PERK Wants to Revolutionize Coffee with an Automated Pour-Over System

From brewing methods to bean varieties, coffee connoisseurs have never had as many choices for their daily cup of brew as they do today.

And while some may swear by the simplicity of the good old-fashioned French press, brewing technologies have been slowly seeping their way into the mainstream; be it in the form of Nespresso pods or other automated systems. Few of these pod-based systems come close to emulating the taste and flavor of pour-over coffee, however. The problem is, few people have the patience to make their own pour-over coffee at home.

Enter the PERK.

Originally designed for brewing the perfect cup of joe in low-gravity environments, the PERK fully-automated pour-over coffee system gently pumps water through the coffee grains to ensure that the water reaches each grain evenly. Unlike a manual pour-over system, the PERK is also capable of lifting, tumbling and separating the coffee grains while it’s brewing.

Says the company:

“The key to PERK’s groundbreaking performance is the way it takes advantage of the Physics principle of a ‘mechanical suspension’ to guarantee a perfect uniformity of saturation every time. This is done by creating a gentle, upward flow of water through the infusion chamber, creating an agitation force that lifts, separates and tumbles each coffee particle evenly. Until now, this has only been theoretically possible.”

While it appears to be in a 3D printed concept stage for now, the PERK team is currently seeking to fund their project on Kickstarter—and are already well on their way to covering their campaign goal of $100,000 with 39 days left to go. For the discerning coffee connoisseurs out there who want to be among the first to give the PERK a spin (although we always take Kickstarter projects with a giant grain of salt), the company is offering a limited amount of units for $174—that’s 40% off the $299 retail price.