When you feel that morning brain-lag coming on and you need caffeine, you need it right now – not when the barista finishes texting, not when Greg from accounting brews a new pot of the office swill. The Minipresso from Wacaco is a hand-powered espresso machine you can use right at your desk for fresh, hot coffee goodness. Unlike other desktop coffee makers, this one actually produces high-quality espresso in small quantities.

The process of making an espresso looks a bit fussy in the video, particularly the parts when you have to tamp the grounds and then pump the button a hundred times. But compared to buying, cleaning and maintaining a full-size traditional espresso machine, this is a breeze to handle. If you don’t like the idea of messing with the grounds, the Minipresso can also be fitted with an adapter to accept Caffitaly pods.

The Minipresso even includes its own cup, so other than the grounds and hot water you have to provide, it’s a self-contained espresso maker. Cleanup couldn’t be easier: rinsing the parts in water and drying out the water chamber are the extent of the cleaning process. It’s not just for office slaves, either. The Minipresso can accompany you hiking, camping, or on road trips – provided you always have a supply of espresso grounds and hot water available.

The post Hand-Powered Espresso Maker for a Portable Jolt of Java first appeared on Gajitz.

There is no shortage of devices out there meant to help you enjoy a good old cup of coffee anywhere and anytime. But Hey Joe, developed by a duo of Atlanta-based entrepreneurs, is a little different. It doesn’t just hold your hot coffee for you or simply keep it warm; it lets you brew your mug whenever and wherever you please with nearly no waste.

Hey Joe consists of two reservoirs with a coffee pod in between. The top reservoir holds up to 14 ounces of water. When you’re getting ready to go to work, class, hiking, or wherever your day is taking you, you fill up the water chamber and pop in a proprietary Hey Joe coffee pod. A detachable, USB-rechargeable battery pack is installed at the bottom to provide the mug with power.

Later, when you’re ready to brew, you just have to push the button. One push brews the coffee at 140 degrees F; two pushes bumps the temperature up to 155 degrees F, and three pushes will get you a cold-brewed cuppa. All told, you’ll only wait a maximum of about three minutes for your fresh coffee. If your java gets cold and you want to warm it up, another push of the button will activate the internal heat plate which will heat your coffee up for you back to the perfect temperature.

One of the inventors’ goals was to cut down on waste generated by taking coffee on the go. To that end, their proprietary coffee pods are wrapped in biodegradable packaging that contains flower seeds. After you tear open one of the envelopes containing a coffee pod you can plant the wrapper and grow some lovely flowers. You can also use your own coffee sans pod in the Hey Joe, but the inventors don’t recommend it as it tends to cause a bit of a mess.

The project soared past its crowdfunding goal on Kickstarter, where pledges of $49 got you a Hey Joe system and an additional $20 could score you 40 coffee pods included with the mug. As of the time of publication they are still accepting pre-orders at $49, so if you’ve ever been out away from home and didn’t want to spend $6 for a cup of tasty joe, this is the time to jump on the chance to revolutionize the way you drink coffee.

The post Super Convenient Mug Brews Coffee Whenever, Wherever first appeared on Gajitz.

There are so many similes that go along with this espresso machine (coffee as ‘diesel fuel’; waking up as ‘starting your engine’) that they seem unavoidable. Even if you’re not a gear head, though, it’s easy to appreciate this beauty by Espresso Veloce.

The ‘V12’ is part of their series of coffee makers that pay tribute to the grand prix engines of the 90’s. The series includes a ‘V8’ and ‘V10’, but why settle for lesser power? This replica engine was ‘tool room engineered’ and is constructed of various alloys such as magnesium, titanium and aluminum.

According to EV’s website, the engines are a throwback to those raced by Formula One legends such as Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. After the ingredients are processed, in true automotive fashion the coffee is dispensed through an exhaust pipe.

The V12 has a feature that allows you to truly turn your coffee into diesel fuel. It has an ‘oil filler’ that allows you to store your favorite liquor. Espresso Veloce calls it a ‘grappa reservoir’ that perfectly mixes the liquor in with the espresso for a true caffé corretto. Available in colored titanium or black carbon finish, this piece is destined to win design gold.

The post Low RPMs in the AM? Espresso Your Love For Caffeine, Cars first appeared on Gajitz.