Alpha Dominche’s Steampunk 2.1
If there is one thing that can grab our attention immediately it is a coffee machine. Aesthetically, a well-crafted espresso unit can be a work of art that can be an integral role in the theatre of the barista.
The Alpha Dominche Steampunk range certainly fits this bill and the Salt Lake City based company has recently unveiled the compact and sleek Steampunk 2.1.
Meaning ‘first of its kind’, Alpha Dominche describe their approach to brewing coffee as a ‘new path forward.’
The Steampunk 2.1 is labelled as ‘revolutionary single-cup brewing system’ and is capable of brewing two cups of coffee, or tea, concurrently, ensuring that every beaker is filled with a consistent and intense favourable extraction, providing a unique coffee experience for the customer.
By incorporating advanced controls, the machine allows baristas to set specific parameters for each cup which in turn offers a number of flavour profiles that are similar to those that are produced by a range of brewing process such as the French press and pour-over techniques.
Visually, the machine draws its inspiration from the retro-futuristic movement it is named after. Its angular body is juxtaposed by two cylindrical containers that control the brewing process.
Details & Specification
- h762mm x w533mm x d610mm.
- 11.l litre stainless steel boiler with a PIC controlled 2,800w heating element.
- Three grades of metal filters allowing the Steampunk to duplicate brewing profiles
- Automated rinse cycle
- Interface powered by a Google Nexus 7
In 2012, the original Steampunk model claimed the ‘Best New Product’ award from the Specialty Coffee Association of America, and in the following year the first commercial Steampunk sale was made.
Now, the Steampunk is making history; what was initially a side project has morphed into a lustrous brewing system that is gradually making its way into cafés all over the world.
As a steampunk, I can assure you that this machine draws no inspiration from steampunk and has instead used a popular buzzword in order to appear "cool". Steampunk is all about Victorian Science Fiction. It is brass, cogs, leather, mahogany and fine moustaches. It is most certainly not chrome, sleek lines and a futuristic approach in design. If anything, it is more akin to Dieselpunk, but I fear I'm treading in waters I'm unfamiliar with there and you'd have to ask a Dieselpunk. The use of the name for this coffee machine (steampunks are primarily tea drinkers) is dubious at best.