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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Terra Kaffe

Video: See the Terra-Kaffe TK-01 High-End, All-in-One Coffee Maker in Action

There is no shortage of machines and methods that promise to make you a better cup of coffee. But one that stands out for us here at The Spoon is the Terra-Kaffe TK-01.

This beautifully designed all-in-one machine holds your beans, grinds them to the right degree, extracts your coffee and froths your milk — all with the push of the button.

There are a few features on the Terra-Kaffe that we really appreciate. First, all the controls are on the device itself, so there is no app to download and account to create before you use it. Second, no pods — just pour in your coffee. Finally, you can add whatever coffee you like. You don’t need to go through a Terra-Kaffe marketplace to get your beans.

Oh, one more thing we like about the TK-01? It’s shipping right now. There’s no backlog, no wait. I mean, the TK-01 isn’t cheap, it costs $775. But can you put a price on your morning caffeination? Check out this video with Terra-Kaffe’s Founder and CEO Sahand Dilmaghani to see the TK-01 brew up a cup of coffee.

CES 2020: A Look at the Terra Kaffe TK-01

The Food Tech Show: The Perilous Existence of Bike-Riding Food Delivery Drivers

It’s been a big week in restaurant tech news, so the Spoon gang got together to record a podcast.

In this episode of the Food Tech Show, we discuss:

  • Starbucks deal with Brightloom (formerly Eatsa) and what it means for the restaurant tech market
  • The New York Times piece about a day in the life of food delivery drivers
  • Uber’s all-in-one app for food, bikes and rideshares
  • Mike’s first-world coffee machine struggle with whether he should have waited for the Terra Kaffe, even as the Spinn nears a ship date

As always, you can hit play below or listen to the Food Tech Show podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Audio Player

A Look at the Terra Kaffe TK-01, a Grind & Brew Espresso Machine That’s Basically a Barista-in-a-Box

In 2016, I plopped down $300 bucks in hopes I’d soon be in possession of a coffee machine that both grinds whole coffee beans and brews a nice cup of espresso.

Almost three years later, I’ve yet to see my Spinn.

So not surprisingly last week when I tried a new do-everything coffee machine called the TK-01 – a machine that started shipping in May – it made me wish I’d waited and ordered it instead.

I sat down with Sahand Dilmaghani, the CEO of New York City based Terra Kaffe, to discuss his company’s first product as he made me a couple different espresso drinks.

So what does the TK-01 do? In short, pretty much everything. In fact, with its ability to not only make almost any espresso-based drink under the sun as well as inject frothy milk from an accompanying carafe, it’s not too far off to call the TK-01 a little barista-in-a-box.

What I liked the most about the TK-01 was the fairly straightforward touch screen interface that not only allowed you to easily pick your favorite drink and start a brew, but also let you to go one level deeper to optimize your specific drink. As you can see in the video below, when brewing an espresso you can choose coffee amount, set a specific temperature, opt between a single or double shot and even set the amount of crema you want (crema being the “Guinness” froth you get at the top of your drink).

Starting a Brew With The Terra Kaffe TK-01

Automating milk drinks and frothing is straightforward with the machine’s accompanying carafe that injects milk or milk substitutes into the drink. Dilmaghani told me the company also sells extra carafes (the machine comes with one standard) so users can switch between, say, 2% cow milk and soy milk.

The machine’s whole bean repository takes up to a 12 ounce bag of coffee, which are then ground using a conical burr grinder.  The TK-01 also comes with a grinder bypass in case the user wants to brew pre-ground coffee.

Interestingly, unlike so many of the new coffee machines coming to market, the TK-01 doesn’t have connectivity. According to Dilmaghani, that was a conscious design decision. “We decided to focus on one thing with our first product. Let’s get to market with this, and then let’s think about all those secondary features we want to build in.”

The TK-01 isn’t cheap for a home coffee machine at $745, but my guess is the primary customer is going to be coffee aficionados who wouldn’t mind paying more for what is essentially a barista robot. That said, I also think the product would make sense in small offices, though Dilmaghani said the product was designed for the home user (even while he told me about 20% of their orders so far have been small offices).

Bottom line: for those who want a grind & brew coffee machine that automates the brewing of espresso drinks in pretty much any configuration you want, the TK-01 could be the option for you. And, unlike the Spinn, the TK-01 is actually available today.

You can see a video walk-through of the device over on our Spoon Instagram story.