In April 2024, over 16,000 people and over 600 exhibitors gathered at SCA Expo, The largest specialty coffee trade show in North America. This year it took place in Chicago at the huge McCormick Center and saw the debut of many products that everyone could see and demonstrate. We’ve narrowed this list down to a diminutive handful worth your attention.
Alsa espresso fridge by Squeaky
Squeaking ALSA – coffee cooler takes an existing product — reusable whiskey cooling “ice cubes” — and incorporates it into espresso, potentially improving the creation of signature drinks. The Thai company Squeaky has designed a flask with a diameter of 58 mm that holds a frozen stainless steel ball inside, effectively and quickly cooling the espresso from a temperature of 70-80°C to 30°C. The $60 product contains two balls that take about three hours to freeze to temperature. ALSA won the People’s Choice category for best novel product this weekend and is available online.
Squeaky also caused quite a stir at the SCA Expo with its HOM (FLOWER) “aroma coffee exhibit,” which allows you to smell ground coffee from a closed container.
Recent ground control from Ground Control
Ground controlknown for commercial batch breweries, announced New ground control, an updated version of the flagship Cyclops model. Improvements over the Cyclops include a 40% larger brew basket, a lucid triple-wall dispenser, half the size, higher volume, visual cues, and a cloud-based recipe manager that is currently in beta. “With The Recent Ground Control, you can take any barista on their first day of training and train them for two minutes, and they will be able to prepare the same exceptional cup,” explains co-founder and CEO Eli Salomon.
Countering criticism that it will be disempowering for baristas, he says, “We’re bringing artistry back to where the focus should be, which is creating recipes.” Recipes can be entered and programmed in your roastery or training center and then sent to your fleet of brewers in your stores, making recipe sharing and implementation much easier. The novel coffee machine won in the Commercial Equipment for Preparing and Serving Coffee category in the Best Recent Product competition.
RediUV by Redi
The RediUV is a basic but effective countertop product that uses UVC LEDs to disinfect the outside of reusable cups. Customers place their cups in the center and RediUV closes for disinfection. A moment later, the barista door opens, thoroughly disinfected and ready for utilize. The company claims to eliminate over 99% of the most common germs, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, E. Coli and bacteria.
It also has a gamification feature where customers can be randomly selected for prizes set by the cafe. RediUV is now available for pre-order and has a $2.50-a-day subscription model, where the company claims 10 cups a day will break the cost of disposable cups.
Zerno Z1 v2 grinder
The Zerno Z1 grinder is the refreshed second version of the company’s flagship model, which was selected as a Best Recent Product finalist in the 15th annual Sprudgie Awards. According to Zerno, it is the industry’s first magnetically attached, continuously adjustable 64 mm diameter blind burr. Catering to the demanding home barista market, the Z1 grinder offers several options that can be customized to suit your needs, including burrs, wood front accent, pre-switch and an optional demanding case. All grinders are made to order in Chicago, where the company is headquartered.
For ease of utilize and to appeal to DIY enthusiasts, the grinder can be easily dismantled, allowing you to replace the burrs and pre-breaker. Refolding will return you to the dial point you had before opening it. The Z1 v2 starts at $1,299 and is waitlisted only (until January 2025) and won the Consumer Coffee Preparation and Serving Equipment category for Best Recent Product.
Minipresso GR2 by Wacaco
Another version of the product on this list is the Wacaco version Mini-presso GR2, manual and portable brewer. Compared to the original version, the GR2 is 30% shorter, provides an optimized user experience and has an adjustable hopper capacity (from 8 to 12 g, which Wacaco claims is the only one on the market for breweries of a similar size).
To utilize, add grounds and balmy water, then press the handle to pour espresso into your cup (included). Optional additional accessories include a travel case that doubles as a tray and additional filter baskets to prepare multiple cups on the go. The company says the device will be available in the market next month.
Ceado LifeX grinder
Ceado’s coffee grinder technology is now available in your convenient home coffee practice for utilize with your home coffee machine or pour-over routine. Ceado’s “Hoop Brewer” was a finalist for the 15th annual Sprudgie Awards, and the brand had a forceful presence at the Expo showcasing home and professional grinders.
Ceado’s plans for 2024 are ambitious and include cooperation with Fabiano Carvalho (@thecoffeesensorium) and Andrea Allen (Onyx Coffee Lab, American barista champion). LifeX comes complete with “a funnel for precise, automatic, timed dosing and a single-dose kit (consisting of a funnel, air pump and cup) for manual artisan brewing,” Ceado says. At the core of their technology are the so-called “X Burrs”, whose unique geometry and design have been patented by the Ceado engineering team.
Jenn Chen (@tejennchen) is a senior editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jenn Chen at Sprudge.
