Instant Buzz: Microwave Espresso Maker
If you don’t care so much about brewing the ‘perfect’ cup of espresso and would rather just pour caffeine down your gullet as quickly as possible, you can still do so with some measure of coffee snobbery using the ‘Piamo.’ This little espresso maker features a water chamber, filter and an espresso cup – you put the whole thing together, stick it in the microwave, and yo’ll have a hot cup of espresso within 30 seconds.
4 Hours to the Perfect Cup: Imperial Drip Machine
On the other end of the spectrum is the Imperial Drip, a machine by Proper Coffee that can take up to four hours to brew a single pot. The idea is that slowly dripping old water through ground beans over an extended period of time gives the resulting beverage a more intense flavor with a less acidic taste and a syrupy consistency.
Start Your Engine: Espresso Veloce V12
Engine jokes are impossible to avoid with the Espresso Veloce V12, a replica engine paying tribute to those raced by Formula One legends like Michael Schumacher. The finished brew comes out of the exhaust pipes, and an ‘oil filler’ can be primed with your favorite liquor.
Espresso Solo: Concrete Espresso Machine
Designer Shmuel Linski’s main aim with Espresso Solo was to bring concrete into the kitchen in an unexpected way. Designed for coffee giant Lavazza, the machine is a contrast between the rough, heavy and hard qualities of the concrete and the precision of the metal elements.
