Sending off my design

So, I have finally settled on a design, now I know what I am doing, I've just sent this off to ChemGlass and hopefully there is a possibility of making this work. If not, I may have to change my design.

More sketching

So, after the overload from the V&A, I got some ideas. I also (finally) have my final design. What's left to do: 

• Illustrate a better version to be sent off to GlassChem
• Make a prototype of out plastics

Postmodernism

I went to the V&A to see the Postmodernism exhibition, which was perfect for this project. There were so many teapots to look at!

 

Coffee Joulies

These stainless metal beans cool down coffee to the right temperature and manages to retain it afterwards as well. I think it's such a great invention. This video should explain everything.

Some hope that my design could work

I found out that there is a condenser that is used in laboratories for cooling down hot liquids. It is a glass tube which has another smaller tube within it, and where the liquid passes through. This invention cools down hot liquid rapidly, whereas I just want it to be warm, not completely cold. I think if I incorporate this idea into my design somehow, it could help sort out the function issues.

Design Proposal

I have chosen the third idea - a vessel that cools coffee down and continues the performance part of the siphon method. I have decided that the design needs to look similar to the equipment already used, so it will be made out of glass. The product will look like a decanter with a spiral tube built inside so the coffee can be poured into and then slowly pass through it to cool down. I think this will be entertaining for people to watch and this presents a new development to tie into the third wave.

Things I still need to do: 

• measure how long the coffee takes to cool down 
• test how long the tube needs to be
• call chem glass to see if they can make it
• get tubing to experiment with 

Here are some sketches

Design Ideas

Allpress, London

Idea 1

Performing Knowledge

"You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself" Galileo Galilei
How does knowledge get transfered in coffee culture? From interviews that we made for our video, I have noticed how well people are connected in this industry. I wonder how the connection between a "master" and a student works, is it like in the old days when an artist takes on an apprentice?
In the third wave, it seems like baristas are performing their knowledge for the audience to watch and maybe if they had some sort of an apprentice badge to show that they learnt from a known master, would it make a difference? It is almost like art, they can express themselves - though latte art or giving a customer a great cup of coffee. I think it would be interesting to look at how the connection in the coffee culture works and consider what if this way of learning was applied to other subjects - such as design.

Idea 2
Why has making coffee become so difficult?
  
The siphon coffee method shows the technological advances that we have made to this day. It is affecting the whole production and consumption of coffee. This includes roasting, brewing and even the serving of this beverage that used to be so straightforward. The Third Wave is all about improving the taste of the coffee, and I see people increasingly becoming interested in this topic, therefore I was thinking of bringing these advanced techniques to a consumer's home. I would like to explore the possibility of making your own siphon coffee, with either household appliances or materials that are easy to find and still achieve a similar outcome.

Idea 3 
Decanting coffee

I remember that after the barista made us a cup of coffee using the siphon method, we weren't able to drink it straight away and we were warned that its going to be really hot. I also noticed, he decanted the drink before pouring it into cups, which was strange. I wondered what the decanter was for and how it links back to the whole coffee making performance that he's just given us, which gave me an idea of a reconstructed decanter that would continue the show as well as cool the coffee before it's served.

"Roast It Right. Sell It Right. Serve It Right"

Prufrock Cafe, London

An opinionated definition of third-wave coffee terms

• Chemex: A one-piece hourglass-shaped coffeemaker that is revered by coffee purists for brewing the most impeccable coffee possible. Worth trying once or twice, but the subtle differences may not be noticeable to the average coffee drinker.
• Cold Brew: A method where coffee is made overnight using a brewing method that requires no application of heat, resulting in coffee lower in acid and caffeine. In the warmer seasons this is a great way to make iced coffee at home.
• Cupping: The process of tasting finished coffee, not unlike tasting wine. Coffee isn’t swallowed but is instead loudly sucked over the palate and swished around the mouth in order to identify flavour and aroma notes. Not for everyone, but an exciting way to experience coffee for all that it can be.
• Direct Trade: When coffee roasters buy directly from the farm rather than from a bean broker. This results in a higher profit for the farmer and quality assurances.
• Estate: A defining term for wine and coffee, meaning that the grapes or beans were all grown on a single farm. Most wine and coffee uses raw material from many locations.
• Fair Trade: A certification program and social movement that aims to help producers in developing countries receive a fair price for their product.
• Latte art: Images created by pouring perfectly steamed milk into a shot of espresso, leaving a design or image behind. Watch for “bad” latte art, used by “drawing” on the top of the drink—true latte art uses only pouring motions to make the design. Latte art is more than beautiful, it signifies perfectly steamed coffee.
• Single origin: A single type of bean, collected from a single farm and roasted using only one roasting technique.
• Terroir: Taken from the French word for land—terre. It is the taste and flavour imparted to fruit, vegetables, meat, or dairy by the environment (soil, topography, climate) in which it is grown or raised. 

(source: http://www.buffalospree.com)

    Five steps to the best cappuccino

1. Know where your beans come from.
2. Freshness. "You need to know when the coffee was roasted." Three weeks is optimum.
3. Favour a burr grinder, not one of those helicopter blades because they don't grind evenly.
4. Get a good-quality machine with a stable temperature.
5. Keep the frothing wand clean. "If you overheat the milk it loses its sweetness."

Third Wave Coffee

Siphon Coffee Technique, Prufrock Cafe, London

First wave started through commercials, that pressured people to increase consumption of instant coffee at homes and therefore the flavour and the overall quality has been ignored.
Second wave began with coffeehouse culture in the ’60s, such as Starbucks. This stage is increasingly focused towards pleasing consumers and therefore introducing and nurturing specialty coffees.
Third wave set off in the mid-2000s where coffee is being treated as delicately as fine wine. The importance of quality in the cup and the territory associated with specific origins, production methods, and preparation styles results in forgetting about the consumer. "It's all very uncorporate, and passionate about freshness and the sourcing of coffee beans." Britain's best barista Gwilym Davies (source: the Guardian)

FIRST WAVE                                    SECOND WAVE                   THIRD WAVE    

   Convenience                                        Customisation                    Crafting with care
Commercials                                            Creativity                              Culinary art 

Consistency                                            Community                        Conceitedness

Beyond the Buzz

This film serves as a presentation of the group's research into the new coffee culture sweeping through London today - called the Third Wave.

Photography: Kate Tran

Interviews: Gemma Carr, Helen Maier

Editing: Gemma Carr, Helen Maier, Kate Tran

Special Thanks to: AllPress Espresso, Prufrock Cafe and all the nice people that let us film them :)

I am proud to say that as a group, we worked well together. In my opinion, the video could have been more developed and filled with more focused information. On the other hand, the visuals turned out good, for the fact that I have just learnt how to record video on my SLR camera. 

The Coffee Network

Here is a visual example of how the coffee culture in London is linked.