CES 2025 has come and gone, and as has been increasingly the case, coffee had a sizeable presence. Which I guess makes sense, coffee makers are technically consumer electronics. Much of the new coffee tech that gets presented at CES is some sort of sweaty AI shoehorn or the 7-minute abs of cold brew. Still there are cool things that premiere at the event. Like, say, a cute little kitty that hangs from the side of your coffee mug and blows on it to cool it down. And then there’s the Kara Pod, “the world’s first self-refilling coffee machine” that pulls water out of thin air.
Created by Kara Water, the Kara Pod was an Honoree at the 2025 CES Innovation Awards in the Home Appliance category. As reported by TechRadar, the Kara Pod isn’t alchemy nor is it exactly new technology either, though it does appear to be the first time it has been applied to the coffee space. The coffee maker essentially works like a dehumidifier, pulling water from the air and condensing it into liquid form. Once condensed, the water is purified via “a combination of heat, UV light, and replaceable filters.”
The Kara Pod claims to be able to pull up to 13 cups of water out of the air every 24 hours, which can then be consumed as filtered water or used to make coffee.
Of course, as the name suggests, the new coffee system is pod-based, which is a little problematic, both in terms of coffee quality and eco-friendliness. Though, Kara Pod uses “fully compostable environmental coffee pods made of plant-based fibers.” Though no information is given about the coffee, which is probably all the information that you need really.
Still, the technology at work is interesting and could certainly see further, more utile application within the coffee industry. No release date or price point has yet to be given for the Kara Pod. For more information, visit Kara Water’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.