PicoBrew has continued to build out its lineup of countertop brewing machines, with the newly launched Pico MultiBrew the latest to join the family. The device makes brewing up a fresh cup of Joe its priority, but will apparently be perfectly capable of serving up beer, tea, kombucha and other beverages, too.
The Pico MultiBrew is actually the Seattle-based company's second attempt at an all-in-one countertop brewing machine. Up until last year it had largely traded in beer-brewing appliances, but then looked to branch out with a universal solution for mixing up all manner of refreshments with the Pico U.
Its crowdfunding campaign drew plenty of attention, but was ultimately canceled as backers expressed a keen interest in a coffee brewing machine first, and universal brewing machine second.
The PicoMultiBrew is the result of that feedback. It features control software that enables users to choose from "brew programs" that can be customized to different types of coffee and roasts. The company has previously partnered with craft beer breweries to develop purpose-made PicoPaks, which contain the ingredients needed for different beer recipes inside a compostable pod.
It will now seek to forge similar partnerships with coffee roasters, who will be able to draw up recipes for brewing their beans at home in just the right way, which users can cook up with a push of a button. In addition to these PicoPaks, users will be able to simply add their own ground coffee to the pour-over basket using a standard filter.
The black and stainless steel appliance is noticeably rounder and slimmer than some of PicoBrew's earlier, boxier offerings. And its color-screen still offers brewing control over other drinks such as tea, kombucha, iced horchata and craft beers. In this way, the device appears to be functionally very similar as last year's Pico U, but with purpose-made PicoPaks for coffee and the new partnerships it hopes to build, the company is keen to make caffeine the star of the show.
"Pico MultiBrew takes a coffee-first approach in its design and functionality," says Dr. Bill Mitchell, CEO of PicoBrew. "While you can still use it to produce exceptional craft beer and endless other specialty beverages, we heard our customers loud and clear when they asked for an incredible coffee brewer that they could use every day."
Though it has gone ahead and announced the MultiBrew, the company is treading a little more cautiously this time around. It is yet to share a price, only to say the cost will be in line with other countertop coffee machines, and that it will be available for pre-order in the fall (US).
Source: PicoBrew