DUOBO - Juicero for Coffee

[EEVblog]

DUOBO - Juicero for Coffee

https://www.official-duobo.com/

[ataradov]

It looks like they are just selling the machine that uses existing cups. So, it is better than Juicero at least for that.

I guess some people would like to have their coffee mixed. Seems marginal, but not that different from internet connected heated mugs and other eventual e-waste like that.

[madires]

IIRC, capsules are the most expensive way to make a cup of coffee. And also the most problematic regarding waste. Pads are less expensive and can be composted. Can't speak for others, but I wouldn't want a blend of blends.

[EEVblog]

It looks like they are just selling the machine that uses existing cups. So, it is better than Juicero at least for that.

In this case you are the product:

[abeyer]

If you really want to do the expensive high tech coffee thing there are far better options which also don't rely on expensive but marginal quality pods.

[thm_w]

$400 (500 after early bird), same as juicero, but I think they could build this for under $400 without too many issues.

IIRC, capsules are the most expensive way to make a cup of coffee. And also the most problematic regarding waste. Pads are less expensive and can be composted. Can't speak for others, but I wouldn't want a blend of blends.

Yeah I don't drink coffee but I don't get it, if you want a blend can't you just order from a company that sells blends instead? Custom pod blends exist. If you care that much you'd mix your own stuff.

If you really want to do the expensive high tech coffee thing there are far better options which also don't rely on expensive but marginal quality pods.

$4000, its literally 10x the cost, and not as convenient. The whole juicero selling point was convenience.

[abeyer]

$4000, its literally 10x the cost, and not as convenient. The whole juicero selling point was convenience.

But if you're just going for convenience I don't think there's much point in even looking past Keurig. Their machines are easy, cheap and, and readily available, plus they have by far the biggest selection and market distribution of pods available. The nespresso style pods the duobo uses tend to offer some slightly better quality options, but are far less common.

[madires]

Yeah I don't drink coffee but I don't get it, if you want a blend can't you just order from a company that sells blends instead? Custom pod blends exist. If you care that much you'd mix your own stuff.

Most coffee sold to consumers is already a blend (for a consistent quality / consumer experience). There's also single origin or single estate coffee, but it's less common and more expensive.

[djacobow]

There is indeed a robust coffee nerd space where people are willing to part with thousands of dollars to get new toys, and there is certainly a portion of that space where you can successfully sell good-looking junk that doesn't do anything (call it "coffoolery"), but I think this product misses the mark.

Coffee nerds don't think too much of Nespresso. The tech is cool, but it's not really espresso, the doses are small, etc. On the other hand, the people who do buy Nespresso probably aren't big into coffee and won't care that much about making their own blends, etc. Also, I can't think of any reason I'd want to blend coffee at home, given that I can get thousands of options of carefully chosen and roasted coffees directly from roasters around the world -- and still pay less than Nespresso, by the way.

As someone else pointed out, $4k will get you a Decent, if you like tech, or a pretty good super-automatic if you're into that. And, of course, if you have the interest level, $4k can get you a nice $2k espresso machine with PID control, a nice $1k grinder like a a Niche Zero which can do espresso and other styles, an $300 SCA-certified drip machine, a nice pourover setup, an Aeropress, a Moka Pot, a french press, a Chemex, a nice set of espresso cups, cortado cups, and coffee mugs, and a year subscription to a coffee-by-mail service. That will give you a LOT more fun and good coffee experiences overall.

[PlainName]

Coffee nerds don't think too much of Nespresso. The tech is cool, but it's not really espresso, the doses are small, etc. On the other hand, the people who do buy Nespresso probably aren't big into coffee and won't care that much about making their own blends, etc. Also, I can't think of any reason I'd want to blend coffee at home, given that I can get thousands of options of carefully chosen and roasted coffees directly from roasters around the world -- and still pay less than Nespresso, by the way.

AFAICS this isn't for nerds, it's for people that would like to be nerds but don't have the patience or taste. Like the hobbyist using Arduino sketches to blink an LED but would actually like to be hitting the metal of an ECU. Plus, it looks cool and far more interesting than that $4k cuboid that looks just like every other coffee machine. Fun to use.

