Engineering The Freshest Coffee via Robots
Ready for the freshest cup of coffee you’ve ever had? Roasting Plant Coffee Company in New York wants to serve it to you, with a tea spoon of ingenuity. They have created a modern robotic system called Javabot with the intention of creating the freshest, most flavorful cup of coffee available.
Walking into their store feels like stepping through a portal to the future. There are pneumatic tubes overhead transporting several variates of coffee beans to and fro. Grinding gears, a roasting station and brewing machines all whiz and whirl. Just as you begin to adjust to the all the visual and auditory stimulus, you are bombarded with the rich smells from this way and that.
If you’re delighted with all the myriad choices Starbucks offers, you are bound to be in heaven within the confines of this engineering marvel. They have blends that can range upwards of eight beans, you specify the roasting process, and determine the temperature levels at which the coffee is processed. No idea which coffee is best suited to your tastes? The machine will make minute adjustments on your behalf and have 3 samples for you to choose from.
Javabot’s turnover and potential profit must have a few investors licking their chops. It’s a company aimed to produce a highly-customized product at a consistent quality, all in about 30 seconds. You walk in, place your order, and less than a minute later you have the perfect cup of Joe in hand and ready to soldier on into another day of stimulant assisted living.
Their first store in New York is a prototype. But I have a feeling once more people experience the machine they’ll be coming back in droves, with franchise checks in hands.
Related Posts:
- None
Neece said
am April 16 2008 @ 10:47 am
I love robots. I notice you didn’t mention the price of the cup of coffee? You’d think it would be outrageous, but I guess especially in New York, people really don’t care about such piddly little things like price and stuff. And certainly coffee is one thing people are willing to pay an arm and a leg for, especially to get something “cool” and delicious!
Jerad Kaliher said
am April 16 2008 @ 1:30 pm
@Neece, pricing may be one of the better parts that I left out. I just got off the phone with the NY store and it looks like a single cup of Joe will only set you back $2, including tax.
This whole concept is just ripe to be installed in high trafficked areas, such as airports and subways.
bananafish said
am April 16 2008 @ 5:58 pm
whoa man! i love this. how long before it gets to KC? 35 years? 40? haha.
Jerad Kaliher said
am April 16 2008 @ 6:01 pm
@bananafish, oh yeah, I’d suspect the waiting list for this concept is going to be lengthy. It’s not exactly the cheapest investment and they seem like they are working slowly on the concept, trying to develop it instead of lighting a match to it.
Krishna said
am April 16 2008 @ 6:06 pm
Sounds like a great idea to me. I think it would speed up the entire process. Especially if it goes for $2, I know it would be massively popular around my college (which happens to be in NYC).
- Krishna
Jerad Kaliher said
am April 16 2008 @ 7:50 pm
@Krishna, you know – that’s exactly what I see it as: placement where lots of people have the opportunity to stop in and grab a quick cup.
Now the question is, how do you develop the “coffee house” atmosphere. When I first began going to coffee houses in America I was there for the experience. I wanted a plush chair to lounge in while I studied. Yet these days I grab what I need and run. Maybe they are banking on my demographic, but we’ll see how it all pans out.
Jack said
am April 17 2008 @ 6:28 pm
Very ingenious.
I’m wondering about the 30-second delivery.
Typical roast times are 14-16 minutes but a “by the cup” roast is so small a mass that an appropriate time may be achieved much faster.
Guess I gotta go there!
Connie T. said
am April 18 2008 @ 5:12 pm
@Jerad’s 2nd comment:
IMO, the “coffee house” atmosphere is nearly nonexistent in NYC (except in Brooklyn!). And even unnecessary: most NYC’ers are on the go all the time. Starbucks was ingenious in its design, get people in, and get ‘em out, get in the next batch of customers as quickly as possible. I think most people drink coffee nowadays for the caffeine to keep up with their demanding lifestyles, myself included. Perhaps one day there will be bars that just give people Red Bull injections, who knows, people are nuts enough.
Believe me, I totally miss just being able to lounge on a couch and sip on a cup o’ joe and chill with some peeps, but this idea is so brilliant and fits urban models quite well. I will seek out this place when I get the chance and let you know how it is. Along with the book-making machine….(I don’t have enough time in my life!!!)
p.s. just checked out their website. I’m sorta surprised they opened up their first location up on the Lower East Side?!? I expected this place to be more in Midtown or the Financial District.
Timps said
am April 19 2008 @ 6:16 am
From what I’ve gathered elsewhere online the coffee is pre roasted.
They simply add in another batch of whatever you choose when you choose it.
So the coffee you see sliding through the tubes won’t end up in your cup.
Coffee fanatics would not accept a cup that was roasted and then immediately brewed. It needs hours to become just right.
I do love the idea of the javabot though, and it’s incredible to see robotics creeping into reality. The world of today becoming the Jetsons or Futurama is going to be very sudden.
From modern times to the “future vision” will likely happen in less than 10 years.
Mary BC said
am April 19 2008 @ 4:25 pm
Folks, I’ve been there and trust me you really can not get a better cup. The beans ARE roasted in the store – that is part of the show. The whole contraption plays off the idea that the beans go from roast to cup seamlessly. I have been in the store while the beans are roasting and have been on the receiving end of a some fine brews. The staff are really friendly and knowledgeable. The LES is another NYC neighborhood that has been gentrifying and expensive shops have taken over. Still, you can get a damn fine cup!
Deez said
am April 21 2008 @ 7:49 am
Does it produce a liquid not entirely unlike tea?
rick said
am June 16 2009 @ 5:31 pm
Beans need time to rest and de-gas after roasting, so a real-time roast/brew would not necessarily be optimal. Real-time blending/brewing would work, but coffee isn’t very good just after roasting IMHO.