CoffeeB

The coffee machine CoffeeB by Café Royal was developed to address the challenges posed by modern user habits, while simultaneously solving any related problems. As a capsule system without capsules, it intelligently unites a familiar coffee-making process with maximum sustainability. The designers opted to prioritise the basic product of coffee as their starting point by creating small, compressed coffee balls for use in the CoffeeB machine. These coffee balls are enveloped in a plant-based protective film and can be composted after use in household plant soil or in the garden. The innovative portioning system preserves the convenient, familiar capsule method of making coffee, while avoiding problematic waste such as plastic or aluminium. The coffee balls inspired the designers to take an inside-out approach – from the product to the appliance – so that use, form and, perhaps most importantly, sustainability shaped the construction of the Globe accompanying the coffee balls. The Globe – the main body of the coffee machine – is made primarily of recycled plastic. No paint is used so that the material can be fed back into the recycling loop without any compromises. Its black, finely grooved body touches on the round shape of the coffee balls, which are stored in a stackable transparent dispenser. The playful design of the balls is underscored by a mechanism that makes it easy to insert them into the brewing unit. The Globe designers also considered energy efficiency: with just 20 seconds of warm-up time, the system is fast, quiet and energy-saving due to its automatic standby mode, which is activated after just one minute. “This is a new take on a familiar system,” the jury said enthusiastically. “Dispensing with plastic capsules solves the biggest problem in pre-portioned coffee preparation. What’s more, the Globe’s roundness and curves perfectly complement the design of the coffee balls. Both sustainability and user friendliness are achieved by streamlining the design to focus on essential elements.” The coffee balls and the Globe interact seamlessly, resulting in a cohesive unit, the CoffeeB, which is both visually and functionally appealing.