Perk is an automated pour-over coffee machine that produces Third Wave coffee at the push of a button.

With PERK’s full automation, it is simple to get into Third Wave coffee. You get perfectly extracted coffee at the push of a button; no more compromises, no more fiddling with cones and kettles, and no more discussions about theory. Our team assisted perk with renderings and producing a prototype suitable for their Kickstarter video.

WHAT IS THIRD WAVE COFFEE?

The “first wave” for coffee began in the early 1900’s when roasters provided convenience by packaging coffee to be affordable and ready to brew. In the 1960’s, with the growth of coffee shops such Starbuck and Peet’s, the “second wave” ushered in a movement focused on consistently drinkable coffee along with a social experience.

The latest era, the “Third Wave,” began in the early 2000s and focuses on delivering coffee so bright, sweet and fruity that it no longer needs cream or sugar. Third Wave coffee producers focus on precision in every step of the coffee production process, from sourcing to roasting, but the final step in the process, brewing, has remained the most difficult.

Until now.

COFFEE BREWING: DONE

Using a new type of brewing method, PERK sits on your kitchen counter and rivals the precision and automation of the most sophisticated professional coffee machines in the most cutting edge coffee shops.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

There are two key elements.

UNIFORMITY OF SATURATION

The key to PERK’s groundbreaking performance is the way it takes advantage of the Physics principle of a “mechanical suspension” to guarantee a perfect uniformity of saturation every time. This is done by creating a gentle, upward flow of water through the infusion chamber, creating an agitation force that lifts, separates and tumbles each coffee particle evenly. Until now, this has only been theoretically possible. Sounds too simple? Yup, now it is.

    “Ideally, the water turbulence will lift, separate and tumble each particle of coffee in the bed, thereby allowing for a uniform extraction rate from each particle…” – Ted R. Lingle, “The Coffee Brewing Handbook” (2nd Ed), SCAA 

TEMPERATURE MAINTENANCE

Another key feature of PERK’s performance is its unparalleled infusion chamber temperature maintenance. PERK uses a recirculating boiler with a nested infusion chamber that ensures a constant supply of precision-controlled, heated liquid. With PERK, you can select and maintain a desired brewing temperature to within a degree. Not only does that mean you can target coffee’s Goldilocks temperature zone, but you can target specific degrees within that zone!

Hot damn!