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The high-tech Bruvi coffee brewer is both stylish and useful
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Laurent Lombart, managingdirector, Capsul’in Pro SA, Capsul’in IML Zero Impact
By Thomas Schmid
In constant development flux, single-serve capsules and systems present consumers with often surprisingly ingenious solutions while ensuring great taste and aroma in the cup.
Few other coffee industry sectors have proven themselves to be as dynamic and innovative as the single-serve arena. Companies’ r&d departments, capsule designers, and tech engineers are constantly brainstorming about new ways to brew that perfect cup, simultaneously taking into account environmental concerns and end consumer convenience. Both PLA (poly-lactic acid) and PPL (poly-propylene) have made press headlines for quite some time as environmentally friendly materials for single-serve pods and capsules. Soon, there may even be an entirely novel way of producing PLA. And on the brewing equipment side, new creative solutions are always on the horizon.
Bruvi: Hot and cold brew – all from the same single-serve system
California-based start-up Bruvi only recently distributed a press release in which the company announced the impending launch of a proprietary product that not only would be capable of brewing filter coffee, espresso, americano, iced coffee, infused coffee, and tea but also “the world’s first cold brew from a single-serve system.”
All of that by using the same machine, it is understood. STiR wanted to know more, of course, interviewing Bruvi’s co-founder, Mel Elias, for the purpose. “We are the first,” he asserted. “Our thick film heater can rapidly [and precisely] adjust temperatures from 200F to 120F [93.3C – 48.9C]. No other single-serve system uses this breakthrough technology,” he claimed, adding that the patents for both the “Bruvi” brewer as well as the “B-pod” capsules that go with it were currently pending.
Solving two primary issues in one go
While consumers love the convenience of capsule-brewed coffee, its sensory qualities are often lacking. Bruvi addressed this challenge by making its final product hotter, stronger, smoother, and 20% less bitter. Next, it had to solve the issue of how to dispose of pods in an environmentally sensitive way. “B-Pods can either be recycled or simply tossed in the trash because they have been designed for accelerated degradation in a landfill environment [pending completion of ASTM 5526 testing, with disclaimers required as per California law],” Elias explained.
The actual brewing takes place right in the pod (i.e. not in the brewer), which not only is more hygienic but also prevents possible flavor cross contamination. Pre-infusion technology allows for more even extraction, while automatic pod recognition identifies the individual pod and auto-adjusts brewing time, temperature, pressure (up to 15 bar), and water injection for the optimal cup.
Surprisingly good flavor
But… how about the taste? Well for one an integrated water bypass switch makes for a smoother flavor. Bruvi coffee apparently is “so good that [test cuppers] are surprised that it was brewed from a pod,” according to Elias. He also told STiR that each B-pod was filled with house brand blends “from super-premium, certified-sustainable, and ethical coffee sources,” adding that in the future the company plans to partner “with favorite coffee brands and roasters”.
Each B-pod, Elias elaborated, contains a maximum of 16 grams of coffee – up to 40% more than other commercially available capsules. Which likewise might be a reason why the resulting brew tastes so full and round. Apart from an environmentally friendly cup made from PPL, B-pods also use fully recyclable aluminum lids, adhesives and water-based inks. The Bruvi system is complemented by an app to enable pre-programmable remote brewing and also has a B-pod reordering function via auto delivery. Elias expects to have the Bruvi system ready for pre-ordering in early 2021, with an official market roll-out date earmarked for later in the year. “We will launch in the US initially, though we plan to expand to other markets once we have established the brand there,” he said.
World premiere from Luxembourg
Most people may know the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg only for its excellent wines, hearty cuisine, and picturesque historical towns and villages. But since 2011, this small European nation has also harbored Capsul’in Pro SA, one of the globe’s most innovative, “thinking-outside-the-box” developers of single-serve coffee capsules.”
We were one of the first in the world to launch a Nespresso-compatible capsule, which got us enough media coverage to help us take off,” the firm’s managing director, Laurent Lombart, told STiR. “Since then we have developed a further seven different Nespresso-compatible capsule models, utilizing various technologies and polymer materials.” In the process, Capsul’in accumulated so much expertise that the company today is regarded by the industry as a “capsule specialist” in the truest sense.
Not every “compostability” claim is factually true
Employing a dedicated team of (bio) polymer and design specialists, industrial engineers as well as coffee experts, Capsul’in since 2015 launched two compostable capsules. And the firm’s latest brainchild plans to celebrate its world premiere in early 2021: the certified home-compostable and oxygen-barrier IML Zero Impact capsule. ”The main-issues with single-serve coffee capsules have been - and still are - linked to sustainability and recycling possibilities,” Lombart pointed out.
While he acknowledged that Nespresso accomplished a highly commendable job in improving the recycling rates of aluminum capsules, most compatible capsules in the market today are still made from multilayer petrochemical plastics, and cannot be recycled. He also threw some justified criticism at companies that promote their capsules as “compostable” or “biodegradable” without any certifications. Lombart cautioned that “transparency is an essential ingredient of sustainability — to gain customers’ confidence, information about end-of-life options must be specific, accurate, and truthful.”
IML Zero Impact to redefine coffee capsules
Enter the Capsul’in IML Zero Impact, where the “IML” stands for “in-mold technology,” referring to a process of applying pre-printed compostable labels during (and not after) the injection process. “This creates permanently bonded labels with extreme durability and flexibility, and it provides a high-barrier function,” Lombart explained. “I like to quote Mark Twain in describing our journey when, back in 2015, we decided to adapt this technology to coffee capsules: ‘They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it.’”
But what about the “zero impact” aspect extolled in the product name? Lombart said this referred to the European Union (EU) Circular Economy Action Plan, which calls for reducing fossil resource usage and all plastic packaging within the EU to becoming reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030. “IML Zero Impact [in this context] means ‘zero impact’ on our fossil resources,” Lombart explained, insisting IML Zero Impact would be “a real game changer”.
“It is simply the world’s first coffee capsule that solves many different problems linked to resource renewability, oxygen permeability of bioplastic- and fiber-based filters, coffee extraction and end-of-life options… all of this without losing quality in the cup,” he asserted.
A slew of prestigious certifications
These are not just unsubstantiated claims. Even before IML Zero impact’s launch, the futuristic coffee capsule already raked up quite a list of certifications in Austria, Australia, and France which is all very impressive.
But what is IML Zero Impact actually made of? Understandably, Lombart wasn’t prepared to divulge the exact composition. However, he did disclose that IML Zero Impact – including the capsule body, label, and lid – was developed by Capsul’in’s cooperation with industrial partners. “All I can say beyond that is that the low oxygen transmission rate of capsule and top lid ensures full aroma protection and a 12-month shelf life, with a wonderful result in the cup.”