ve helped achieve here and rightly so. Really enjoyed this video and seeing the geeking out process. Beautiful machine as well!
Home version would be cool. Especially a lot of people not leaving their homes
there is a single group head version
I work in 2 cafes (same owners) and both have eagle ones in (2 group and a 3 group) and I have to say I love working on them. It’s low profile and compact design makes it very easy to pull great coffee and engage with customers simultaneously. It’s durable, dependable and most of all fun.
I’ve worked on other machines where the character is lost after becoming familiar with it and it can just get a little dull. But the eagle one has always been a highly enjoyable, unique and stylish machine and continue to enjoy them.
Interesting thought I hear in architecture and green building tech: "the most sustainable building is the one that's already built." The basis being that it is more environmentally costly to tear down and old building and build a brand new high efficiency one than it is to modify and improve an existing one. I think this could be an interesting way to think about in advancing coffee tech. Innovating in a way that uses existing infrastructure as the basis for advancement. In other words "the most sustainable espresso machine is the one that's already built" Thoughts?
Yes and no. Sometimes, it's possible to innovate off existing solutions but, sometimes there are the happy accidents that fork away, or even start another evolutionary trend. One should always start where you are with what you have and solve the immediate problems at hand before indulging in Blue Sky Musings. New products shouldn't be produced just for generating a new fashion and more profit. They should solve real problems, instead of just turning consumers into magpies.
What they mean is that when you tear down a building and build a new one, there's a huge amount of resources involved. Repurposing materials from the old building and including more sustainable ones in the new one will reduce it, but it will likely take many years, if not decades, to overcome that initial use of resources.
At this point, anything made in the last couple decades is probably not something that can be replaced with something more sustainable at all as things have gotten pretty efficient. At least when architects are focused on that.
Completely agree... BUT coffee shops don't stop buying coffee machines, so if they are to buy something new, it might as well be sustainable. Like cars. I'm completely happy with my old VW kombi, but most people insist on buying new or newish, despite the fact that the production of a new hybrid car is disastrous in terms of environmental resources.
Someone should tell Tesla....... Or all modern car builders for that matter....
In practice, keeping a leaky old lumber cabin in Fairbanks, Alaska comfortable in winter by application of massive amounts of wood fired heat for another century, will in no way be more efficient than replacing it with a similarly sized factory built and QA's reefer box with 4 pane windows and a proper HRV.
Even in most places outside Alaska, reefer boxes with HRVs would massively improve energy efficiency of almost all existing dwellings.
While watching this video about a machine I will never buy, it hit me that the main reason I am subscribed is because I simply love to listen to you talk. :)
I want James to narrate my life from now on
I want either him or Morgan Freeman.
just as long as it's not a stranger than fiction situation (the narrator was narrating to his death) I'd be down. James does have a good voice.
Wouldn't quite be the full James effect without his hand gestures and bouncing eyebrows.
Hey James! Thank you for the video. I am a home brewer and I think currently coffee is inaccessible to the people who wanna brew at home as it is not approachable (price-wise). From decent grinders to espresso machines, it is a very expensive hobby for a person to have as I see myself shelling a lot of money on that. I think coffee products and brewing equipments need innovation in a way that it brews great coffee with it not being as expensive for home brewers and cafés alike
Watching this knowing i would never afford it nor need it anyways . Still love the video. Wish I could pull a shot with this beauty 😍
Really great to see you speak so passionately about another one of your projects. Love your work!
Sounds like a very exciting piece of equipment, I really hope it does what it was intended to do. Another interesting video 😁
Excellent video. I love hearing about how products are designed. The idea that I could engineer and create better interfaces and experiences for people is what attracted me to software development decades ago. The efficiencies that are built into this machine are very satisfying to me. Cheers!
My hope with these sorts of projects is that they can open the floodgates both in terms of technology as well as people's priorities in terms of pushing sustainability forward.
Videos about your life's work (like this one) is very much welcome! Great to know the decisions behind features of coffee products/machines like this. 👍
Houston, the Eagle has landed...
Just received my free coffee when i got back from my first day back to work! Thank you so much, James!
