The London Coffee Festival is the highlight of my year, every year. As a Homes Editor who writes about the best coffee makers on a daily basis, I feel right at home surrounded by independent roasters and innovative coffee gear.
And if you're wondering how many espressos I drank, I think I blacked out after coffee number 9.
But even countless coffees didn't stop me from pining after the latest and greatest coffee tech the "biggest coffee party on earth" had to offer. From AeroPress to Fellow, I saw some seriously cool tech that I can't stop thinking about.
Be warned: not all of these products are available to buy yet, and some of them are still in development. But if this coffee tech is a sign of the innovations to come, I think my job's safe for another year.
1. Fellow Espresso Series 1
I got to the festival bright and early on opening day and made an immediate beeline for the new Fellow Espresso Series 1.
Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea. The machine was so swamped by coffee obsessives, you'd think we were at a movie premiere.
On round 2 though, I managed to get up close and personal with Fellow's first espresso machine. And oh boy, is it even prettier in person. The finish is clean, sleek, modern and surprisingly neat. I was mentally sizing it up, trying to figure out if I had room on my (already laden) countertops.
I tried (and failed) to suss out of we could expect a new espresso grinder to go with the Espresso Series 1 from some very tight-lipped Fellow employees. No matter, because the espresso made for me by London's iconic Watch House coffee roasters (using Fellow's Opus grinder) completely blew my socks off.
Although I'm more than a little gutted that I'll have to wait around 6 months to try it for myself and see if it deserves a spot in our best espresso machine roundup, it was great to see this machine in action.
If you preorder the Series 1 , you can get it for $1,199 plus $100 in Fellow Drops credits. For my fellow Europeans, pre-orders have yet to open.
2. Pietro Hand Grinder
The Pietro is hands-down the prettiest hand grinder I've ever seen. It feels incredibly luxe, too. The cold steel finish and upright construction make it totally fitting for a permanent home on your countertops.
Brought to the market by Italian brand Fiorenzaro, which specializes in electric grinders, the Pietro is a tribue to founder Pietro Fiorenzaro.
The Pietro claims to usher in "the vertical revolution", featuring 58mm flat vertical burrs which can take you from espresso all the way through to filter coffee. It's available in a range of gorgeous colors on the company's website.
There's U.K. distribution from Sigma Coffee for £360, and U.S. distribution through Seattle Coffee Gear for $475.
3. xBloom Studio
The xbloom might not be new to you, but it's new to me. Available for U.K. distribution finally through BrewedByHand, this is the first time I've been able to get my hands on this game-changing drip brewer. And why did nobody tell me just how smart this thing is?
My first impression was a sip from a fresh-brewed carafe, which was astoundingly good. Juicy, fresh, vibrant. Exactly my kind of drip coffee, and not the sort of thing I'd be able to achieve at home without some serious hands-on adjustments to my setup.
The xbloom does this all for you, allowing you to tap an NFC tag agsinst the top of your machine, which will automatically adjust the settings for the perfect result, with zero experimentation needed.
Everything has been thought through with the xbloom. It's got a super sensitive in-built scale for more manual brewing, and its attachments allow you to use it as a grinder for espresso or other brewing methods.
Even as it brews, its water flows in a circle (like you'd pour it with a gooseneck kettle) and the machine lightly shakes the brewing cup to agitate the grounds, reducing clumping.
I'm going to need this in my kitchen ASAP. It's available for U.S. readers for $599 at xBloom.com.
4. Aeropress Go Plus
Confession time: I've never tried the AeroPress. But if I was to try one, I think it'd be the new Go Plus. It's totally portable, pouring coffee directly into a tumbler that also doubles as a storage container when you're done. Plus, it comes in pink.
The custom travel tumbler comes with a magnetic leak-resistant lid and a built in filter holder, meaning I could take it on those family trips where you're otherwise stuck drinking instant coffee.
As a newly-minted coffee snob, some portable coffee gear is becoming an essential.
The Go Plus is $89.95 or £85.99 and comes in three colors.
5. Linkbar Single Touch
A suspiciously sparse stall caught my eye as I made a final, jittery sweep of the festival. The brand is LinkBar, and it could well be the future of coffee shops.
This under-counter coffee and milk dispenser system looks and performs like a high-end faucet, but the milk and coffee it dispensed was far superior to the sort of coffee you'll get in offices and even some mainstream coffee shops.
I loved my little latte, and it took less than 15 seconds to pour. The microfoam was fine and full of texture, and the coffee had a dark punchiness that would definitely satisfy the average Starbucks consumer.
I suspect my employer is more than a few years away from investing in this kind of coffee tech, but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw LinkBars popping up in major corporate spaces or even coffee shops in the coming years.
If this is the future of coffee, I can confirm that it tastes delicious.
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