Home Appliance ASCII Balmuda Finally Coffee Maker Announced "Not at Home Drinking Level"

BALMUDA The Brew Release date October 7, 2021 Direct sales price 59,400 yen Balmuda https://www.balmuda.com/jp/brew/

It is a coffee maker to be tried.

Balmuda announced the long-awaited coffee maker "BALMUDA The Brew" on September 8th. After extracting about 3/4 of the total amount of coffee, we adopted a method called "bypass pouring" in which hot water is poured directly into the coffee server. Balmuda calls this the "Clear Brewing Method" with the concept of bringing out the original taste and aroma of coffee while creating a clean aftertaste.

There are two channels (bypasses) for pouring hot water into each of the dripper and the server.

There are three modes: regular, strong, and ice. Regular has a standard taste with bypass pouring, and Strong has a strong taste without bypass pouring. Iced coffee is poured into a glass filled with ice, so it has a stronger taste than strong coffee.

When using, set a paper filter on the dripper and put coffee powder in it. Set the mode and the number of cups and start extraction. If you wait while listening to the sound of the clock hands moving forward, steam will rise from the coffee server with the sound of "fushu", and the server will be warmed up.

There are 3 modes (regular, strong, ice)

Can extract up to 3 cups (about 120 ml x 3 cups)

Set the coffee powder on the paper filter and start extraction

Wait while listening to the clock-like sound of "parentheses, parentheses"

First the steam preheats the coffee server

After a while, hot water is poured into the coffee powder from the pouring port through the five holes. After steaming, pour several times, and finally pour directly into the server (in regular mode).

Hot water is poured into the coffee powder in several batches.

Finally, pour hot water directly onto the coffee server (bypass pouring)

The hot water temperature and the amount of hot water are finely adjusted. It is said that it is first steamed at 93 ° C, extracted while gradually lowering the water temperature from 92 ° C to 82 ° C, and finally poured with 86 ° C hot water (in the case of regular mode, 3 cups). It is said that the amount of hot water is finely adjusted in units of 0.2 ml.

Example of temperature control (regular mode, 3 cups)

Eventually, the music for which the extraction was completed was played, and the coffee was ready in about 5 minutes.

Coffee was ready in about 5 minutes

The taste is certainly a strong taste, but a refreshing aftertaste. It has a strong aroma and a well-organized taste. Personally, I liked it because it was like coffee served at a so-called junk coffee shop. At least it tastes a lot better than the coffee you make yourself. Especially iced coffee had a good aroma and was very delicious.

I've also tried hot water drip at home, but it got thinner and said, "It's not the same as making Cafe Americano with espresso." However, this was an opportunity to rethink my thoughts. If you brew it in a well-adjusted hot water temperature, it will have such a well-organized taste.

In addition to the special drip method called bypass pouring, the slim body with a width of 140 x depth of 297 x height of 379 mm is noteworthy. The width is about the same as the company's electric kettle "BALMUDA The Pot", which is easier to place than a general fully automatic coffee maker or espresso machine.

Slim design that is almost the same as an electric kettle

From the right

From the left

From the back

Example of installation.You can see how compact it is

The design is a Balmuda-like finish with attention to detail. The matte black body is combined with glossy stainless steel parts, and the upper part is decorated with the orange lamp that was also installed in BALMUDA The Pot. It is said that the design is such that you can enjoy the sound and scent by making the drip part visible without installing a lid on the upper part of the main body. That's why the steam blows up magnificently.

The space above the dripper is empty

Twist the dripper to the right and it will snap into place

You can remove it by twisting it toward you and pulling it with a light force.

Stainless steel parts on the top of the dripper

It acts as a guard to keep out of reach

Also equipped with a lamp that was also attached to the electric kettle

The lid of the water tank is a magnet type

Can be opened from anywhere in the front, back, left and right

The water tank is easy to put on and take off.However, space is required at the top

Where to put water in the removed tank

There is a slip on the edge of the tank

It is said that Starbucks recognized this taste, and that a special model in collaboration with Starbucks' reserve will be released. BALMUDA The Pot was also collaborating with Starbucks Reserve, so I think BALMUDA The Brew with the "★ / R" logo will be announced soon.

By the way, at the development stage, he made a prototype of a fully automated machine, but he said he stopped saying "there is nothing good". It was difficult to balance price and quality while incorporating a mill, and the disadvantages were greater, such as the size becoming larger and the maintenance becoming troublesome. Instead, we will release a hand-ground mill.

Incidentally, on July 29, Japan AIC, which competes with graphite toasters, has announced the "Aladdin Coffee Brewer" that uses the same bypass method (tentative name, scheduled to be released next spring, price undecided). Balmuda preceded the release, but it seems that it will be compared soon.

The coffee maker had announced the development of the toaster "BALMUDA The Toaster" in 2015, and it is also the first new product after the listing of Balmuda. In terms of topicality, smartphones scheduled to be released in November this year tend to attract attention, but BALMUDA The Brew is the favorite of Balmuda, which is famous for home appliances. However, the price is not cheap, but rather it has become a challenging product that is one of the best in the company.

President Gen Terao, the company's representative, self-proclaims that the taste and aroma of coffee brewed at BALMUDA The Brew is "not at a level that can be drunk at home", while the product itself, including the price, "is bad, but the best The corners are standing. "

Balmuda CEO Gen Terao President and Chief Designer

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