I love how you keep saying Melbourne and not Sydney 😋
Accurate coffee geography based on history.
Pellegrini's, molto bene. Claimed to be the first in Melbourne to use an espresso machine 1954.
Well, duh
Brisbane anyone? LOL!
Love to see the finished article! Sustainability is ever more important, of course it is.
I like mechanical, the electronics have their applications, and can be awesome in the right places. But for a steam valve I love a good analogue thing. Heck, I'd like an E61 brew group with solenoid (so it can be backflushed easily) but with the analogue abilities to vary pressure with your hand via whatever trickery is needed. But skip putting it all on a touchscreen, there's a satisfaction with a button that goes click, and a lever.
I don't mind the solenoids for the steam wands, personally, but the fancy little screen is when it starts to bug me for sure. I can see the value, but it starts to make it feel more like a toy than a professional espresso machine to my brain, for some reason
I guess it almost feels like the same kind of menu characteristic of cheaper home espresso machines, actually, whereas most of the nicer ones tend to be a bit more analog feeling and polished in a really functional sort of way.
Lelit bianca
I love this, such important issues, forward thinking and great design. Good work!!
I’m interested in how “workable” the Eagle One is for shop owners. As parts inevitably meet their service life limits, how accessible is the replacement of those parts for a reasonably technical shop owner? I would shudder to sit down and tally all the hours and dollars we have spent working on our shop espresso machines over the last 20 years. This certainly should be counted into the fiscal sustainability of a coffee shop.
I will probably never be able to afford such a machine but I really love the "behind the scenes". I also like the 50s look of it very much. It's absolutely gorgeous!
You are my Steve Jobs of Coffee..
Not...yet or we dont have enough info about James pocket volume :)
I was determined not to get obsessively nerdy about another thing, but dammit James you make it difficult with your effortlessly enjoyable videos.
Hey, we’re an early Black Eagle adopter and the first Café in the US to get the Eagle One! Been following you for a long time- maybe we can do a coffee swap?? 👋🏻☕️
Where at?
Bindle Coffee ~ Fort Collins, CO - we got ours back in April!
Andrew Webb ugh.. traveled through in February for work just before the world shut down. Fingers crossed I’ll be back, loved Gold/yellow glassware and the drink in it!
ewiken5529 oh nice! Yeah, we opened up our Roastery space and got a 2 group E1!
Ive seen the video of James demonstrating about this machine in its early stages as Black Eagle and it's amazing how much it evolved. More than the function of consistency & work flow, now it also dealt with sustainability. A product that has a greater purpose. This is amazing to me. A sustainable coffee shop is part of my dreams and educating people on how that can be achieved is one of my main concerns too. Will definitely follow through the progress this brand makes in the industry.
im a simple man. I see james hoffamnn post, i like.
I think you hit the nail on the head. If you want to sustain coffee culture And keep shops in business then making innovation more accessible to everyone is the goal.
It’s that pesky expected return on investment that will hinder the production and release of more affordable sustainable machines. Profit before progress prevails yet again.
Thanks for trying to do better.
James, as many of us are home brewers, can you tell us what technology from your Eagle One made it onto the Prima One? Is this a machine you'd recommend to the advanced home users?
"I am a recreational home user as well", sounds weird if we are talking about coffee :D
Your Videos are quite the delight! Thankyou James.
Fair but disproportionate. I like that statement.
i love it when machines are easily accesible and repairable, doing many repairs myself. I also love the look and feel of more sophisticated designs that in my opinion are usually minimalist in nature. I still own my Braun coffeemaker, which is just junk from the moment you buy it, so i try to enhance it's use through maintainance... but machines like this are really the way forward and at least make it a better return on investment. A machine you can repair again and again is ultimately much cheaper. In my experience in repairs they tend to outlast many other devices that aren't designed that way. But then again i love to buy broken machines and get them to run again and this looks like the kind of machine you could pick up from a scrapyard in 40 years and bring back to life with a few hours of TLC and i love that. Looks good
The next time someone asks me why I'm so into coffee my response will be, "It's a strange journey, but I'm very pleased with the result".
life it'self....