As for the mixing... well, if I were into proper coffee I might well like to try that, but I ain't spending loads on  several bags of coffee on the off-chance it works. Mixed pods seems to be a great idea to let ordinary people try easily and (relatively) cheaply. If they don't like it there's  nothing lost (no 10 year old bags of shit coffee in the larder), and if they do there's a lot more to try. Those that actually know what they're doing and can 'carefully choose' aren't the target market.

[xrunner]

It looks like a robot urinating into a coffee cup. 

[dobsonr741]

Why is it any better than the average Nespresso machine, pulling two shots, one after the other, into the same cup?

[m98]

The design really does have an — indecent vibe, but I don't think the “essential”-edition is all that bad of a product. A bit gimmicky, but if you like the design, want to play around with the taste and don't want to spend like at least 2x the money for a half-decent Espresso setup, why not?

[madires]

Coffee meant for espresso is usally a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans. With DUOBO you would get a blend of blends, which a coffee aficionado doesn't want. And from a machine perspective the most important feature is the steam pressure (around 9 bar) and the timing (about 30s). You can get inexpensive espresso machines able to make good espresso.

[PlainName]

With DUOBO you would get a blend of blends, which a coffee aficionado doesn't want.

Would such aficionado be into capsules at all? I wouldn't have thought so, so on that basis a huge number of machines being sold successfully, can't be. Hmmm.

So long as this one does what every other coffee machine does, it's surely a little bit better on account of acting and looking different.

[wraper]

If you want to blend something yourself, this seems pretty ridiculous. For the same price you can get a good enough superautomatic espresso machine and mix as many different coffee beans as you want with very little effort. Not to say storing a pre-grinded coffee butchers it, be it a pod or a vacuum sealed bag. So I have a hard time believing that anyone who would like this thing is actually after a good coffee. Also there is a DIY coffee pod thing. Like why in hell would you want take the effort of using a full blown semi-automatic esprosso machine and get the result of Nespresso/Keurig?

[Ranayna]

Many "coffee nerds" in my area are now going the totally opposite way of machines like these.
Plain old ordinary manual drip coffee seems to be "the thing" at the moment. The more advanced nerds also grind themselves, and one guy allegedly also roast the beans himself.

[dobsonr741]

If the gadget’s appearance is the only factor why someone would want it, here is an alternative, of the classic espresso process, presented wonderfully by BaristaHamburg. His visuals and video making are awesome:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1pskPss1kf/?igsh=NzBmMjdhZWRiYQ==

[thm_w]

Why is it any better than the average Nespresso machine, pulling two shots, one after the other, into the same cup?

You can tweak the temperatures and ratios.

[ebastler]

What an absurd design. Who needs a drip tray when you can drip your coffee onto a TFT display? 

[SiliconWizard]

It's all connected to the cloud right?
Isn't the thing yet another case of the law of the instrument?

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail."

[PlainName]

Would tea be the screw equivalent?

Oh, you mean the cloud thing. That's an inappropriate analogy, I think - more like they have nails so are selling hammers to bash them with. They have the means of making money from your data, and the cloud is the tool to suck it up and lock you in.

[Halcyon]

IIRC, capsules are the most expensive way to make a cup of coffee. And also the most problematic regarding waste. Pads are less expensive and can be composted. Can't speak for others, but I wouldn't want a blend of blends.

They also don't taste particularly nice compared to a French press or espresso.

[coppercone2]

that black gets you fuking LUNAR bro

[Haenk]

Many "coffee nerds" in my area are now going the totally opposite way of machines like these.
Plain old ordinary manual drip coffee seems to be "the thing" at the moment. The more advanced nerds also grind themselves, and one guy allegedly also roast the beans himself.

In my experience, a regular coffee machine with integrated grinder works wonders. Once you set your milling grade and amount of coffee powder, you have a pretty constant result - use the beans of choice and have the coffee of your choice, every time. With minimal effort. And to be had for about 100,- - a few years ago. (Right now, Amazon charges about 2,5x as much. WTF.)
A manual espresso machine is like an external belt driven record player. Half the fun is just the toying around with expensive tools