Technology Archives

Aillio Bullet V2 separates roasting fact from fiction

Aillio Founders Jacob and Jonas Lillie explain why the use of infrared technology is set to take the guesswork out of roasting.

Scientists have said our best ideas develop in the shower thanks to a relaxed state of mind and release of the brain chemical dopamine. But in the case of Jonas Lillie of roaster manufacturer Aillio, his best idea evolved while brushing his teeth.

Jonas has been trying to find a solution to the moisture build-up and dust collection inside the protective germanium glass of the Bullet roaster he and twin brother Jacob had developed.

“I had been thinking about it for a while but on this one day I had an epiphany. I thought: ‘How can you have an infrared sensor looking at the roasting beans without glass for protection?’ Without it, the sensor would be exposed to smoke and just break down over time – it needs to withstand 145°C,” Jonas says. “Then the idea popped into my head – a very, very tiny fan.” Read more

The Loring S7 Nighthawk lands in Australia

Loring’s new S7 Nighthawk has made its Australian debut, providing an opportunity for newcomers to enter the roasting industry, and pre-existing customers to roast with greater flexibility.

After years working behind a coffee machine – tamping, extracting, and texturing – many professional baristas look to roasting as the next step in their career progression.

American manufacturer Loring heard the industry’s calls for an entry-level roaster, and has responded with the small-scale S7 Nighthawk, which reached Australian shores in February.

Independent United States roasting consultant Rob Hoos is excited to share with Australia what the seven-kilogram roaster has to offer. Read more

Mythos 2 becomes reality

When Victoria Arduino’s Mythos One grinder first arrived in Australia in 2014, baristas were drawn to the machine’s Clima Pro technology, and its other features to improve dosage and espresso extraction. But Victoria Arduino felt it could do better, and after years of development, launched the Mythos 2 grinder in 2018.

Michele Mastrocola, Senior Sales Area Manager Asia-Pacific at Victoria Arduino, says the company entered the development of the Mythos 2 with the intention to build on what the Mythos One was capable of. Read more

Anfim focuses on the finer details

When Hemro Group Head of Product Development and Design Daniel Hofstetter held an Anfim grinder workshop in Australia in November 2018, the reactions from the crowd were divided. There were nods of heads from those who understood the mathematical explanation of volume-based particle size distribution (PSD), blank stares at the word “sphericity”, and fascinated expressions from those who couldn’t believe how much product information was willingly shared. Read more

Rancilio enters a new era

Rancilio knows a thing or two about making coffee machines – it’s been doing so from a factory outside of Milan since 1927. Within that time, the world introduced colour television, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Australia went through 23 Prime Ministers, and consumers discovered their addiction to iPhones. The coffee industry has equally evolved, but what hasn’t, according to Rancilio, is the process of coffee extraction.

Iberital’s vision

Founded in 1975 when Blai Farré started repairing machine pumps in a garage in Barcelona, Iberital has since grown to become one of Europe’s leading espresso machine manufacturers. Now, the company has its sights set on Australia.

Slayer Espresso launches Steam EP

The way music is consumed has changed forever. First came vinyl records, then CDs, and online streaming platforms. These days, emerging artists release extended play records or EPs ahead of their debut album, and if they’re lucky to have a string of hits or best-selling albums, they release a box set, usually in time for Christmas.

Coffee Roasters Australia’s Phantom triumph

It’s one thing to design a product from scratch and bring it to life, but to have every piece of material made and manufactured on Australian soil is a feat few businesses boast, due to cheaper overseas labour and manufacturing costs.

For Coffee Roasters Australia (CRA) Technology’s Mark and Alana Beattie, the achievement was challenging, but a project they were determined to see through.

“It’s quite strange that Australia is considered one of the market leaders of coffee consumption, innovation, and barista-made coffee, yet we don’t manufacturer many products,” Mark says. “We saw it as a real challenge, and it was.” Read more

How Satake sorts the good beans form the bad

In the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, golden chocolate eggs are placed on an eggdicator scale to determine if they’re good or bad. Good eggs are shipped out. Bad eggs go down the garbage chute into the incinerator. Even spoilt child Veruca Salt is sent down the garbage chute.

When it comes to separating good green or roasted beans from bad, the same theory applies using Satake’s range of optical sorters.

Sid Jain, Satake Australia’s Optical Sorting Sales Engineer, says having a clean bean is the difference between a good flavour in the cup and an excellent one. Read more

Proteins with purpose: why milk curdles and how to avoid it

If you regularly make soy coffees for your customers, you have probably noticed that soy milk is often harder to work with than dairy milk – it tends to curdle more in coffee, especially when steaming hot. With some coffees it behaves well, with some it doesn’t.

The delicate protein structures in milk are to blame for the curdling effect.

Proteins are long, folded chains of amino acids. Humans only use about 20 different amino acids, and they can be linked after one another in any order. Most proteins contain hundreds of them. Read more