I had the pleasure to work on a black eagle and it has been by far the best espresso machine I’ve ever used. When I say by far I mean nothing compared to the ease of use especially during rush hours. It’s a tank and the UI is intuitive from a baristas point of view. They are expensive but worth it.
"And I'm not interested in arguing that."
Californians thank you.
wow ! I think that what you are doing is actually really great !!!
First thing that comes to mind for me is making an analogy with how the car company Tesla made it's way into the market. They are definitely innovators which means that they included really high technology in their cars but that came with a price at the beginning. Now, I'm not saying that they are anywhere close to being cheap at this moment in time but we have noticed a drop in price. So I think that making an expensive ( perhaps revolutionary in a sense) expresso machine with the purpose of shifting the paradigm ( which you are doing with all the heat recovery and distribution technology ) wouldn't be such a bad thing even if it would not sell in the beginning in the poorer countries...
I am sort of new to the coffee industry and I don't know how many other companies strive to get the results you are aiming for but for me, hearing this for the first time is absolutely amazing that someone is thinking about this! Keep uo the good work ! and thank you for the lovely and informative videos !!
I feel like I need to slow the speed down on this video to get back to the regular James Hoffman pace
His passion is uncontainable, isn't it?!
My Mom had a VA Adonis at her Café. I worked there during my summer holidays every year. God I loved that Machine...
My local coffee shop/bar/roastery, Cirque in Tulsa, OK, tired to just do pickup and delivery to keep from shutting down, but they couldn't make ends meet. So they came up with a great idea. They ramped up the roastery side of their business and launched a new coffee called "Death to Good Coffee." They developed the cheapest roast they could make consistently that still lived up to their quality standards and only sell it wholesale . Now almost every grocery store in Tulsa sells it and it is about $5 cheaper per bag than any other local/specialty coffee, but beats many of them on quality. It became my go to bean after getting laid off and deciding to go into teaching and take a lower salary to get though this massive economic downturn. I would love it if you did a video on Cirque's "Death to Good Coffee." If you click "about" on their website it tells about this particular product. Let me know if you would like me to ship you a bag, as I don't believe it is sold online.
Wishing you and Victoria the very best.
On the subject of sustainability, I think something that often gets overlooked is repair-ability. Let's say I buy a machine to do a particular job for me. I have initial options where, usually, I can pay more to get something that works better, is more efficient, maybe even is more durable and takes longer to break. However, everything breaks. It's a rule of existence. When the machine does break, will the company provide me the resources to repair it? Trouble shooting guides, instructions, replacement parts, etc. Besides you know, the things that need to be changed frequently like gaskets - I'm talking about the real things.
A lot of companies now are against that. The sustainability of their business model is to sell the product, and it's not always in their best interest to sell a product that only needs to be purchased once. They may lure you in with warranties, a promise to repair it for you after a few years - which often involves ship a massive piece of equipment, sometimes halfway around the world - or have an incentive to encourage you to buy a new one, or a newer version. If an object weighs 50 kilos or so, how much the cost of sending it on a round trip several thousand miles diminish the energy savings that the engineers struggled to eke out? If we're talking about certain evil corporations, they make a concerted effort to make parts hard or impossible to find, as well as schemes for planned obsolescence.
I doubt you're involved in the latter, but I see a lot of electronics on that machine. A lot of electronics on a thing that's going to be surrounded by hot humidity all the time. If I were in the market to buy an espresso machine (I am, actually, though only a home use one and not a business one), a problem I would foresee that would make me hesitant is "What kind of support will I have for this? Will they be willing to help me fix it? Would I even be qualified to or capable of fixing it even with help?" A lot of times now-a-days, when seeing two options, one a mechanical version that is slightly less and an electronic version that is slightly better, I will go for the mechanical simply because I can understand it better. Efficiency isn't always efficient, especially there are normal wear and tear uses that diminish that efficiency and it takes more work than is saved in order to maintain the optimal performance.
Yeah, and right to repair laws aren't in just yet. Companies like Apple and John Deere are trying to force people to buy new or replacements rather than crack them open or go 3rd party repair shop.
Great video James. Thoroughly enjoy all of your content as your delivery is highly thoughtful and very engaging.